Research Programme

CLIMATE CHANGE.

The climate crisis is the key challenge faced by this and future generations. Several new developments – from the individual activism of Greta Thunberg to the transnational success of Fridays for Future – have led the way for civil society. Yet policy makers’ commitments to address environmental and climate concerns do not reflect the ambition required to address this crisis. The aim of our Climate programmes is to contribute to these conversations and push them forward in an effective way.

The core Climate research project aims to understand how climate emergency declarations made in EU countries have emerged and developed to deliver climate action on the ground. Many of these declarations are a result of growing climate activism, which in itself provides a mechanisms through which to hold local governments accountable on their climate action plans. This research will determine the extent to which these declarations are effective tools to enhance climate action at the local level, and how resulting climate action plans reflect the need for both climate adaptation and mitigation.