Climate change is starting to be factored into a variety of development plans: how to manage the increasingly extreme disasters we are seeing and their associated risks, how to protect coastlines and deal with sea-level encroachment, how to best manage land and forests, how to deal with and plan for reduced water availability, how to develop resilient crop varieties and how to protect energy supply systems and public infrastructure. Many adaptation and mitigation solutions can help address climate change, but no single option is sufficient by itself. Effective implementation depends on policies and cooperation at all scales and can be enhanced through integrated responses that link mitigation and adaptation with other societal objectives. Some countries are directly impacted by climate change than others, which exacerbates water scarcity, flash floods, see level rise, desertification, etc. The most affected are cities and urban areas. Therefore, a resilient urban future is needed and it requires tackling challenges and creating solutions in a place-based, integrated, inclusive, risk-aware, and forward-looking manner. On the other hand there is an urgent need to reduce energy-related CO2 emissions to limit climate change. The energy transition is a pathway toward transformation of the global energy sector from fossil-based to zero-carbon. Renewable energy and energy efficiency measures can potentially achieve 90% of the required carbon reductions by 2050. However, decarbonisation of the main sectors of the economies requires urgent action on a global scale but also at national and local levels. The EU is actively working with other countries and regions to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. It promotes ambitious climate action in multilateral fora and in its bilateral cooperation with countries outside the EU including the GCC. Moreover, the new European Green Deal is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making Europe climate neutral in 2050. Hence, there is a lot to learn from the EU experience as well as GCC’s in terms of climate action and energy transition plans. This workshop will be an opportunity to share experiences and got a better understanding of the current adaptation and mitigation solutions and set recommendations for all kinds of stakeholders, in particular municipalities, local authorities, NGOs and the private sector. The aim of this virtual event is twofold:

• Discuss the development of local capacities and climate adaptation and mitigation solutions in urban areas and the development of climate action plans that take into consideration the inminent challenges threatening the cities of the region including energy transition as well as the commitment vis-à-vis the international and national agendas (e.g. Paris agreement, SDGs, energy transition targets, etc.).
• Exchange relevant knowledge, best practices, information, and lessons learned and advance regional initiatives on climate action and the integration of clean and smart energy technologies  in particular at urban level.

In this context, the EU-GCC Clean Energy Technology Network, the Environmental Center for Arab Towns (ECAT) and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) are organising a virtual conference on "Climate Action and Energy Transition in the EU and GCC: Adaptation and Mitigation Solutions”. The online conference will be held on Wednesday 7 July 2021 at 10.00 CET/12.00 GST.

More information about the agenda, the invited speakers and the registration link, is available at the event's webpage.