Cities take the lead in the fight against climate change: new global Climate-KIC programme to unlock

In sight of the UN COP21 conference in Paris later this year, the EU initiative Climate-KIC has launched an innovative programme: Low Carbon City Lab (LoCaL) will be kicked-off at ICLEI's World Congress in Seoul on 8 April 2015. The programme seeks to help cities around the world unlock their emission reduction potential.

The official launch of LoCaL will include a consultation workshop and a panel discussion on the most important innovation needs for unlocking the mitigation potential of cities. Patrick Bürgi, Director Public Sector at south pole group will open the floor and give an overview of the programme.

“Climate-KIC’s Low Carbon City Lab programme offers cities across the globe the possibility to efficiently understand their climate footprint and to effectively design and implement measures to reduce it. South Pole Group is proud to be part of this innovative programme, contributing with our longstanding expertise in greenhouse gas inventories and public advisory”, Patrick Bürgi points out in the official press release on the event.

While the level of global finance targeting climate change mitigation is growing fast, only a limited amount of funding currently reaches cities. With governments struggling to respond to climate change, cities are now taking the lead. Low Carbon City Lab is a great example of how public-private partnerships can tackle climate change through a market-led and impact-driven approach.