SEI to contribute to EU citizen engagement campaign on climate

The new campaign, launched by the European Commission in London on Oct. 8, aims to put practical solutions at the centre of the climate change debate and reach people across the continent with the message that climate action can improve their lives and bring economic benefits.

“We have a choice: We can act on our knowledge about climate change. Or we can sit idly by and watch as things get worse,” said Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, at the launch event.

“Both options come with a price tag,” she added. “So why not create a world we like, with a climate we like – while we still have time? With this campaign we want to focus the debate on the solutions and find out what is holding us back from applying them.”

Under the slogan “A world you like. With a climate you like”, the campaign highlights cost-effective ways to help achieve the EU objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% by 2050.

At the core of the campaign, which runs through 2013, is a website where individuals, businesses and local groups will be able to upload, promote and discuss their low-carbon solutions and take part in a pan-European contest to find the best and most original ones.

A broad-based collaboration
SEI is among more than 70 organizations from across Europe that will contribute to the campaign. While some of the partners will focus on advocacy and awareness-raising, SEI’s role is as a knowledge partner, sharing insights from our research in Europe and beyond.

“Climate change poses enormous challenges, and a key step to addressing them is to engage citizens and stakeholders”, said Johan C.I. Kuylenstierna, SEI’s deputy director for policy, who represented SEI at the launch. “The more that youth, families, elders, businesses, community groups – all of us – contribute to this endeavour, the likelier it is that Europe will meet its goals and become a model for the rest of the world.”

“Of course ‘win-win’ solutions alone won’t solve the global climate problem”, Kuylenstierna added. “That will require major investments in the EU and in developing countries as well, and strong contributions from the rest of the industrialized world. But if Europeans can show the way to a more sustainable future, we can not only be leaders in the new ‘green economy’, but also enjoy cleaner air, healthier communities, lower energy costs, more beautiful landscapes, and many other co-benefits.”

Insights from SEI
Kuylenstierna’s own research offers examples. He served as scientific coordinator of an international team, assembled by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization, that identified 16 measures to reduce so-called “short-lived climate pollutants” – specifically, black carbon (soot), tropospheric ozone and methane – that would also improve human health, reduce crop losses, and even create new revenue opportunities. A global coalition is now promoting those measures.

SEI’s York Centre has also contributed to the Good Life initiative in York, which links sustainability with cost savings and greater enjoyment of the local environment and community resources. SEI-York also developed the REAP tool, which helps measure the resources associated with consumption in the UK, and it has worked on several other projects to support citizen engagement and sustainability.

In the lead-up to the Rio+20 summit, SEI’s Stockholm Centre hosted the seminar Sustainable Business in a Sustainable World to highlight the vital role of entrepreneurs in building a “green” future, as well as the many synergies between smart business strategy and sustainability. SEI has also worked closely with business through the 3C(Combat Climate Change) partnership.

SEI’s Tallinn Centre, meanwhile, has engaged with government and the private sector alike to support a low-carbon transition, most recently hosting the Sustainable Development Forum 2012, devoted to identifying key opportunities and challenges for Estonia in building a “green economy”.

And SEI’s U.S. Centre has worked to support climate change mitigation efforts at the state and local levels and continues to develop methodologies to support cities in measuring their GHG emissions and identifying good low-carbon solutions for their specific circumstances. SEI-US and SEI-York researchers have also worked together to address important dilemmas in promoting low-carbon consumption.

“Clearly SEI has a great deal to contribute to this initiative,” Kuylenstierna said, “and we can also learn from the smart, innovative ideas and new perspectives that will be shared on this website. We look forward to this exciting opportunity.”

Two other Swedish organizations engaged as partners in this EU campaign are Svanen and Naturvårdsverket.

To learn more about the EU campaign, visit world-you-like.europa.eu