System innovation to address the urgency, scale and complexity of climate action: Climate KIC’s European vision and experience

Local government units (LGUs) have started exploring smart city solutions to address urbanization challenges. Smart city enablers, such as partnerships, smart city champions, information and communications technology personnel, and digitized data, are already present in some LGUs. However, LGUs still face issues related to funding and infrastructure, data interoperability, public uptake, and sustainability of smart city initiatives. This Policy Note maintains that addressing these challenges requires actions at the local level as well as the national government's support in developing policies and standards to improve data flow, promoting technology and innovation-powered cities, and ensuring transparency and accountability in the implementation of smart city initiatives.

Cities in the Middle East and North Africa are already suffering the effects of climate change. Weak urban regulation, ineffective climate policies, limited decentralization and insufficient empowerment of local authorities and civil society further decrease urban resilience. Future climate scenarios and projected urban growth threaten the stability of the region; with potential negative knock-on effects on Europe. This CASCADES Spotlight Study examines climate vulnerabilities in urban areas in countries to the south of the EU and the wider Middle East and North Africa region and advocates for systemic approaches to addressing urban climate resilience by strengthening the water-energy-food nexus, as well as other enabling factors such as decentralization. It concludes with recommendations on how the European Green Deal can help cities in the region adapt to climate impacts, based on a water-energy-food nexus approach. Over the past two decades, the European Commission has stepped up its support for urban climate action and resilience. An increasing number of programmes financed under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) South have addressed urban climate resilience in response to the region’s rapid urbanization and the high climate vulnerability of cities. The number of urban dwellers in the wider Middle East and North Africa region is estimated to reach 527 million in 2050, an increase of 72% compared to 2020. At the same time, climate impacts – including both slow onset changes and sudden disasters – are putting additional stress on urban infrastructure. This stress is aggravated by weak urban regulations that have created unsustainable development trends which undermine the potential benefits of urbanization and adversely affect urban climate resilience. The prevalence of highly centralized administrative systems and incomplete decentralization reforms hamper local capacity building and decision-making, which are prerequisites for effective adaptation and resilience. At the same time, climate impacts – including both slow onset changes and sudden disasters – are putting additional stress on urban infrastructure. This stress is aggravated by weak urban regulations that have created unsustainable development trends which undermine the potential benefits of urbanization and adversely affect urban climate resilience. The prevalence of highly centralized administrative systems and incomplete decentralization reforms hamper local capacity building and decision-making, which are prerequisites for effective adaptation and resilience. The convergence of the region’s harsh climatic conditions with rapid, unsustainable urbanization and the associated socio-economic burdens can exacerbate existing political instability, conflict-induced migration and poverty. These developments could cascade into the EU, altering security, trade and diplomatic relations with the Southern Neighbourhood. The EU’s evolving approach to working with local authorities on urban infrastructure and climate governance is a first step towards addressing the region’s intertwined urban and climate crises. However, this approach is still in the early stages and there is a need to reflect on lessons learned and how urban spaces, climates and governance are evolving in the region. This study suggests that the EU’s overwhelming focus on supporting cities in the region with energy efficiency and the transition to sustainable energy systems is not enough to strengthen urban climate resilience. In cities of the Southern Neighbourhood, which typically struggle with resource management and scarcity, climate resilience will increasingly depend on local capacities to formulate and implement nexus approaches, especially in the water, energy and food sectors. Based on case studies of three small and intermediary urban areas, the study advocates for a systemic approach to addressing urban climate resilience in Southern Neighbourhood cities. Considering the established effectiveness of applying a water-energy-food nexus approach to improving climate resilience, the paper stresses the need for local governments to explore nexus opportunities between the water, energy and food sectors in order to achieve resilient and sustainable urbanism, while also highlighting other enabling factors such as decentralization. It concludes by exploring how future external action around the European Green Deal and its ambitions for systemic transformation could benefit from stepping up cooperation with cities in the Southern Neighbourhood around the water-energy-food nexus.

This article defines 'regional government' as implying the existence of a directly elected regional assembly. It is possible to justify looking at North East England as a unit within which a debate about the desirability of establishing regional government can take place. Within North East England two different factions in favour of regional government can be identified: the regional Labour local government and union establishment; and radical regionalists generally from the regional intelligentsia. The motivations behind their support for regional government are explored. The mass public has not been mobilised on the issue thus far and is best described as apathetic. The regional business community is cited as an important regional interest that is against regional government. However, its support for regional governance and the generally pragmatic nature of its opposition to regional government suggests that tacit consent for a negotiated scheme may be achievable. In the conclusion it is noted that although some of the forces encouraging support for regional government in the North East are present in other regions, there are a number of regionally specific factors that explain why demands in the North East have been particu larly vocal. If regional governments are to be established in England it might therefore be appropriate for the North East to proceed faster than some other regions.

The main concern with public policies and strategies for integrating nature-based solutions is to facilitate access to innovative interventions to reach cities and communities that are more sustainable and climate resilient. However, there is an impediment to linking information on the results of projects and the expected impact of the European Commission in the framework programmes for research funding. Here we show how projects targeting nature-based solutions help to implement and review public policies under the EU Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change 2013 – 2020 and European Green Deal. These policies have a positive impact in various areas, especially in green transition, with the potential to analyse the link between the scientific results of nature-based projects and the strategic orientations of research and innovation. We focused on the evaluation of 150 projects funded at the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe level, within three main programmes that provide funding for projects based on nature, resilience and adaptation to climate change: (1) Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency  and Raw Materials, (2) Climate, Energy and Mobility and (3) Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment. The main analyzed elements are the number and type of partners, the level of funding, the main objectives of the projects, types of nature-based solutions and their distribution by geographical regions in Europe. This analysis leads to the filling in the existing knowledge of the results that produce science, so that it can be exploited throughout the community. Our results consist in (1) overview of climate challenges in EU R&I framework programmes Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, (2) Main NBS designed by European R&I organizations, (3) NBS for climate resilience implemented through EU R&I funding in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, (4) NBS for climate resilience – key pathways of knowledge valorization for ecosystem restoration, preservation and management. Overall, they show that the aspects analyzed in the selected funded projects support the development of nature-based solutions and what are the main actions that lead to long-term impact.

Paying particular attention to legal and organizational aspects, this article attempts to analyze transboundary institution-building within the context of European integration and changes in European regional policy. Based on a short case study of the Dutch-German EUREGIO, it is argued that new EC regional development programs and national government support have helped this border area association define strategies enabling it to circumvent legal technicalities, establishing defacto (although not dejure) public agencies responsible for coordinating transboundary cooperation efforts. Additionally, the EUREGIO and other Dutch-German border area associations have vigorously pursued transboundary economic development schemes that have tended to cement working relationships and elicit central government support. Europe's progress in transboundary cooperation must be viewed in the context of developments taking place there, especially the growth of a unitary market and political and economic union. Nevertheless, it is suggested that North American border regions may be able to learn from European experience - particularly in the light of the North American Trade Agreement - developing strategies that mobilize local political sentiment and help overcome the influence of ideologies of national sovereignty at regional, state and national levels.

Rural areas in Bulgaria are undergoing a gradual ecological transformation, strongly influenced by European Union programmes and financial mechanisms. This study examines the extent to which EU instruments – including the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), the LIFE Programme, Horizon Europe, and Bulgaria’s national operational programmes – contribute to environmental improvements in rural communities. The analysis is based exclusively on official institutional datasets and policy documents issued by the European Commission, Eurostat, the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Environment and Water. Results indicate that European funding has played a critical role in advancing soil and water management, biodiversity conservation, organic farming growth, climate resilience, and the expansion of environmentally responsible land-use practices. At the same time, the study identifies persistent challenges such as administrative complexity, uneven beneficiary participation, technological limitations, and significant regional disparities in ecological outcomes. The findings highlight that while EU programmes remain indispensable for rural ecological development in Bulgaria, their long-term effectiveness depends on simplified procedures, strengthened local capacity, and better integration between environmental and socio-economic objectives.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The effects of climate change in the environment and health are becoming increasingly apparent and one of the most challenging problem facing society in the European Union (EU). Direct effects mostly occur through changes in extreme weather events, while indirect effects are mainly induced by changes in environmental, social and economic determinants. Facing increasing environmental challenges and needing to protect public health, the EU has established in recent decades an extensive framework of thematic programmes and regulatory actions related to environment and health. These need constant updating and must rely on solid scientific evidence to be credible. METHODS: The EU has also responded in the last decades by providing increasing financial support for the necessary underpinning research to consolidate scientific knowledge base through its Framework Programmes of Research and Innovation. Acknowledging the importance of scientific support for better understanding environmental and health impacts of global changes, including climate change, this area of research emerged especially in FP7 and Horizon 2020 with increasing EU contribution. RESULTS:Nineteen research projects focusing environment and/or health impacts from global changes, including climate change, have been funded under Horizon 2020, receiving close to €143 million from the EU. These projects support EU policy-making and provide a good foundation to build upon to go forward with the next Framework Programme- Horizon Europe, which started in 2021. CONCLUSIONS:Attesting to the continued importance of this science-policy area, the next Framework Programme – Horizon Europe – has identified as two of the first missions to be implemented Climate-neutral and Smart Cities and Adaptation to climate change including societal transformation, both of which acknowledge the protection of human health and wellbeing as an important component and societal benefit of action. KEYWORDS: climate, environment, policy

The EU Response to COVID-19: From Reactive Policies to Strategic Decision-Making.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the functioning of the multilateral projects of the «Horizon 2020» and «Horizon Europe» Programs, to establish the peculiarities of the status and activities of their subjects. To achieve the goal of the scientific work and solve the set tasks, a complex of general scientific and special research methods was used: the method of analysis and synthesis, alternatives, comparative studies, classification. Research on this issue allows us to state that despite the fact that multilateral Horizon 2020 projects constitute a significant part of EU project funding, scientific research on this issue is insufficient. This is partly due to the lack of a structured analytical approach of the subjects of this Framework Program. In particular, the legal status of the National Contact Point, which provides informational and methodical support for the thematic areas of research determined by the European Commission (EC) for the EU research and innovation program «Horizon Europe», remains overlooked. Within the framework of this study, the experience of Poland, where there is a Polish National Contact Point for EU research programs, was introduced. It was determined that at the micro-level of IS there is a Program «Horizon 2020» or «Horizon Europe», which can act as projects (a network of participants who cooperate within the framework of a joint innovation project both at the national level and at the EU level) and as Partners (organization, consisting of a network or group of persons, or an individual participant, who cooperate within the framework of a joint innovation project both at the national level and at the EU level) is a certain level of the very structure of a multi-level innovation system (or IS of a higher level). The authors propose to make changes to the Law of Ukraine on Scientific and Scientific-Technical Activities. So, there is a proposal to add par. 3 to art. 66 regarding the status of a scientific institution that can act as a basic organization in which the National Contact Point of the European Union Framework Program for Research and Innovation «Horizon Europe» has been established.

The smart city concept has been introduced since the 1990s, even since 2010, the European Commission has launched a smart city initiative document. In response to these global needs and challenges, in 2017, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has determined 24 regencies/cities in Indonesia to be the initial pilot of smart city implementation in Indonesia. Mimika Regency was chosen to be one of the regions that realize the 100 Smart City cities/regencies movement in Indonesia. One way that the objectives of the smart city are met is by the socialization strategy carried out by the Mimika Regency Regional Government to the Mimika community. This article uses a qualitative descriptive approach with interview techniques. Interviews were conducted with the Communication and Informatics Office (Diskominfo) and the Mimika Regional Apparatus Organization (OPD). The results of the research obtained are the Regional Government of Mimika Regency, in this case the Communication and Informatics Office (Diskominfo) and the Regional Apparatus Organization (OPD) have not implemented a socialization strategy according to the concept of a socialization strategy. However, the Mimika Regional Government has its own socialization strategy in conducting socialization about Mimika Smart City.

International audience

The Cooperative Monitoring Center (CMC) promotes collaborations among scientists and researchers in several regions as a means of achieving common regional security objectives. To promote cooperation in South Asia on environmental research, an international working group made up of participants from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and the United States convened in Kathmandu, Nepal, from February 17-23,2002. The workshop was held to further develop the South Asia Transboundary Water Quality Monitoring (SATWQM) project. The project is sponsored in part by the CMC located at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico through funding provided by the US. Department of State, Regional Environmental Affairs Office, American Embassy, Kathmandu, Nepal, and the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Office of Nonproliferation and National Security. This report summarizes the SATWQM project, the workshop objectives, process and results. The long-term interests of the participants are to develop systems for sharing regional environmental information as a means of building confidence and improving relations among South Asian countries. The more immediate interests of the group are focused on activities that foster regional sharing of water quality data in the Ganges and Indus River basins. Issues of concern to the SATWQM network participants include studying the impacts from untreated sewage and industrial effluents, agricultural run-off, salinity increases in fresh waters, the siltation and shifting of river channels, and the environmental degradation of critical habitats such as wetlands, protected forests, and endangered aquatic species conservation areas. The workshop focused on five objectives: (1) a deepened understanding of the partner organizations involved; (2) garnering the support of additional regional and national government and non-government organizations in South Asia involved in river water quality monitoring; (3) identification of sites within the region at which water quality data are to be collected; (4) instituting a data and information collection and sharing process; and, (5) training of partners in the use of water quality monitoring equipment.

Sebangau National Park (SNP), Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, is home to the world’s largest contiguous population of orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) and a vast number of other fauna and flora. Ecotourism is a developing activity in this region and has the support of regional and national governments and possibilities for local, national and international tourism are extensive. In this case study we investigate perceptions of the local community in the village of Kereng Bangkirai to ecotourism through the following topics: 1) Ecotourism Development, 2) public tourist presence and visits, 3) how involved local people are in SNP management, 4) effects of ecotourism on local economic enterprise, 5) impact on community capacity building and 6) overall impacts of ecotourism to the local community. We interviewed 250 people using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics, carried out in SPSS 30.0.0 (https://www.ibm.com/products/spss-statistics). We show that overall, there are positive benefits from the presence of the national park and tourists but not all interventions or actions by SNP are universally accepted. We showcase the importance of including local people in protected area management especially ecotourism. This format of involving local communities can be a model for other sites in Indonesia interested in implementing ecotourism activities.

Bill Freund and Vishnu Padayachee, eds. (D)urban Vortex: South African City in Transition. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: University of Natal Press, 2002. Distributed by International Specialized Book Services, Inc., Portland, Ore. x + 345 pp. Maps. Notes. References. Index. $34.50. Paper. Social scientists tend to accept data as they are conventionally offered, and hence to analyze developing and transitional societies at a national level. The exceptions are usually short studies of particular aspects of a region, and of course the myriad studies that use micro-data sets from a particular region but without any true sense of a region's uniqueness. (D)urbtm Vortex, in contrast, stands out as a comprehensive effort to place a single metropolitan area in a global setting. The volume provides a political history of the city, an examination of regional government planning efforts, discussions of the economy and financial setting, analysis of political change and labor markets, and a section on meeting basic needs and the provision of urban services. It consists of an introductory overview followed by eleven thematic chapters and represents the updated product of a 1998 conference on Durban's urban development. The book is striking for its breadth of coverage, and the editors are to be commended for successfully welding together a diverse set of papers. They and the authors also merit recognition for even-handedness: This is not a story of saints and devils, nor does it veer toward either unvarnished optimism or gloomy pessimism. Rather, what emerges is a picture of a major metropolitan area struggling to cope with the end of apartheid, both in terms of political control, and perhaps more critically, of social control by government over the region's population. The challenges include regional government consolidation, profound economic changes, and complex relations between regional and national government, with plans for the port's development forming the central issue. In short, Durban is undergoing epochal change rather than a simple transition. (D)urban Vortex ably captures the nuances of this change. Three chapters on politics give an excellent sense of the tensions underlying the racial shift in power, in union and community-based initiatives, and in the region's growing awareness of environmental issues. These are followed by a section on public services and on the emergence of informal sector activities, especially in trading and food distribution. …

After a large-scale disaster, affected local governments face challenges such as a shortage of skilled staff in disaster response operations. Human resource support from external organizations is essential. This paper summarizes the major achievements of the human support system in Japan for affected local governments from the perspective of both local and national government support in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE). However, several issues still need to be considered. In terms of mutual support among local governments, this paper proposes the following three points for future wide-area mega-disasters: First, each local government should enhance its own disaster response capacity. Second, the entire country should use skilled human resources effectively. Third, national and local governments should prepare to receive assistance from overseas. This paper also proposes the following three points for the support of the national government’s onsite organizations. First, the national government should define a detailed plan for dispatching personnel to affected areas. Second, the national government should dispatch support teams directly to each affected prefecture, instead of setting up onsite organizations that cover multiple prefectures. Third, local governments should prepare to receive these onsite organizations.