The ambition of a Net Zero Energy territory no later than 2050
The Urban Energy Pact (Urb-En Pact) project is a network composed of 8 European cities and territories, selected within the framework of the IIIrd URBACT Action Planning Networks programme. The objective? Defining a concrete action plan involving all metropolitan stakeholders, that will enable each partner city to become a Net Zero Energy territory before 2050.
The partners of the Urb-En Pact network are:
Today, 75% of European citizens live in the city, that account for close to 80% of natural resource consumption. These cities produce 50% of global waste and 75% of greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, cities, as systems of production and consumption, are among the first factors responsible for the degradation of the environment, climate, air quality and their impact isfelt throughout the world. If nothing is done the situation will only worsen, the United Nations estimate that 66% of the global population will be living in urban areas in 2050.
Citizens, institutions, businesses, are now becoming aware of the efforts and collective progress that need to be made to reduce the footprint of our cities on the environment. The issue of energy, whether in relation to its production or consumption, is a core issue the Urb-En Pact project intends to address.
A Net Zero Energy territory must produce and deliver the required energy for its citizens, public services, businesses, by including the whole of society in the energy loop, designed as a local circular economy.
To attain to objective set by the Urb-En Pact project, numerous challenges need to be addressed:
– how to produce this energy in a short perimeter in and around the metropolitan area?
– what kind of energy mix has to be chosen: electricity, gas, geothermal, etc.?
– when does this production happen over the course of a year (seasonal changes)?
– how to deliver these different sources of energy?
– how to store them?
– how to strengthen the links between energy production and consumption?
Beyond the technical and technological aspects, the “Net Zero Energy territory” objective cannot be attained without the contribution of all: families, active citizens, businesses, public institutions. Each and every one will need to participate to reduce energy consumption on the territory so that the residual needs may be met by green and sustainable energy, produced and delivered locally.
Citizen inclusion and raising consumer awareness at the local level will be at the heart of the challenge. The key aim will be to reinforce citizen and consumer involvement in energy production, fair trade, and energy consumption in everyday life.
From the 3rd to the 5th of November 2021, 6 European territories making up the URBACT “Urb-En Pact” network,
will attend the COP 26 in Glasgow to demonstrate that the cities, from the smaller to the bigger ones, are at
the relevant scale to act and fight against climate change. Commitment, action and change are not exclusive
roles for world class countries and large cities.
Carrying the voices of the cities and their territory to reveal their potential for action to overcome environmental challenges
In Glasgow, the delegation of around 35 people from 6 cities involved in the Urb-En Pact network (elected reprensentatives, energy experts, technicians, etc.) is determined to share their vision of the role cities have to play in the fight against global warming. A driving, unifying, innovative and mobilizing role. The URB-EN PACT network is committed to carrying the voice of the territories to Glasgow in the framework of the COP26.
To be heard, the delegation will participate to the COP26 events dedicated to the topics of finance (November 3), energy (November 4), empowerment, and youth (November 5).
Cities are living labs for change. Already, they implement a concrete, efficient, tailor-made, human-sized transition. Because we are convinced that territories are the relevant action scale, cities aims to federate around the ecological transition and our participation to the COP26 will enable us to promote the absolute necessity of territorial level stakeholder commitment.
The concrete and efficient changes to our way of living have to occur every step of the way, in each single action, no matter where we are, who we are, where we live and what we’re doing. To achieve this, local players are the architects of change, to establish a strong pact so that each and every actor must play their part and each player must act for change.
Since 2002, the URBACT programme aims to foster territorial cooperation and sustainable urban development in cities across Europe. The programme is addressed to cities or territories facing an urban challenge they wish to commit to, and for which they want to develop new solutions with a participatory approach. The networks have a 2,5-year lifespan, split into two successive phases: 6 months of preparation and to set up the consortium and 24 months of implementation.
