Mission possible: Leuven’s strategy for carbon neutrality
Cooperation and social justice are at the heart of plans by the historic university city of Leuven, Belgium to become carbon neutral, as is the radical idea of giving owners no choice but to energy-renovate their homes
The issue: Cities, big and small, can play a key role in the energy transition, Leuven has found an innovative way forward that ensures everyone has a seat at the table
What’s new: Leuven believes its carbon neutral roadmap is the most detailed in Europe and the only one which takes an innovative approach to governance
Key quote: “I strongly believe that tackling the climate challenge demands lots of entrepreneurship and innovation, not just technical innovation but innovative processes in terms of governance and decision-making and creating buy-in too. Building trust between all the stakeholders is very important because things are never black and white and there is no recipe. We are all just experimenting.”
Bottom line: The energy transition will advance more quickly and be more easily accepted if people from all walks of life are involved in discussions that will impact them ...
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