Governance elements and public policies in climate emergency situation

Abstract

This paper explores the dilemmas arising from highly complex situations linked to climate emergencies, which most often confront local and regional governments and demand immediate action. The flash floods of 2024 in Valencia provide a clear illustration, with events of this kind expected to occur with increasing regularity in the future. In these scenarios, the hierarchical structures and fragmented distribution of powers that characterise governmental organisation and operations are ill-suited to adapting to diverse circumstances and mobilising essential resources. Such situations are therefore best understood as complex intergovernmental problems requiring specific governance dynamics. Centralisation and decentralisation emerge as recurring dilemmas when defining responsibilities and setting intervention guidelines. The perspective adopted here is not exclusively technical, economic or legal. It also takes on a political dimension, insofar as it considers the distribution of costs and benefits within the broader process of developing governance capacities to address climate emergencies.