How to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement at the local and regional level?

The main goal of the Paris Climate Agreement is to limit the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 °C, or better 1.5 °C, with reference to pre-industrial levels. But how can this internationally agreed target be implemented on regional and local governance levels? Can legal frameworks support this purpose? How can local best practices be transferred to the international level? Professor Michael Rodi, speaker of the cluster "Energy Transition in the Baltic Sea Region" at the Interdisciplinary Center for Baltic Sea Region Research (IFZO) and director of the Institute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility (IKEM), invited to different side events in the framework of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP) from 05 to 11 November to discuss these topics (https://www.ikem.de/cop26/). The Baltic Sea Region is considered as a laboratory for models and strategies to create conditions for a successful energy transition. The researchers of the IFZO investigate, among other things, the relevance of local and regional actors and structures in this transformation process. This includes research on the acceptance of renewable energies by citizens as well as the establishment of a common energy market in the Baltic Sea region. Findings in these areas make a significant contribution to paving the way for the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement. At the same time, they enable local and regional models to be located on a global level.