Location:  Working Across Europe
Working Across Europe

Climate Change will affect communties and businesses across the world. In order to assess the impacts of climate change and to share best practice in delivering a low carbon economy, the Northwest Climate Change Partnership and Northwest Development Agency are working on a number of European initiatives.

The Sustainable Energy Regions - Case studies.

A group of regions from across Europe worked together under the banner of 'Sustainable Energy Regions' to organise an event for the Open Days of Cities and Regions in 2008.

The 'Open Days' is an week long series of seminars and networking events coordinated by the European Commission and Committee of the Regions to bring together politicians and practitioners from European regions and localities. The Sustainable Energy Regions decided to address two main areas of common concern: are there red lights to green energy - what barriers are facing renewable energy production and how are regions tackling them? And, will our generation be forgiven - are we doing enough at a local level to mitigate and adapt to Climate Change?

From Castilla y León in Spain to East of England, Carinthia in Austria to West Finland, South Bohemia in the Czech Republic to West Norway what became clear is that there was a wealth of experience and good ideas out there, and too little time during the event to share it. Why reinvent the wheel when there is so much to be easily learnt and then adapted to our regions? It is just a case of knowing what is out there.

This is when England's Northwest decided to take the collaboration a step further and produce case studies which has received contributions from all the regions mentioned. In addition, Central Denmark who will work with the group for Open Days 2009 also shared some of their excellent initiatives.

Thanks to all the contributors to the brochure - it is important to continue to raise the profile of the work of the regions in delivering on the targets for energy efficiency, CO2 reduction and renewables and working towards a more sustainable Europe.

Click the links below to access the case studies.

Carinthia, Austria

Denmark

West Finland

Czech Republic

Castilla y León, Spain

East Of England

England's Northwest

West Norway

GRaBS - Northwest Development Agency and the University of Manchester.

A network of leading organisations involved in integrating climate change adaptation into regional planning and development has been established across Europe in the new Green and Blue Space Adaptation for Urban Areas and Eco Towns (GRaBS) project.

The GRaBS project has 14 partners, drawn from eight member states, representing a broad spectrum of authorities and climate change challenges, all with varying degrees of strategic policy and experience. The project will facilitate the much needed exchange of knowledge and experience and the actual transfer of good practice on climate change adaptation strategies to local and regional authorities.

The GRaBS project has been co-financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and made possible by the INTERREG IVC Programme.

Click here for further details of GRaBS

Pepesec & Behavioural Change - Manchester Knowledge Capital and the University of Salford

The 'Partnership Energy Planning as a tool for realising European Sustainable Energy Communities' (PEPESEC) project will support the emergence of European sustainable energy communities through increasing the use of local community planning for the efficient supply, distribution and use of RES and conventional energy, demand-side management and associated mobility.

Over the period January 2008 to June 2010 the PEPSEC project will work to achieve this through widening the use of existing best practice energy planning methodologies (from Sweden and wider EU) and further develop these through the addition of innovative techniques to facilitate the involvement of citizens, politicians, market actors and other stakeholders whose buy-in and actions are required for effective plan delivery.

Click here for further details of Pepesec

Changing Behaviour is a project that aims to support change in energy use and energy services. We do so by applying social research on technological change to practical use. Our focus is on the interaction between energy experts and energy users: How can these different groups learn to understand each other better?

Changing Behaviour is an action research project. Researchers and practitioners work together to develop, test and refine tools for improved interaction that are sensitive to context, timing and the needs of different users and stakeholders.

Click here for further details of Behavioural Change

ForStClim - Mersey Forest

ForeStClim brings together 21 partners with a wide range of experts from United Kingdom, Germany, France, The Netherlands and Luxemburg. The main aim of this transnational cooperation is to develop proactive and adaptive regional forestry management and forest protection strategies in the face of the expected climate change scenarios. Consequently, it will contribute to the economic and ecological stability of the forests in North-West Europe (NWE).

Click here for further details of ForStClim.

How you can help

Everyone in the Northwest has an important part to play in tackling climate change. Click here to find out what your business, household, community or school can do to help.