The European Committee of the Regions published its Green Deal Going Local Handbook. Part of its “Green Deal Going Local” campaign, the handbook aims at helping local and regional authorities delivering on the objectives of the Green Deal on the ground.
The handbook intends to show that there is no “one-size-fits all” solution and that strategies and tools must be adapted to local contexts, considering each territories’ challenges and opportunities regarding the green transition. This handbook proposes to especially consider the territories’ geography, from urban to rural areas, mountain, or costal ones.
How does the handbook work?
The handbook provides one document for each of the EU 28 Member States. It will enable you to:
- Choose the most relevant climate area for your region (Atlantic, artic, boreal, coastal zones, continental, mountain, Mediterranean).
- Explore different climate adaptation measures implemented in this climate area
- Learn more about the funding programmes and technical assistance available to replicate such measures in your territory. Initiatives such as the Pyrenean Climate Change Observatory are promoted.
Example of outlined measures
In mountain areas, the handbook presents a set of measures to:
- Manage higher temperature
- Deal with the effects of melting
- Prepare for landslides
- Protect biodiversity
Navigating through the handbook, you will discover initiatives to stabilise cliffs and limit erosion, projects monitoring glaciers and permafrost, or examples of climate adaption plans applied to the tourism sector.
Yet, the handbook presents some shortcomings. It is so far only available in English, making it difficult for all local and regional authorities to use it. In addition, some of the country sheets do not mention the mountainous nature of the country, such as Portugal or Greece.
However, the handbook remains a useful tool for finding examples to replicate and, above all, to understand which sources of funding you can use and from which structure you can ask for support.
18 October 2022
