MARYKE VAN STADEN
Accelerating The Sustainable Energy Transition Through Effective Multilevel Governance
Abstract
To advance efficiently in ensuring a sustainable future for everyone, it is essential to embed sustainable energy at the heart of all planning, policy and action – for every sector, in every strategy. This means all levels of government have a role to play, considering a whole-of-government approach, also to ensure this is done is a comprehensive and holistic manner that serves the whole-of-society. Tackling sustainable development requires an understanding of complex, multi-faceted challenges, which are exacerbated by climate change. It also needs a tailor-made local approach, considering many factors.
Considering climate change as a major global challenge we must address and respond to, sustainable clear energy is central when enhancing climate resilience, adapting to climate impacts and accelerating climate change mitigation. This requires renewables (locally, as far as this is available) and scaling up energy efficiency, also bringing nature-based solutions and exploring the efficient use of increasingly limited resources. Again, this calls for a holistic and comprehensive approach.
From setting clear targets, to defining the strategy, establishing policy and regulations, guiding action, and then monitoring, evaluating and adjusting as needed – these steps are all part of a strategic governance approach. Every level of government has a key role to play, considering its mandate, roles and responsibilities. Yet, often these are not clearly defined when considering climate change and the sustainable energy transition. The challenge governments face is to implement “good governance” to plan, protect and nurture people and place – the country and whether densely populated cities, peri-urban districts, rural areas, or industrial parks. Multilevel governance should include all levels of government – working vertically (across all levels), but also horizontally (across ministries and departments) – through cross-discipline relationships with the aim to explore and then implement scale-potential for positive and high impact action. In this regard, collaborative governance and inclusive governance can make a huge difference to achieving such intended goals.
Building on the topic of IRENEC 2025 and this year’s focus on sustainability, climate change and nature, the intervention will focus on ICLEI’s approach to climate neutrality when guiding cities, towns and other subnational territories around the globe to achieve climate neutrality, through its GreenClimateCitiesTM Program. The focus in on enablers, not only for effective policy, the flow of finance, and the differentiated roles of government tiers, but also on the socio-economic imperative for action, to ensure a just transition when enhancing resilience of people and place.
Biography
Maryke oversees ICLEI’s global strategy and implementation on local climate action (resilience, adaptation, mitigation), the sustainable energy transition, access to finance, and research and innovation. Part of this includes agile and effective governance, science-informed decision-making, multilevel governance and multilevel action (whole of government), engaging with whole-of society, also monitoring and report on progress and impact – to collectively step up in ensuring a more sustainable and resilient world, with climate neutrality as goal.
She works with multi-disciplinary teams across 27 ICLEI offices, serving ICLEI’s global network of 2,500+ local and regional governments in 125 countries. An international political scientist by training, Maryke’s career spans 30+ years in the areas of energy & climate policy and security, having worked for national government, the private sector and NGOs. She has two degrees from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, where she studied political science and international politics.