Towns and cities must boost local actions to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. Three URBACT cities show how…

COP26, the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, is on its way. In November, governments from around the world will gather in Glasgow (UK) to reaffirm their commitment to tackling climate change. Meanwhile, without waiting for the next COP, many URBACT cities have already been developing their own strategies, activities, and partnerships to move towards greater integration and transversality in their local climate policies.

Cities are the level at which most emissions are recorded. The world’s cities consume 60–80% of natural resources(link is external), producing 50% of global waste and 75% of greenhouse gas emissions. And this is set to increase:75% of EU citizens(link is external) live in urban areas; 66% of the world’s(link is external) population is expected to live in cities by 2050; and cities’ global carbon footprint is predicted to triple by 2030. As a result, an estimated 93% of cities face threats such as floods, storms and heatwaves, and although many are taking action to improve resilience, up to 400 million people(link is external) could be living in cities with no plan to tackle climate by 2030.

La région de Bruxelles-Capitale, Belgique, est entrée dans la matière de l’alimentation durable à travers le gaspillage alimentaire. En utilisant des outils traditionnels des politiques publiques (Plan de réduction régional des déchets, financement européen INTERREG, …) elle a développé une série d’outils visant à soutenir la réduction du gaspillage alimentaire auprès des ménages. Ces approches se sont notamment basées sur des cadres analytiques percevant le comportement comme résultant d’une approche linéaire, elle-même découlant d’une intention et d’une volonté d’agir directe. Or, ces approches ont montré leurs limites, et ce, malgré l’existence d’une série d’outils et conseils pour réduire le gaspillage alimentaire. A travers un projet financé par Bruxelles environnement pour mettre en place un réseau de Maîtres Frigo (des citoyens formés d’une part aux « trucs et astuces » pour lutter contre le gaspillage alimentaire et d’autre part au relais de cette information vers leurs pairs) nous avons testé une approche par la théorie des pratiques, en cherchant à développer une formation innovante tant par son contenu que par sa forme.

This Zoom-In presents an infographic of the analysis contained in the article Food-related activities as a leverage against urban poverty. It is based on interviews with the UIA TAST’in FIVES project partners and seeks to present in a concise and communicative ways the learnings of the TAST’in FIVES project on the impact the use of food as a concept and a tool has benefitted on the one hand the beneficiaries of the activities, on the other, the organisers of these activities.

Some of the most prominent impacts presented in this graphic are detailed here, whereas further details can be found in the above-mentionned article.