LIFE ENVIRONMENT |LIFE and Climate CHANGE mitigationIntroductionLIFE and climate changemitigationLIFE has been one of the main sources of funding for demonstration projects that haveexplored ways to facilitate the implementation and enforcement of EU climate mitigationpolicy and legislation throughout the Union.Although the LIFE programme began in 1992,it took some years for the impact of theUnited Nations Framework Convention on ClimateChange (UNFCCC, 1992) and the Kyoto Protocol(1997) to feed through into specific projects on climatechange mitigation. The first wave of notableprojects in this area was funded in 1999, in anticipationof the adoption of the first European ClimateChange Programme (ECCP) in 2000. A second majorwave came with the LIFE+ programme (2007-2013),which identified climate change as a funding priority.An analysis of the LIFE project database indicatesthat there have been 242 projects that have producedpositive climate change mitigation results.This figure does not include most peatland restorationprojects, since only some 20 of the 230 LIFEprojects of this latter type have included direct monitoringor modelling of the impact of their conservationmeasures on reducing carbon loss.The 242 LIFE climate change mitigation projects representa combined budget of €609 million, of whichthe European Commission has contributed some€261 million. The energy sector has the largest proportionof projects (120 in total, or 49%), followed byagriculture and forestry (19%) and transport (14%).LIFE has been a useful tool for implementing climatechange mitigation policy on the ground. However, incertain areas much more can be done, notably interms of: support for climate planning by local andregional authorities (LRAs); helping promising lowemissiontechnologies to market and helping themto succeed once they are there; increasing uptakeof climate-friendly farming practices and peatlandFig. 1: LIFE climate change mitigation projects: total budgetand EU contribution per sector (1999 - 2012)350 millions €300 millions €250 millions €200 millions €150 millions €100 millions €Total budgetEU contribution50 millions €0 millions €!"#$%%$&'"("EnergyAgriculture & ForesteryTransportPeatlandsLocal actionBusiness - Tourism6Source: LIFE database
LIFE ENVIRONMENT |LIFE and Climate CHANGE mitigationrestoration; and supporting efforts to improve renewableenergy infrastructure.The LIFE programme now has an even-greater focuson climate change mitigation in the current EU programmingperiod, thanks to the creation of the newsub-programme for Climate Action, with a budget of€864 million in co-financing for climate projects between2014 and 2020.Supporting local actionLIFE already has helped some local and regional authoritiesin Europe take the initiative to integrate climateissues into their areas of competence, investingnearly €22 million since 1999. The small numberof projects of this type indicates that there is scopefor further funding in this area, particularly of projectsthat build the capacity to draft, adopt and implementlocal climate plans, for instance by developingmonitoring and modelling tools that incorporatea cost-benefit analysis.LIFE should place increased emphasis on capacitybuildingmeasures, building on the lessons of priorprojects that have given training to LRA staff tofacilitate the uptake of new tools and helped indeveloping collaborations between the scientificcommunity (environmental agencies) and LRAs indeveloping climate or energy plans 1 . Future fundingcould also be used to build networks and platformsto exchange best practice amongst local andregional administrations, ultimately feeding in toother EU initiatives such as the Covenant of Mayorsand the European Innovation Partnership on SmartCities and Communities.LIFE projects have had significant success in workingwith LRAs to actively engage citizens in climatechange mitigation. Further opportunities exist for futureprojects to explore and demonstrate cost-effectiveways of collaborating with other stakeholders,including industry, the banking sector and local businesses.In this respect, the Commission is workingvery closely with the European Investment Bank toexplore ways of using public money more efficientlyand more effectively in order to leverage a lot of privatefinance 2 .1 The barriers faced by local and regional authorities consistof developing emission inventories, use of monitoring andmodelling tools, and translating results into technicallysoundand economically-viable measures that will effectivelyreach the foreseen climate targets2 Artur Runge-Metzger – Director responsible for InternationalNegotiations and Climate Strategy, DG CLIMAPhoto: LIFE08 ENV/SK/000240LIFE has helped raise awareness on the use of renewable energyEnergy-efficiency and renewableenergyLIFE has backed nearly 120 relevant renewable energyand energy-efficiency projects since 2000, contributing€128 million and mobilising €322 millionin total. The most-supported project categories includebiogas production from wastewater treatmentplants or closed landfills (31 projects), energy-efficientbuildings (27 projects), biofuel production (19projects) and biomass production (15 projects). LessLIFE funding has been devoted to other renewableenergy sources (e.g. solar, tidal, geothermal).Whilst new technologies or governance models cancontinue to be successfully piloted at the local level,there is a need for more projects addressing the developmentof low-emission strategies at regional orsub-regional levels or within specific sectors. Thereis also a need for more work to address barriers thatprevent market penetration of renewables and energy-efficienttechnologies.Given the growing demand for forest-sourced biomassfeedstock, there is room also to expand thenumber of LIFE projects promoting agroforestry andsustainable forest management, in conjunction withdeveloping pathways for bioenergy.LIFE has been at the forefront of promoting the useof residues arising from the management of Natura2000 sites and other protected areas to generateenergy. Projects have helped to promote sustainableways of harvesting biomass from Natura 2000 sitesand to contribute to the production of renewable energy,whilst supporting rural economic development.7
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