Building European Resilience to Climate Change Impacts

In the European Union, addressing climate change and promoting civic participation are key priorities that go hand in hand. The EU recognises that the active engagement of citizens, local communities, civil society and various stakeholders is needed to tackle climate change effectively. The EU has established a global climate policy framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency and move to a sustainable and low-carbon economy. Among the main components are the European Green Deal, the The Fitfor55 package and and the EU Climate Law, which set ambitious targets to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Civic participation is encouraged through public consultations and engagement with civil society organisations to shape and implement these policies.

Objectives

In this framework is the GREEN EU project, funded by the European Union CERV programme and which pursues the following objectives:

1. To review the opinion of European society and climate change priorities.
2. Facilitate a complete exploration of the principles, practices and strategies of the circular economy, with the aim of promoting sustainable development.
3. Inspire and empower participants to actively contribute to sustainable urban development, with a focus on EcoCities, social equity and environmental management
4. Facilitate an in-depth exploration of climate resilience and permaculture practices, bringing together participants, experts and stakeholders to address the challenges posed by climate change and promote sustainable adaptation strategies.
5. Facilitate an information and interactive event that allows local communities to embrace renewable energy, understand their importance and actively engage in renewable energy initiatives.
6. Educate, inspiring and empowering participants to actively engage in biodiversity conservation efforts, develop actionable plans and engage in meaningful steps to protect biodiversity and support ecosystems.

Activities and activities

The project involves the implementation of the following activities:

• Implementation of a transnational survey involving at least 320 people from 18 EU countries, to assess the level of awareness and understanding of the factors and challenges of climate change among the general public. The findings of the investigation will provide evidence-based insights that will allow the consortium to provide a set of recommendations from below to support policy decisions.

Participate in the research  here

• Implementation of a series of transnational and national events that will focus on different aspects of environmental and climate issues, such as the circular economy, the conservation of biodiversity, renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure, adaptation measures, always linking them in relation to the theme of civic commitment.

Transnational events bring together participants, experts and stakeholders from various countries and regions, offering a different and complementary perspective on the issues. This is crucial to address complex and interconnected challenges such as climate change and to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and allow participants to learn from different experiences and adapt successful approaches in their own contexts. National events are designed to directly engage local communities and stakeholders, allowing citizens to actively participate in defining the future of their country.

Expected results

At the end of the initiative, the following results are estimated:

• Increased awareness of the connections between climate change, democracy and civic participation.
• Enrichment of knowledge and sharing of solutions and good practices among experts, activists, citizens and policy makers.
• Increased direct engagement by stakeholders, such as representatives of local communities, non-governmental organisations and businesses, in defining policies and concrete actions to build a resilient and green European society.
• Increased engagement within communities and organizations, which could lead to local initiatives to address climate change, promote sustainability and civic participation.
• Increased perception of European society’s views, attitudes and behaviours on climate change, democracy and civic participation in the different EU Member States.

                                                                                                     

From 24 to 26 September 2024 the first transnational event of the project was held, which addressed the theme of the Circular Economy. Click here to see the themes and discussions that emerged