14.03.2022
Climate Alliance highlights local demands at European climate conferences
From 7-8 March, two high-level climate conferences took place in Nantes (FR): the European Climate Conference of the French EU Presidency and the Climate Chance Summit Europe. There, a delegation of board members and staff represented Climate Alliance. With contributions in no less than nine official discussions, workshops and presentations, the network stressed the needs of the municipal level.
In sessions of the European Climate Conference, Climate Alliance representatives spoke on topics such as the risks of focusing too narrowly on offsetting and climate neutrality as well as the challenges of climate change adaptation in cities and towns. At the Climate Chance Summit, a special event was convened to support Ukraine, European municipalities expressed their solidarity with the country. Andreas Wolter, President of Climate Alliance and Mayor of the City of Cologne, also took part and offered his city's support. Climate Alliance organised, among other contributions, a workshop on the building sector. The network presented four concrete political recommendations on the topic of buildings, which will be handed to EU politicians along with further official conference recommendations. Climate Alliance‘s demands include:
- Alleviate energy poverty for a just transition
- Lower barriers to renovations to increase energy efficiency
- Secure the right to energy-efficient adequate housing
- Reduce energy demand, use renewables for energy autonomy
„We need financing support to set the required measures, means to ensure sector climate neutrality, financial instruments and legal instruments. Local communities must be fully equipped“, declared Andreas Wolter during the workshop. The session aimed at showcasing the importance of adapting buildings from an environmental and socio-economic perspective as well as the crucial role of municipalities in the implementation of European and national policies. The focus was on two Climate Alliance activities: the Energy Caravan as a campaign for energy-efficient retrofits and the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH) as the leading EU initiative for local action against energy poverty.
Climate Alliance's activities were also presented in Climate Chance’s "Local Action Report 2022", which was published alongside the conference last week and is now available online. The case study of Climate Alliance member Rüsselsheim am Main, which highlights the implementation of the Energy Caravan in the Hessian city, was also included in the Climate Chance project map.
Read more
- Review of Climate Alliance workshop on 7 March
- Photo Gallery
- Climate Alliance's Local Action Report 2022 (pdf)
- Climate Chance's Projet Map: Case Study of Rüsselsheim am Main
- Energy Caravan
- Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH)
- Climate Chance
