In January 2024, a climate crisis workshop was held, organized by the Gdańsk Gdynia Sopot Metropolitan Area (MAGGS), in collaboration with Krzysztof Jodłowski, an expert in climate change and crisis management. Nearly 30 representatives from local governments within MAGGS participated in the workshop. The discussion focused on future climate crises and strategies for preparing for them, aiming to raise awareness and readiness to respond to changes that could have serious consequences, such as floods, droughts, and wildfires.

During the workshop, issues related to the rapid rise in temperature, rising sea levels, and the release of methane from permafrost, which could threaten the stability of ecosystems, were addressed. Krzysztof Jodłowski emphasized that preparing for these changes requires collaboration at the local level, with a focus on collective actions. While individual actions are important, they are not enough in the face of the scale of the crisis. A community-based approach, integrated with local government policies, is essential for effective risk management.

The importance of decarbonization, that is, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, was also highlighted as a key element in the fight against climate change. Reducing CO2 emissions not only lowers the risk of climate disasters but also improves the quality of life. Decarbonization efforts, such as the development of renewable energy sources, changes in transportation, and improving energy efficiency in buildings, are crucial in the process of adapting to upcoming changes.

In the face of catastrophic climate forecasts, the key goal is not only to minimize human impact on the environment but also to prepare societies for the challenges ahead. The crisis workshop demonstrated that effective cooperation among local governments, institutions, and citizens is the foundation on which a future resilient to climate change should be built.

From March 3 to 6, LOCALISED partners gathered in Milan for an intense and productive three-day meeting and interactive workshop. Hosted by CMCC, the event was a key moment to align on project progress, refine tools, and strategize on maximizing the impact of LOCALISED in supporting decarbonisation efforts.

Assessing Progress and Setting Priorities

The first day focused on reviewing the overall project timeline and integrating feedback from the latest external project review. This session allowed partners to reflect on the work completed so far and establish key priorities for the remaining months. The discussions then shifted to the Net-Zero Business Consultant (NZBC) and the Sustainable Business Model Canvas tools, both designed to support companies in their decarbonisation journey by offering tailored insights and strategic guidance.

A conclusive session on scientific dissemination and communication then highlighted the importance of sharing LOCALISED findings in ways that engage policymakers, businesses, and citizens.

Advancing Modelling, Strategy, and Impact Assessment

The second day was dedicated to the technical development of LOCALISED’s models and Data Sharing Platform. The team explored ways to ensure that the project provides robust support not only for climate mitigation strategies but also for adaptation to impacts of climate change. In addition, a session on Social Impact Assessment reinforced the project’s commitment to integrating social dimensions into climate strategies, ensuring that transitions are inclusive and equitable. In the afternoon, the updated version of the Climate Action Strategiser (CAST) was showcased, followed by a discussion on the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs) auto-filling integration and the next steps required before the project’s completion.

The day concluded with a session on impact assessment and exploitation, exploring how LOCALISED’s outcomes can create long-term value and remain useful beyond the project’s lifespan.

Engaging Businesses and Citizens for a Sustainable Future

The last day began with an interactive Business Decarbonisation Workshop, where project partners and stakeholders explored how the LOCALISED Net-Zero Business tool can help businesses in their transition to net-zero emissions. Another key session focused on the Citizen Engager, a tool designed to foster public participation through co-design processes, making climate action more inclusive and community-driven.

In the afternoon, the meeting concluded with discussions on the future of LOCALISED after the project’s official end, and how partners can contribute to ensuring that its insights, methodologies, and tools remain available.

Strengthening Collaboration Through Cultural Experiences

Beyond the structured discussions, the Milan meeting also provided moments for informal exchange and team-building. A guided cultural tour, “Migrantour – T’EL Chi CHINA TOWN”, led us through Milan’s Chinatown, offering a perspective on the city’s multicultural dynamics. Convivial team dinners further strengthened connections, reinforcing the collaborative spirit that drives the LOCALISED project.

As LOCALISED moves into its final phases, the focus remains on refining its tools and sharing them with stakeholders, to ensure that cities, businesses, and citizens can effectively use downscaled climate data to drive local action.

Recently, colleagues from T6 have delivered an internal intermediate report providing insights into the main achieved impacts in the first three years of LOCALISED, looking at specific variables and indicators within scientific, policy, social, and economic areas, combining both qualitative and quantitative methods.

Scientific Impact

Regarding the scientific impact, 10 papers have been published to date, with 3 more under review and approximately 17 planned for submission in the coming months. PhD students involved in LOCALISED are also close to submit their final theses. The Data Sharing Platform (DSP), fully operational since month 36 of the project, serves as a unified access point for diverse datasets on decarbonisation pathways, climate projections, and regional features. This data is spatially disaggregated at the Local Administrative Unit (LAU) level and re-aggregated to higher NUTS levels to support specific queries. Additionally, significant research has been conducted on the side effects of climate actions on vulnerable groups, enhancing the Climate Action Strategiser (CAST) to account for social impacts. The DSP and work done on Social Impact Assessment (SIA) have improved data quality, accessibility, and consistency. The Net-Zero Business Consultant (NZBC) introduced a novel business vulnerability index, shifting focus from macro to business-level climate change effects. LOCALISED partners also participated in 7 conferences, organized 4 events, and presented at ten external events, reaching approximately 30,000 people.

Policy Impact

Policy impact will become more evident following the upcoming release of CAST, focusing on its influence on adaptation and mitigation plans and policymaking processes. The benchmarking feature will aid local authorities in identifying effective measures from similar contexts. To date, one policy brief addressing disparities from asymmetric climate change investments has been published, with seven more anticipated, including two from collaborations with related projects.

Social Impact

Social impact monitoring encompasses changes in awareness and behaviors regarding climate actions among tool users, especially thanks to the adoption of the Citizen Engager (CE). At the current date, social impact mainly resulted from a series of 9 sessions carried out between April 2024 and July 2024 by the City of Barcelona as part of the project “No One Left Behind: Active listening sessions for vulnerable groups to guarantee climate justice” framed within LOCALISED, where 42 participants from vulnerable groups have been engaged. Results show high satisfaction (89%) and increased climate change urgency (71%) among participants. These sessions have provided support to the CE’s role in enhancing community involvement and awareness.

Economic Impact

Economic impact will be clearer as tools adoption progresses, potentially boosting business innovation, cost savings, and new partnerships, that may eventually extend beyond LOCALISED’s duration. LOCALISED has also fostered over 70 new collaborations and supported the recruitment of 21 individuals, including 14 young researchers and 10 women. Four project proposals emerged from LOCALISED collaborations, with three accepted, generating €846,250 in funding for partners.

In conclusion, the LOCALISED project has successfully delivered significant impacts across scientific, policy, social, and economic domains, promoting evidence-based decision making, empowering communities, and driving sustainable economic growth. Its work contributes to fostering a more resilient and environmentally conscious future in Europe and beyond.

On March 6th, LOCALISED is set to host an half-day workshop in Milano to support businesses on their journey towards sustainability, and  introducing them the Net-Zero Business Consultant.

In collaboration with Assolombarda and the CMCC Foundation, the project has developed the LOCALISED Net-Zero Business Consultant, a user-friendly tools that enable local authorities, citizens, and businesses to accelerate their planning actions and business models towards deep decarbonisation.

The workshop aims to introduce this innovative tool to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), offering them a chance to test it firsthand. Participants will also engage in discussions about the challenges and opportunities for decarbonisation in industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation.

Agenda

09:00–09:30 (30 min) | Registration 

09:30–09:45 (15 min) | Welcoming

Introduction by CMCC, overview of the LOCALISED project and goals of the workshop

09:45–10:00 (15 min) | Presentation of the LOCALISED Tools and their scope

• Why does decarbonization matter for local companies?
• The role of the “Net-Zero Business Consultant” tool
• The role of the “Sustainable Business Canvas” tool

10:00–10:15 (15 min) | Practical Demonstration of the Net-Zero Business Consultant

10:15–10:45 (30 min) | Interactive Session

10:45–11:15 (30 min) | Coffee Break & Business networking

11:15–11:30 (15 min) | Practical Demonstration of the Sustainable Business Canvas

11:30–12:00 (30 min) | Interactive Session

12:00–12:30 (30 min) | Decarbonization Technology Panel Discussion

12:30–12:50 (20 min) | General Feedback and Discussion

• Usability of the tools
• Relevance of indicators and data

12:50-13:00 (10 min) | Closing Remarks

13:00–14:00 | Lunch

Registration are open until the 14th of February!

With the Vienna Climate Team, the City of Vienna wants to break new grounds in terms of participation, activation, governance and co-creation of citizens in local climate policy.

The project consists in an established participatory budgeting process for citizens to co-create climate protection and climate change adaptation projects at the district level for a liveable and climate-neutral city. Viennese citizens can contribute their ideas and concrete proposals for actions to fight the climate crisis. In the following steps, these ideas get further developed together with other citizens, experts from the City administration, local politicians and multipliers (as advocates of hard-to-reach and vulnerable target groups) into jointly supported project ideas. In a final step, the citizens decide themselves, as part of a randomly selected citizens jury, on the use of available budget funds to implement selected projects. The selected projects get implemented within two years by the City of Vienna.

The City of Vienna’s recently released publication in English language Vienna Climate Teams contains the findings from the pilot years of the project. These learnings were collected through several scientific evaluation efforts from universities, innovation agencies and the Austrian Society for Environment and Technology (ÖGUT), one of the LOCALISED partners.

This evaluation constitutes a basis for the creation of the LOCALISED Citizen Engager, a manual for citizen engagement in local climate policy created within LOCALISED and which will be made available this spring.