This Discussion Note tries to identigy and articulate in practical terms what has (or has not) been done by local governments in addressing climate change, and what can be done to improve outcomes from this interface. The overall conclusion is that there is little hard evidence that climate change figures prominently on the routine agenda of most llocal governments in the developing countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

This Discussion Note serves three purposes:

1. To provide national and local policy-makers, as well as development partners, with an introduction to ways in which local government systems and institutions can and do interface with climate change issues.

2. To outline ways forward that may improve the capacity and ability of local governments to address CC and leverage their comparative advantage in doing so.

3. To suggest ways for specialist climate change institutions and agencies to incorporate local government issues into their work and adjust their framework, strategy, and approach to strengthen climate change work at the sub-national level. The Note focuses primarily on LGs in developing countries of the Asia-Pacific region.