In the framework of the European Green Deal, the European Commission will launch a European Climate Pact aiming at engaging citizens in climate objectives. The Pact will be a tool to talk about climate change through communication campaigns and events across European regions, to trigger climate action among citizens and to encourage cooperation on the topic.
In this regard, the European Commission launched an open consultation on its Climate Pact, to which Euromontana provided its feedback on the opportunities offered by the Pact for mountain communities.
Since the Climate Pact aims at triggering climate action, we believe its success relies on the implication of local communities. As mountain areas are amongst the regions most affected by climate change, Euromontana considers as essential not to leave them behind. In particular, Euromontana highlights the importance of sharing good practices and triggering action not only on climate change mitigation but also on adaptation.
Moreover, if priorities such as greening cities and encouraging low-carbon mobility in urban areas are interesting actions, the European Commission must also consider the huge potential of rural mountain communities to act for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Therefore, Euromontana suggests expanding the scope of these priorities and developing more training offers in mountain areas. The Horizon2020 project SIMRA has already demonstrated how much social innovation in marginalised rural areas can contribute to the Green Deal’s objectives with examples of successful initiatives such as ENERTERRE, a French association working on energy savings by renovating rural houses in less favoured areas.
Local presence, bottom-up initiatives and inclusion of all citizens must be the cornerstone of the European Climate Pact. If you wish to provide insights from your mountain area, please note that the online consultation is still open and the deadline for contributions has been extended to June 17, 2020.
26 May 2020
