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Activation of NATURE-based solutions for a JUST low carbon transition

Project description

DEENESFRITPL

Nature-based solutions for just cities

Cities consume more than three quarters of the world’s energy and produce more than 60 % of greenhouse gas emissions. Reversing this situation will turn cities into models, leading the way towards a low-carbon society. One way to do this is to ensure there is enough ecological space, for example regarding clean air, thermal comfort and biodiversity. However, this is often exclusive to high-income neighbourhoods. The EU-funded JUSTNature project will turn to nature-based solutions to ensure a just transition to low carbon cities. Considering the right of all citizens to ecological space, the project will co-design new systems which conserve natural ecosystem values and functions and will ultimately provide numerous benefits to people.

Objective

Cities are major energy consumers and significantly contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They have a high density of socio-economic activities and a built environment design that enhance these issues. In this regard, especially developed cities can be exemplars in leading the way towards a low-carbon society, and turning it into an opportunity as recently iterated by the European Green Deal. Such advances can address several other challenges arising from urbanisation and structural socio-economic changes. Cities represent a complex setting, where low income populations are more exposed to environmental ills, environmental and climate impacts are not distributed evenly, environmental qualities are becoming increasingly exclusive to high-income households, and wealthier neighbourhoods are more biologically diverse than others. In this regard, the overall objective of JUSTNature is the activation of nature-based solutions (NbS) by ensuring a just transition to low-carbon cities, based on the principle of the right to ecological space. This in particular refers to the right to clean air and indoor/outdoor thermal comfort for human health and well-being, as well as thriving biodiversity and ecosystems. It also refers to the duty of not constraining the ecological space of others, in particular in relation to the mitigation of climate change and measures required for reducing GHG emissions. JUSTNature will contribute to this vision of shaping low-carbon cities by developing a set of typical Low carbon | High air quality NbS in seven European city practice labs. By activating their just implementation, it will drive the co-design, co-creation and co-decision of supporting interventions with regard to four innovation dimensions: 1) enabling effective governance, 2) enabling NbS system maintenance and operation, 3) enabling innovative business models and market design, and 4) enabling efficient technologies and applications.

Fields of science

Keywords

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Call for proposal

H2020-LC-CLA-2018-2019-2020

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Sub call

H2020-LC-CLA-2020-2

Funding Scheme

IA - Innovation action

Coordinator

ACCADEMIA EUROPEA DI BOLZANO
Net EU contribution
€ 853 439,50
Address
VIALE DRUSO 1
39100 Bolzano
Italy

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Region
Nord-Est Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen Bolzano-Bozen
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost
€ 853 439,50

Participants (22)

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Last update: 15 April 2024

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101003757

European Union, 2024