Urban action is critical for the EU climate policies targets for 2030 and 2050
Urban densities in the EU are not only the areas of large and unsustainable energy consumption (75% of EU citizens live in urban areas and consume around 75-80% of the total energy resources, being responsible for up to 70% of GHG emissions), but their inhabitants are also exposed to high levels of polluting activities with close to 96% of urban residents being exposed to unsafe levels of air pollution such as fine particulate matter (PM) 2.5. In this context, European cities stand at the forefront of achieving the climate-neutrality goals for 2050.
EU initiatives to support green projects
In the last decade, numerous initiatives have been launched to support and award environmental performance and commitment to sustainability. The European Green Capital Award and Green Leaf Award reward cities’ contribution to the green agenda. The NetZeroCities initiative focuses on developing innovative solutions and strategies to help cities reduce their carbon footprint and achieve net-zero emissions. Green Cities Accord encourages cities to commit to ambitious environmental targets, while other EU initiatives, such as the EU Mission: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities provide a framework for cities to accelerate their transition towards carbon neutrality and resilience.
Catalyzing Green Urban Transformation
CRPE recently published a pilot analysis that shows the Romanian municipalities’ vision on green investments for the 2023-2030 period: What is the role of green investments in the future of Romanian cities?. The analysis includes a connection to available local government funding for capital investments, targets for environmental improvement in urban areas, and the role of local communities in drafting and approving these key documents.
Our analysis has revealed significant disparities across the cities, particularly across the types of investments they foresee, despite in numerous cases having similar environmental challenges.
For this reason, we decided to map and explain case studies from across EU cities that can serve as inspirational stories, enabling our cities to act with more determination. One of the shortcomings of most rankings, including those of the EU initiatives, is the limited information they provide for the identified initiatives. Similarly important, these rankings often highlight action plans or projects with general objectives without providing in-depth explanations or detail their actual results.
Selecting the inspirational green initiatives and projects
We systematically categorized our search for examples into six areas: C1 – Air Quality, C2 – Water Quality, C3 – Urban biodiversity and Green urban spaces, C4 – Waste and Circular Economy, C5 – Noise Pollution, and C6 – Energy Efficiency. Each case study follows a structured format, including a summary of the initiative, a description of the design and implementation process, an overview of citizen and CSO involvement, an assessment of monitoring and evaluation tools, and an analysis of the impact.
You can find more than 20 successful projects and initiatives in our most recent report: Catalyzing green urban transformation: Case Studies and Insights for Achieving EU Climate Goals
This report is part of the Green rights for a sustainable future: Enhancing citizens’ involvement in EU’s climate ambitions (Green-Rights) project.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
