A call for applications has been launched to support local citizens’ actions to respond to climate change.
Climate change is no longer a distant threat but a pressing reality. Floods, fires, droughts, and the loss of biodiversity are impacting people worldwide. In response to these climate, ecological and related socio-economic challenges, the European Commission has launched Communities for Climate: an initiative to support local citizens’ actions to respond to climate change.
With the aim to harness the power of citizens-based local initiatives in response to the urgency of climate change, Communities for Climate has issued a call for applications with the longer-term objective of selecting 50 local climate-related community projects to become beacons for others, by providing replicable examples and good practices locally to inspire broader change across Europe.
Selected projects will focus on local communities committed to climate actions in either regenerating biodiversity, water management, local circular economies or renewable energy in urban or rural settings. People actively involved in a dynamic citizens’ community, working on enhancing circular economy within their area, or European Climate Pact Ambassadors are good examples of the kind of initiatives who could directly benefit from Communities for Climate.
Some benefits for the selected local communities include specialised expertise, peer-learning, customised study visits, mentoring and coaching, and guidance on ways to make local community projects impactful and visible at European, national and local levels.
The place-based dimension is a key feature of the C4C initiative. The selected initiatives will be located in one of the eleven eligible EU countries: Croatia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Sweden. Project ideas that foster a cross-border collaboration in tackling climate issues are encouraged.
Local actors are invited to submit applications in response to this call for local climate actions until Friday, 3 April at 23h59 CEST. Those interested can attend the informational webinars to learn more about the initiative and the application process. All confirmed dates and registration links can be found in the C4C call page. (look for ‘C4C – Communities for Climate’)
