European Climate Initiative

Last updated
European Climate Initiative

The European Climate Initiative (EUKI) is a funding instrument of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). The overall objective of the EUKI is to promote cooperation in the European Union (EU) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Contents

The European Climate Initiative finances cross-border climate action projects. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] of public and civil society actors such as non-governmental organizations, scientific institutes and municipalities. Currently (as of June 2022), the EUKI promotes and finances 157 projects [6] in 31 European countries. More than 300 implementing organizations and implementing partners are active in the projects. [7] The funding volume amounts to 79 million euros. [8] The EUKI forms the link between the National and the International Climate Initiative.

History

In November 2016, the German government decided to fund the European Climate Initiative and made funds available for the 2017 federal budget. In April 2017, the first EU-wide call for project ideas [9] was launched, with 67 project proposals received and 22 projects selected for funding. In May 2017, the EUKI Secretariat established its office at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). A few months later, in September 2017, the first projects started their work.

During the first EUKI annual conference in Berlin in February 2018, the publication of a second call for project ideas was announced. [10] From 85 project outlines, EUKI subsequently selected 22 proposals for funding. A third ideas competition was launched in March 2019. [11] Further call for project ideas followed in 2019, 2020 and 2021. From the 6th ideas competition, 25 projects were selected for funding. [7] The 7th EUKI call for project ideas will start on 25 November 2022.

Objectives

The overall objective of the EUKI is to promote cooperation within the European Union to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The work focuses on three approaches to support public and civil society actors in climate action and to initiate a transformative change in Europe to mitigate greenhouse gases.

Specifically, the EUKI pursues three approaches: [12] [7]

Project funding

There are two ways to receive funding or contracts under the EUKI: The annual, EU-wide call for project ideas selects organizations with future-oriented ideas for European climate action. In addition, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment finances specific projects that pursue predefined climate policy goals. [13] The target groups of the bilateral and multilateral measures to be funded are governments, local authorities, civil society, consumers and - where permitted under state aid law - the industry. Geographically there is a focus on cooperation with Central, Eastern, South Eastern and Southern Europe [14]

Call for Project Ideas

Once a year, the EUKI publishes a call for project ideas [8] in which committed actors and cross-border networks within the EU can apply for funding. Innovative climate action ideas from non-governmental organizations, public authorities, non-profit companies and scientific and educational institutions are selected for funding. Projects are sought in which partners from two or more EU countries work together. The EUKI funds the majority of its projects through the call for project ideas which is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) [15] on behalf of the BMWK.

Tenders

Within the framework of tenders the BMWK commissions selected projects and studies. These are intended to contribute to the direct implementation of agreements with EU partner countries and climate policy goals of the German government in Europe. The concept development for these projects takes place in consultation with the respective partner countries within the framework of bilateral initiatives. In addition, the ministry awards contracts for the scientific monitoring and evaluation of the EUKI as well as for the support of the BMWK in questions of EU climate policy. [16]

EUKI Academy

In addition to funding, EUKI supports the strengthening of methodological, technical and commercial competencies as well as the dissemination of knowledge on climate action. Corresponding training events are offered within the framework of the EUKI Academy. [17] The EUKI also promotes the networking of implementers and thus contributes to the establishment of a community of practice of committed experts in climate action across professional and national borders.

EUKI regularly offers webinars [18] on climate-relevant topics such as climate policy or structural change in coal regions. In addition, there are further training courses on methodological topics such as project management or public relations. EUKI also publishes results and studies of the funded projects.

Thematic priorities and project examples

The European Climate Initiative promotes ideas for cross-border EU-wide climate action.

Projects [19] funded include socially responsible structural change in coal regions, [20] awareness-raising in schools, [21] [22] [23] an exchange program for journalists, [24] exchanges on national and European climate policy, [25] [26] [27] and the strengthening of cycling in urban areas. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Environment Facility</span> A multilateral environmental Foundation that protects the climate

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, sustainable forest management, food security, and sustainable cities in developing countries. It is the largest source of multilateral funding for biodiversity globally, and distributes more than $1 billion a year on average to address inter-related environmental challenges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Climate Group</span> UK climate change organization

The Climate Group is a non-profit organisation that works with businesses and government leaders around the world to address climate change. The Group has programmes focusing on renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Launched in 2004, the organisation operates globally with offices in the UK (headquarters), the United States and India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Business action on climate change</span> Range of activities by businesses relating to climate change

Business action on climate change includes a range of activities relating to climate change, and to influencing political decisions on climate change-related regulation, such as the Kyoto Protocol. Major multinationals have played and to some extent continue to play a significant role in the politics of climate change, especially in the United States, through lobbying of government and funding of climate change deniers. Business also plays a key role in the mitigation of climate change, through decisions to invest in researching and implementing new energy technologies and energy efficiency measures.

Ecological sufficiency, or simply sufficiency, refers to the concept or strategy to reduce the environmental footprint of societies through moderating the need for energy, carbon and material-based services and products. The term was popularised by authors such as Thomas Princen, a professor at MIT, in his 2005 book ‘The Logic of Sufficiency’. As a goal, sufficiency is about ensuring that all humans can live a good life within planetary boundaries, meaning without overshooting the ecological limits of the Earth and thus limiting resource use and pollution. Princen argues that ‘seeking enough when more is possible is both intuitive and rational - personally, organizationally and ecologically. And under global ecological constraint, it is ethical.'

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group</span> Climate change organization

C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group is a group of 96 cities around the world that represents one twelfth of the world's population and one quarter of the global economy. Created and led by cities, C40 is focused on fighting the climate crisis and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy policy of the European Union</span> Legislation in the area of energetics in the European Union

The energy policy of the European Union focuses on energy security, sustainability, and integrating the energy markets of member states. An increasingly important part of it is climate policy. A key energy policy adopted in 2009 is the 20/20/20 objectives, binding for all EU Member States. The target involved increasing the share of renewable energy in its final energy use to 20%, reduce greenhouse gases by 20% and increase energy efficiency by 20%. After this target was met, new targets for 2030 were set at a 55% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as part of the European Green Deal. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU's energy policy turned more towards energy security in their REPowerEU policy package, which boosts both renewable deployment and fossil fuel infrastructure for alternative suppliers.

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is the European Union's main legislative instrument aiming to promote the improvement of the energy performance of buildings within the European Union. It was inspired by the Kyoto Protocol which commits the EU and all its parties by setting binding emission reduction targets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LIFE programme</span>

The LIFE programme is the European Union's funding instrument for the environment and climate action. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental and climate policy and legislation by co-financing projects with European added value. LIFE began in 1992 and to date there have been five phases of the programme. During this period, LIFE has co-financed some 4600 projects across the EU, with a total contribution of approximately 6.5 billion Euros to the protection of the environment and of climate. For the next phase of the programme (2021–2027) the European Commission proposed to raise the budget to 5.45 billion Euro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation</span>

The Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC) is the national energy agency for Lebanon. It is a governmental organization within the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW). LCEC is the technical arm of the Ministry in all subjects related to energy efficiency, renewable energy, and green buildings. LCEC provides energy efficiency and renewable energy programs to the public and private sectors in Lebanon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Climate Foundation</span> Philanthropic initiative

The European Climate Foundation (ECF) is an independent philanthropic initiative working to help tackle the climate crisis by fostering the development of a net zero emissions society at the national, European and global level. Its aim is to promote climate and energy related policies that press Europe and other key global players to achieve a net zero greenhouse gas emissions society by 2050. The ECF also works to ensure Europe plays a front-runner role in demonstrating that the pathway towards this society is fair, achievable and desirable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear power in Poland</span>

Poland currently operates a single research reactor, Maria. It has no operational nuclear reactors for power production, but is to start construction of a plant with three Westinghouse AP1000 reactors in 2026, and is also intending to build small modular reactors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Centre for Migration Policy Development</span>

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is an international organisation which makes policy recommendations on migration-related issues to governments and intergovernmental agencies. Founded by Austria and Switzerland as a think tank in 1993, and headquartered in Vienna, Austria. it has changed to directly implementing border control projects, organizing the procurement for border upgrades, is involved in designing curricula for police training programs and in designing surveillance technology. As of May 2023 ICMPD was composed of 20 member states. Current director Michael Spindelegger has been arguing for a more efficient deportation policy. and prescreening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change in Europe</span> Emissions, impacts and responses of Europe related to climate change

Climate change in Europe has resulted in an increase in temperature of 2.3 °C (2022) in Europe compared to pre-industrial levels. Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world. Europe's climate is getting warmer due to anthropogenic activity. According to international climate experts, global temperature rise should not exceed 2 °C to prevent the most dangerous consequences of climate change; without reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, this could happen before 2050. Climate change has implications for all regions of Europe, with the extent and nature of impacts varying across the continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate finance</span> Type of investment in the context of climate action

Climate finance are funding processes for investments related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. The term has been used in a narrower sense to refer to transfers of public resources from developed to developing countries, in light of their UN Climate Convention obligations to provide "new and additional financial resources". In a wider sense, the term refers to all financial flows relating to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliance for Financial Inclusion</span> Malaysia-headquartered policy network

The Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) is a policy leadership alliance owned and led by member central banks and financial regulatory in developing countries with the objective of advancing financial inclusion.

The European Union's scientific collaboration beyond the bloc describes the European Union's frameworks for bilateral cooperation and specific projects in science and technology with countries and regional blocs situated beyond the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate-smart agriculture</span> System for agricultural productivity

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an integrated approach to managing land to help adapt agricultural methods, livestock and crops to the effects of climate change and, where possible, counteract it by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, while taking into account the growing world population to ensure food security. The emphasis is not simply on carbon farming or sustainable agriculture, but also on increasing agricultural productivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Green Deal</span> Plan to transform the EU into a climate-neutral economy by 2050

The European Green Deal, approved in 2020, is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making the European Union (EU) climate neutral in 2050. The plan is to review each existing law on its climate merits, and also introduce new legislation on the circular economy, building renovation, biodiversity, farming and innovation.

Sustainable finance is the set of financial regulations, standards, norms and products that pursue an environmental objective. It allows the financial system to connect with the economy and its populations by financing its agents while maintaining a growth objective. The long-standing concept was promoted with the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement, which stipulates that parties must make "finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development." In addition, sustainable finance had already a key role to play in the European Green Deal and in other EU International agreements, but since the COVID-19 pandemic its role is even more important.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Climate and Environment (Poland)</span> Established in 2020

The Ministry of Climate and Environment is a ministry in the Polish government, established on 6 October 2020. It is headed by Anna Moskwa, who has held the position of Minister of Climate and Environment since 26 October 2021. The ministry is also responsible for energy, forestry, and water management.

References

  1. ↑ Todorović, Igor (2021-11-25). "EUKI offers funding for climate action projects – here are the conditions". Balkan Green Energy News. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  2. ↑ "Partner - The European Climate Initiative (EUKI)". www.agora-verkehrswende.de. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  3. ↑ "Our Buildings: Accelerating climate action buildings – Strengthening civil society and policy makers in Romania and Bulgaria > BPIE - Buildings Performance Institute Europe". BPIE - Buildings Performance Institute Europe. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  4. ↑ "Nabór projektów finansowanych w ramach European Climate Initiative (EUKI) - Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska - Portal Gov.pl". Ministerstwo Klimatu i Środowiska (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  5. ↑ "Environment ministry launches European Climate Initiative". Clean Energy Wire. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  6. ↑ YoungEnergy. "EUKI Conference 2022 – 157 projects drive forward climate protection in Europe". Young Energy Europe. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  7. 1 2 3 "About EUKI".
  8. 1 2 "Project Funding".
  9. ↑ "Federal Environment Ministry launches European Climate Initiative - BMUV-Press release". bmuv.de.
  10. ↑ "Call for project ideas: Climate action connects Europe - BMUV-Press release". bmuv.de.
  11. ↑ "European Climate Initiative (EUKI) Launches 3rd Call for Project Ideas".
  12. ↑ "About EUKI".
  13. ↑ "BMU Funds 25 new Climate Action Projects in Europe".
  14. ↑ "Project Funding".
  15. ↑ "Home".
  16. ↑ "About EUKI - EUKI". Euki.
  17. ↑ "EUKI Academy".
  18. ↑ "EUKI Events".
  19. ↑ "Projects".
  20. ↑ "Home". World Wide Fund for Nature.
  21. ↑ "Climate School Be.At – Open Societies and Schools in Climate Protection and Energy Transition".
  22. ↑ "Frutti per la Biosfera". Giacche Verdi Bronte (in Italian).
  23. ↑ "CLIKIS - Climate friendly Kitchen in Schools".
  24. ↑ "Climate-Energy Fellowship for Journalists".
  25. ↑ "Home | Climate Recon 2050". climatedialogue.eu.
  26. ↑ "Climate Policies as the New Trade Mark of the EU".
  27. ↑ "CEE Climate Policy Frontier".
  28. ↑ Arikas, Damian. "Download: Cyclurban+ Lessons Learned report".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.