Climate Change Mitigation Efforts in Process across Europe

As it is a global concern, efforts to slow the pace and harmful effects of climate change are well underway in Europe. This based on information released this week from Climate-KIC, the European Union’s main climate innovation initiative.

According to a press release, the group of innovators working across a range of climate innovation disciplines, there are currently major efforts to mitigate climate change in progress across the continent.

The Climate-KIC is Europe’s largest public-private innovation partnership focused on mitigating and adapting to climate change. Additionally the group runs the world’s largest climate specific start-up accelerator.

“The IPCC report is a timely reminder of the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” says David Goatman. “As the built environment is responsible for approximately fifty per cent of emissions in any developed country this is a critical sector to focus on.” As part of the initiative, Goatman focuses on CO2 reduction in the building sector.

“Retro-fitting existing buildings to be lower CO2 emitting is a major area of focus for us,” Goatman continues. “This requires not just the technological solutions to deliver lower greenhouse gas emissions, but also new financing and funding models that can facilitate significant flows of capital into this area.”

The Building Technologies Accelerator, one of several flagship projects for Climate-KIC, is evaluating and promoting solutions such as innovative façades, sustainable wood structures, home energy systems and innovative work environments.

Smart Sustainable Districts is another such innovative project approach to climate change mitigation. The IPCC report emphasizes once again that cities need to make an important contribution to mitigate our carbon footprints,” said Holger Wallbaum Professor in Sustainable Building at Climate-KIC partner Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

The idea behind the Smart Sustainable Cities project is to turn some of Europe’s highest profile district-level developments into model projects and test beds. These can then be used as models for replication of smart, sustainable city systems in other urban areas around the world.

For more information on the other innovative projects underway by the partners involved with Climate-KIC, including work in areas of Biofuels and Emissions, visit them online at: www.climate-kic.org.