Climate Action

European Commission teams up with businesses, environment groups and
universities to promote climate solutions. Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action,
launched a pan-European communication campaign in collaboration with more than
70 organisations from across Europe.

Across Europe there are abundant
examples of intelligent, innovative climate solutions that reduce CO2 pollution
while also improving people's quality of life. For example, Stockholm's central
rail station converts the body heat of commuters into heat for a nearby office
building, reducing not only emissions but also the building's energy bill by
20-25%. In Denmark, the Gedved school in Horsens saves €30,000 a year on energy
thanks to solar power. The money saved is spent on improving education.

Such "win-win" solutions –
where saving money, time and greenhouse gas emissions go hand in hand – are at
the centre of the communication campaign launched by Commissioner Hedegaard at
London's City Hall.

"We have a choice: We can ACT on
our knowledge about climate change. Or we can sit idly by and watch as things
get worse. Both options come with a price tag. So why not create a world we
like, with a climate we like – while we still have time? With this campaign we
want to focus the debate on the solutions and find out what is holding us back
from applying them," said Connie Hedegaard.

Centred on a website which will soon be
available in all 23 EU languages, the campaign is designed as a platform for
participation where individuals, businesses and local groups will be able to
upload, promote and discuss their low-carbon solutions and take part in a
pan-European contest to find the best and most original one.

Partnerships with like-minded
organisations are a central part of the campaign. More than 70 organisations
are already confirmed campaign partners, including business associations,
universities, non-governmental organisations and government institutions. The
intention is to enrol more partners as the campaign evolves.    At the launch event "Visions for a
world you like", campaign partners and citizens have joined Commissioner
Hedegaard, UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey and
other speakers to kick off the debate. The discussions are being streamed live
on the campaign's Facebook page and contributions can be made on Twitter.

More events will follow in a number of
Member States, including Bulgaria, Italy, Poland and Portugal, in the course of
2012-2013.

Background

The campaign will run until the end of
2013 and aims to showcase existing cost-efficient solutions for achieving the
EU's objective of an 80-95% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

It is a follow-up to the Commission's
"Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050" from
March 2011, which sets out pathways for deep but cost-effective emission
reductions by the main economic sectors. 
The Roadmap shows that building a low-carbon economy will increase
investments in clean technologies and infrastructure such as smart electricity
grids, and will drastically lower import bills for oil and gas.

In the medium-term, by 2020, the EU
aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, improve energy efficiency by
20% and boost the share of renewables in the energy mix to 20%. Currently, EU
emissions are more than 17% below 1990 levels.

Further
information