New Climate Alliance members

We cordially welcome our new members. The following local authorities have joined Climate Alliance: from Austria the municipalities of Angerberg, Assling, Feldkirchen bei Mattighofen, Mieders and Wilhelmsburg, from Belgium the association GRE Liège, from Germany the municipalities of Baden-Baden, Büchen, Lindenberg i. Allgäu and Rietberg, from France the municipality of Carnac, from Luxembourg the municipality of Mondercange as well as from Ukraine the city of Sambir.
Welcome! Presently (October 2014) 1652 cities, municipalities and districts as well as 59 provinces, NGOs and further organisations from 24 countries are members of Climate Alliance.
List of members

Climate Star 2014 – 17 local and regional authorities awarded

Already for the 6th time, Climate Alliance has awarded outstanding projects of cities, municipalities and regional networks from all over Europe. In Perchtoldsdorf (Lower Austria), 17 local and regional authorities received a Climate Star 2014. The winning projects were selected in four categories on the basis of criteria like sustainability, multiplier effect, media coverage, innovation, and citizen involvement. The Climate Star Award Ceremony was held on invitation of the Federal State of Lower Austria in the historic ambiance of Perchtoldsdorf Castle.
www.climatealliance.org

Mayors Adapt Signature Ceremony and further events

The first Mayors Adapt Signature Ceremony took place on 16 October 2014 in the presence of Commissioners Connie Hedegaard and Johannes Hahn, offering the signatories an occasion to celebrate their commitments to action on climate change adaptation.
Several outreach events, dedicated to “Mayors Adapt: the Covenant of Mayors initiative on adaptation to climate change”, took place - such as: a Workshop in Naples , co-organised by Climate Alliance Italy and the Covenant of Mayors Office on 12 September 2014, but also an Open Days event in Brussels on 7 October. Both events showcased the synergies between the Covenant of Mayors (focusing on climate change mitigation) and Mayors Adapt (focusing on adaptation) and discussed how an integrated climate policy could trigger effective action at local level. They also presented new financing opportunities dedicated to climate action.
The initiative now counts more than 90 signatories from 20 countries – and Climate Alliance members are amongst those leading the way (e.g. Munich, Ghent, Nantes Metropole, Province of Barcelona). For more information about the Mayors Adapt initiative, including how to sign up and upcoming events, please contact the helpdesk@mayors-adapt.eu.
www.mayors-adapt.eu

Climate Alliance shows local evidence during Open Days

On the 9 October 2014, Climate Alliance organised an event to showcase the promising examples of our members entitled ‘Ensuring a competitive Europe with low-carbon economy: vision of local and regional governments’. The Hague (NL), GRE Liège (BE), Essen (DE) and Barcelona Province (ES) presented how local authorities are leading by example to boost the local economy, to create jobs and investments, while simultaneously tackling challenges such as emission reductions and energy efficiency. In particular, innovative financing solutions were presented as being the vehicles to realise successful implementation of their projects. It is not a coincidence that these members of Climate Alliance are also taking actively part in the Working Group on Financing, which acts as an exchange platform where members can learn from each other and can interact with European decision makers. Climate Alliance Members willing to join our Working Group on Financing can send an e-mail to financing@climatealliance.org
www.climatealliance.org

Illegal timber imports: EU countries fail in forest protection

Climate Alliance is committed to the European Timber Regulation (EUTR), which has been in force in the EU since March 2013. It prohibits the placing of illegally harvested timber on the EU market, and requires all market participants who place timber and timber products on the EU market to exercise due diligence. However, recent cases show that it is by no means certain that the new EUTR is actually having the desired effect. Climate Alliance therefore recommends continuing to refer to the FSC seal for the time being, and to only use tropical wood if this is necessary for technical reasons.
www.wwf.panda.org

Committee of the Regions’ Opinion on the 2030 Framework

On the 7 October 2014 the Committee of the Regions (CoR) published its opinion regarding the policy framework for Climate and Energy up to 2030. Climate Alliance established good relations with CoR and provided input to the views before being adopted. The CoR’s current opinion suggests similar binding targets for the 2030 framework as Climate Alliance adopted in its Resolution, voted during this year’s Annual Convergence in Luxemburg. Annabel Jaeger, the rapporteur for the current opinion, highlighted this consensus during the Climate Alliance event during the Open Days on 9 October. Furthermore, she stressed that the Covenant of Mayors, which has currently over 6000 signatories, should be prolonged after 2020. Local authorities are supported via these initiatives to be the true actors for change. The European Council has its final vote on the 2030 framework on 23 and 24 October.
Climate Alliance Resolution                                
www.covenantofmayors.eu

European Commission about Covenant of Mayors and energy security

The Covenant of Mayors initiative has gained high visibility within the European Energy Security Strategy (EEES). A special reference to the Covenant of Mayors and the crucial role of Sustainable Energy Action Plans in reducing EU’s external energy dependency is made in the European Commission’s communication issued on 28 May. More specifically, the document states that “Member States should speed up to achieve the 2020 energy efficiency target”, “notably through accelerated implementation of the Sustainable Energy Action Plans submitted by municipalities participating to the Covenant of Mayors”. Marie Donnelly, Director for Energy Transition at the European Commission, explains in an interview that the Covenant of Mayors is a great example to show how local communities can secure a sustainable energy future. On 9 October the European Commission hosted a High-Level Conference on Energy Security, in the context of the Covenant of Mayors initiative.
www.vieuws.eu

"ZOOM - Kids on the Move for Climate Action" - Green Footprints Campaign

Since 2002 the ZOOM campaign invites children all over Europe to make their daily journeys independently and in a climate-friendly way. By collecting so-called Green Footprints all over Europe – until mid-November – the children show the "big ones", what the "small ones" do to protect the global climate! During an activity week on sustainable mobility each journey absolved on foot, by bike, skater, bus, train etc. counts one "Green Footprint". Climate Alliance will be handing over the total amount of collected "Green Footprints" to the participant of the UN-Climate Change Conference.
www.zoom-kidsforclimate.eu

Green ProcA – Green Public Procurement in Action

The project Green ProcA, which started in March this year, promotes the incorporation of Green Public Procurement in Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAPs), elaborated in the framework of the Covenants of Mayors. The project supports the acceleration of the implementation of SEAPs by increasing the efficiency of purchasing organizations. Local authorities who are about to sign the Covenant or want to improve their energy efficiency voluntarily, can gain support as well.
The project, managed by the Berliner Energieagentur, Climate Alliance and other European project partners, offers information for purchasers, free consultation and training session. Support for preparation of lighthouse projects, national helpdesks and a national/international award, also form part of project activities.
www.gpp-proca.eu

TURAS – Green Room opening in Ludwigsburg

This year during hot summer days the citizens of Ludwigsburg (Germany) were able to find refuge in the Green Room in the town centre. The Green Room is made of stacked wire frame boxes filled with substrate, containing around 7000 mostly evergreen plants of 30 species. Apart from providing shade and a cool refuge for the town’s citizens, wild perennials offer a source of nourishment for wild bees. The idea to create a green island in the town centre came up in the framework of the EU project Transitioning Towards Urban Resilience and Sustainability (TURAS). The TURAS research project develops visions and implementation strategies, spatial scenarios and tools that cities can use to address the urgent challenges of climate change adaptation and mitigation of natural resource shortages. The project brings municipal decision-makers together with representatives from businesses and research to support the local community. In 2015, Climate Alliance will begin preparing strategies to expand these outcomes to neighbouring municipalities, which are also affected.
www.turas-cities.org

Brokerage event on potential future EU projects

1 December 2014 in Brussels

If you have an idea of any projects or topics you would like to be involved in, please contact financing@climatealliance.org at your earliest convenience.