2007 is the year that people routinely expect governments at all levels to tackle *new* environmental challenges, rather than simple and limited environmental protection. There is a growing sense that government has an expanded role to play in setting the agenda for change, instead of simply being a hands-off steward for otherwise uncontrollable economic processes. At the national and international level, this is due to rising anxiety over climate change: governments remain the only entities that can negotiate and set binding regulations that apply to all emitters. At the level of regions and cities, this is due to competitiveness: every city government these days, it seems, is actively developing a sustainability strategy, because they do not want to be left behind as economies and the environment continue to change.