# Data Scaling: Implications for Climate Action and Governance in the UK

## TL;DR

This paper explores how data scaling issues can impact climate governance and equity in the UK, emphasizing the need for better coordination between national and local actors.

## Contribution

The paper highlights the underappreciated role of data analysis methods in climate governance challenges.

## Key findings

- Data scaling issues like the modifiable areal unit problem may affect climate action efficacy and equity.
- Local actors can help mitigate the effects of data scaling in climate governance.
- More research is needed on how data scaling affects non-state actors' climate actions.

## Abstract

Local actors have growing prominence in climate governance but key capacities and powers remain with national policymakers. Coordination between national and local climate action is therefore of increasing importance. Underappreciated in existing academic and policy literature, coordination between actors at different scales can be affected not only by politics and institutional arrangements, but also by methods of data analysis. Exploring two datasets of GHG emissions by local area in England—one of consumption-based emissions and the other of territorial emissions—this paper shows the potential for a data scaling problem known as the modifiable areal unit problem and its possible consequences for the efficacy and equity implications of climate action. While this analysis is conceptual and does not identify specific instances of the modifiable areal unit problem or its consequences, it calls attention to methods of data analysis as possible contributors to climate governance challenges. Among other areas, future analysis is needed to explore how data scaling and other aspects of data processing and analysis may affect our understanding of non-state actors’ contribution to climate action.

Data scaling could affect the efficacy and equity of climate action in the UK.Enabling local actors can help to overcome the effects of data scaling.Relationships between methods of data analysis and governance need more attention.Research is needed on data scaling and the climate actions of non-state actors is needed.

Data scaling could affect the efficacy and equity of climate action in the UK.

Enabling local actors can help to overcome the effects of data scaling.

Relationships between methods of data analysis and governance need more attention.

Research is needed on data scaling and the climate actions of non-state actors is needed.