On December 12, LOCALISED organises an online webinar titled “Energy Justice for Vulnerable Households: How Can Induced Changes in Low-Carbon Lifestyles Increase Energy Poverty Risk?”. This online event will take place from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM (CET) and Gerard Martínez Görbig from the University of Twente will give an overview on the intersection of low-carbon transitions and energy poverty.

Being energy poor is different from being at risk of energy poverty. While most efforts aim to map current levels of energy poverty, the session’s objective is to reflect on the factors that might produce it, particularly those related to a low-carbon transition and implementing climate actions that impact citizens’ lifestyles.

Lifestyles are operationalised by investigating household activities in different domains, e.g. by way of expenditure patterns. In Europe, the accessibility to domains and their related emissions strongly correlates with economic aspects, which can be used to identify socioeconomic groups that might face the risk of energy poverty due to a low-carbon transition.

Identifying groups at risk of energy poverty is conducted through a three-dimensional framework. Firstly, the regional context defines a household’s vulnerability, for example, when regional infrastructural characteristics produce externalities that impact household lifestyles. Secondly, household groups might be at higher risk of energy poverty due to their lifestyle. It occurs when households struggle to keep their house warm and pay energy bills due to high expenditures in other lifestyle domains. Finally, some demographic groups suffer from structural injustices, such as minorities or migrants, increasing their vulnerability.

In the end, the results of the analysis conclude by (1) mapping the regional characteristics that might increase the risk of energy poverty, (2) identifying groups that might be at elevated risk of energy poverty due to lifestyle changes, and (3) understanding how demographic characteristics might increase risk. We will explore how such analysis can be useful in building the base for selecting equitable and just measures per region in the European context.

MEVO, the metropolitan bicycle system, is an example of actions supporting decarbonization, promoting sustainable transport in cities – which is one of the objectives of the LOCALISED project’s efforts. On November 16, 2024, the system celebrates its first anniversary.

The MEVO bikes, which have revolutionized transportation in the region, are now an integral part of public transport in 16 municipalities of the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area. Over the course of a year, users have traveled nearly 10 million kilometers, and the number of registered users has exceeded 390,000. To celebrate its anniversary, the bicycles were made available for free, and users with a subscription received an additional day of access to the system.

System Growth and Future Plans

MEVO is not only a convenient mode of transport but also a project supporting sustainable mobility. In Gdańsk, following consultations with residents, 25 new stations were added, and more will be installed in southern districts, such as Kokoszki and Osowa. It is also important to note that the MEVO system has a significant impact on the decarbonization process. Thanks to the use of bicycles, 2,500 tons of CO2 were saved, which helps reduce emissions and improve air quality in the region. 

MEVO Worldwide and Behind the Scenes

Over the past year, MEVO has gained recognition not only in Poland but also internationally. The system was showcased at the Smart City Expo in Barcelona, where it was presented as an example of one of the largest electric bike fleets in Europe. Managing 4,000 bikes across 16 municipalities presents a major logistical challenge. The system operator, City Bike Global, ensures regular maintenance of the bikes and responds to user reports. New Municipalities Joining the MEVO System MEVO is constantly expanding. This year, the municipality of Kosakowo joined the system, and next year, Pruszcz Gdański will also be added. Kosakowo has expanded its network by adding 5 new stations, with further investments planned for the future.

One year of MEVO’s operation has been a success in environmental, social, and transportation terms. Thanks to the system’s expansion, its impact on CO2 reduction and improving the quality of life for residents, MEVO has become an essential element in the decarbonization process and sustainable development of the region. In the future, the MEVO system is likely to become even more embedded in the daily life of residents in the Tricity area and beyond.

Photo: group work at the climate conference, © Maria Piermayr/ Gemeinde St. Stefan-Afiesl

In October 2024, ÖGUT colleagues moderated and provided expert support in the climate conference of St. Stefan-Afiesl, a small rural municipality in Austria. 

Counting around 1100 inhabitants, St. Stefan-Afiesl is a member of the “Zukunftsorte” association, a platform of 15 innovative Austrian municipalities that see themselves as pioneers in local development. Citizens of the Zukunftsorte are now to be increasingly involved in the implementation of climate protection measures. For this reason, the municipal council of St. Stefan-Afiesl has decided to invite the population to a climate conference in order to develop and prioritize measures to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

All residents could help decide which climate protection measures are feasible for the municipality and have a say on which ones would be implemented. 

As a preparation for this conference, ÖGUT collected the relevant local data in advance and examined reduction measures that are within the the responsibility of the municipality. The data collection revealed that the “biggest chunks” of energy consumption in St. Stefan-Afiesl are to be found in car operation and heating. Around 40,000 kilowatt hours are consumed per household per year.

The conference was structured around these questions: “How can climate protection become a win-win situation for us, where we save money and CO2 at the same time and perhaps also live a little healthier? How much reduction in our energy consumption do we dare to make and how could we go about it?”

The ÖGUT team provided various proposals for reducing energy consumption which were then discussed and further developed by the citizens. . Here are some examples: 

• Mobility: if every household were to reduce 15 car journeys per year to the next bigger city Linz or organize them differently (in a car pool or by bus), 10% of consumption could be saved by 2030 in the area of car operation alone.
• Housing: The renovation of around 60 houses could reduce energy consumption in this area by around a tenth.
• In all other areas selected for the climate conference – e.g. travel and food – large savings are also possible with comparatively little effort.

The conference was a great success and received very positive feedback from the participants.  A follow-up meeting between the facilitation team and the municipal government  is scheduled for the end of November, aiming to move forward on the implementation of the climate conference’ results and deciding on concrete next steps to take for the Municipality of St. Stefan-Afiesl. 

This activity provided very relevant insights for the LOCALISED project, as several citizen engagement practices provided in the Citizen Engager could be tested and the results will provide relevant learnings to be integrated into the tool.

Caption for pictures: Municipality of St. Stefan Afiesl, October 2024. Photos: © Maria Piermayr/ Gemeinde St. Stefan-Afiesl

Photo: opening speech of the mayor at the climate conference, © Maria Piermayr/ Gemeinde St. Stefan-Afiesl

On November 7th, LOCALISED participated in the 2024 Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), sharing insights and solutions designed to support cities in their decarbonisation efforts. This presentation aimed to share innovative solutions with a wide range of professionals, gather valuable feedback, and explore opportunities for future collaboration.

The SCEWC is the world’s largest and most influential event for urban innovation, which brings together leading companies, governments, and organisations from around the globe to empower cities in overcoming today’s most pressing challenges. This year, LOCALISED had the opportunity to preview its tools under development that aim to make decarbonisation at the local level more actionable and measurable. Presented in the Agora of Barcelona City Council, the presentation created a space for insightful feedback and collaborative opportunities.

Ramon Canal from the Barcelona City Council opened the LOCALISED session, emphasizing the critical need for innovative decarbonization tools that can support cities in creating, monitoring, and achieving climate adaptation and emission reduction plans. Jordi Pascual and Enric Mont from the Catalan Energy Research Institute Foundation (IREC) took the stage to delve into the project’s progress. In particular, they introduced three upcoming tools aimed at transforming local climate strategies:

1. The Climate Action Strategiser (CAST): This smart tool is designed to help local administrations meet the European Commission’s 2050 net-zero targets through customised, case-specific measures aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) frameworks. It provides city-specific decarbonisation plans with actionable steps.
2. The Citizen Engager: A dynamic platform tailored to foster citizen participation in climate policy, aiding the enrichment, implementation, and evaluation of climate policies.
3. The Net-zero Business Consultant Tool and Sustainable Business Canvas: These tools offer targeted guidance to businesses, assessing climate vulnerabilities and offering sector-specific strategies for achieving net-zero. 

Overall, the project underscored its commitment to equipping cities with practical, locally-tailored solutions to climate change. Through tools that emphasise community engagement, actionable strategies, and sector-specific guidance, LOCALISED is set to empower cities in the global effort toward sustainability.

On the 28^th and the 29^th of October, Gerard Martínez Görbig (University of Twente) was invited to join the workshop “Barriers and Enablers for Urban Climate Governance: what is hampering the transition toward carbon-neutrality in European cities”. The event was held in Barcelona, organised by Lorenzo Chelleri, Eloïse Deshayes (Universitat Internacional de Catalunya), and Joe Ravetz (University of Manchester), within the context of the Urban Resilience Research Network.

In the workshop, seventeen passionate researchers and the three organisers worked together interactively, sharing their insights on exploring the barriers to achieving carbon neutrality in European cities to establish common perspectives for further exploration of the topic. The workshop started on Monday afternoon with a series of keynotes from relevant speakers. It continued with roundtable work, during which the participants tried to brainstorm and map out challenges to achieve carbon neutrality. On Tuesday, the work continued, establishing synergies within the group, creating new research opportunities and strengthening the topics’ knowledge.

The workshop helped participants to have an overarching perspective on barriers and enablers to carbon neutrality. Moreover, such an interactive event allowed the researchers to identify synergies within their work and create working groups for further research in the upcoming months.

The results will help have a more comprehensive idea of what can make climate action feasible, adding an important contribution to the work of the University of Twente in the project LOCALISED.