Climate Action 2014-2015

A BOTTOM-UP APPROACH
THE WAY TO SUCCESS
Regione Abruzzo is strongly convinced
that local governments can play a
decisive role in the mitigation of the
effects of climate change, especially if
we consider that 80 per cent of energy
consumption and CO 2
emissions are
associated with urban activities.
For this reason a ‘bottom-up’ strategy is
a top priority, one that starts from the
base, from individuals and individual
communities to achieve a strong,
practical impact in the fight against
climate change. In this framework, the
regional governments play a strategic
role as an intermediate body that
is aware of the different needs and
approaches at local level, and coordinates
actions to meet these specific needs. The
multilevel governance involves regions,
provinces and all municipalites.
Because of its unique characteristics
– with the involvement of local and
regional authorities in order to achieve
the European objectives – the Covenant
of Mayors is considered by the European
institutions as an outstanding model of
multi-level governance and a tool of
great potential.
To translate their political commitment
into concrete measures and projects,
all 305 Municipalities and the four
Provinces of Abruzzo have joined
the Covenant, providing a Baseline
Emission Inventory (BEI) of the
territory and committing to submit,
within one year after the signing, a Plan
of Action for the Sustainable Energy
(SEAP) in which they outline the
main actions hat they intend to take to
achieve the general objectives laid down
in the Covenant of Mayors, and the
specific objectives that emerged from
the BEI.
The Covenant of Mayors has produced
extraordinary results in Abruzzo to date:
All 305 municipalities in the region
have implemented concrete actions
of the Covenant of Mayors, actively
involving their technical facilities and
the population
All four provinces have taken concrete
actions within the Covenant of
Mayors and supported municipalities,
especially the smaller ones, in the
implementation of the EIB, the
SEAP and early interventions for the
reduction of CO 2
emissions.
All 305 municipalities and four
provinces have obtained a first loan
in an amount proportionate to
the resident population, and have
completed about 700 actions carried
out throughout the region, focusing
as a priority on the energy efficiency
measures for schools.
More than 700 schools in the region
have benefited from at least one
intervention of the Covenant of
Mayors, and this has allowed us to
disseminate the programme themes
in schools, in synergy with the
Energiochi competition.
In this context, Regione Abruzzo is
developing a new experimental initiative
in a municipality of the regional
territory to quantify the absorption of
agro-forestry CO 2
in the region, in order
to certify local carbon credits, and for the
creation of platform for a local market of
voluntary carbon credits from the agroforestry
area. The objective is to foster
good practice through remuneration
systems of voluntary activities aimed at
the reduction of atmospheric carbon and
quantified on the basis of additional tons
of CO 2
absorbed or not emitted.
www.regione.abruzzo.it
"All 305 Municipalities
and the four Provinces of
Abruzzo have joined the
Covenant of mayor’s."
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