Mobilising public authorities’ effective long-term energy policymaking
Following the European Commission’s unveiling of the European Green Deal in 2019 with its bold plan to make the bloc the first climate neutral continent by 2050, the European Climate Law was adopted in 2021. This makes reducing emissions by 55 % by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050 a legally binding target. The challenges to achieving this are significant and meeting them will require cooperation throughout the levels of governance in each country and on a European level. Further, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. The ambitious EU-funded C Track 50 project mobilised and supported public authorities at the local and regional levels, enabling them to develop, fund and implement new or improved sustainable energy and climate policy plans.
Multilevel governance cooperation aligned with national strategic policy priorities
Local and regional authorities have a critical role to play in achieving carbon neutrality. Alignment with national priorities and cooperation over multiple levels of governance will bolster impact. C-Track 50 held a series of round-tables, meetings, workshops and a conference to bring stakeholders together and foster team building and alignment of priorities and policies. Participation in these events far exceeded targets, in many cases more than double that foreseen, showing the overwhelming enthusiasm and readiness of stakeholders to exploit all available opportunities to progress. To support public authorities in fostering multilevel governance of energy and climate plans, C-Track 50 has produced a Guidebook for Achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050, available in 11 EU languages and included on the EU Covenant of Mayors website. "The guidebook describes the key steps in the planning process, considerations at each step, and best practices to inspire cities and regions,” adds Alexandra Papadopoulou of the Decision Support Systems Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens and project coordinator.
From energy and climate policy action plans to funding
C-Track 50 organised numerous capacity-building activities. The workshops and EU conference were record breakers, with double or more of the participation numbers targeted. Overall, the project increased the skills, capabilities and competencies on energy issues of more than 1 200 stakeholders from 235 local and regional authorities. These individuals are now ambassadors and instruments of change, better prepared to lead the way to climate neutrality by 2050. A total of 118 long-term local and regional energy and climate plans were developed in the context of the project. Of the 107 local plans, 44 had already been approved by municipal council decision by project completion. In addition, 89 funding proposals covering 117 municipalities were supported, with an overall investment of more than EUR 450 million.
Working together for a better future
Papadopoulou summarises: “Local authorities have clearly understood the vital role they have to play in long-term energy and climate planning. They did not hesitate to adopt these plans, even in countries with no governmental commitment to carbon neutrality yet. With technical support and close collaboration with regional authorities, they will be game changers in the coming decades.” C-Track 50’s astounding success at mobilising and engaging public authorities across multiple levels of governance to participate, develop plans and attract funding has significantly strengthened Europe’s ability to reach climate neutrality by 2050.
Keywords
C-Track 50, climate, energy, public authorities, carbon neutrality, policy, multilevel governance, Covenant of Mayors, European Climate Law, European Green Deal