European Green Deal
The European Green Deal is the roadmap for making the EU's economy sustainable, by turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities, and making the transition just and inclusive for all.
Recognising that climate change and environmental degradation are existential threats to Europe and the world, the EGD provides an ambitious package of measures, followed by EU Green Deal Action Plan. These measures include cutting greenhouse gas emissions, investing in cutting-edge research and innovation, and preserving Europe's natural environment.
Fighting climate change and achieving the transition to a climate-neutral society requires significant investments, research and innovation, new ways of producing and consuming, managing waste, and changes in how we work, use transport and live together.
Since solid waste, wastewater, water supply, energy efficiency, air pollution – all these things affect climate change, the EGD addresses environment (waste and recycling) among the key action areas also towards being climate neutral in 2050
Increasing EU’s Climate ambition for 2030 and 2050
Supplying Clean, affordable and secure energy
Mobilising industry for a clean and circular economy
Building and renovating in an energy and resource efficient way
A zero-pollution ambition for a toxic free environment
Preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity
From “Farm to Fork” : a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system
Accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility
The EU as a global leader
A European Climate Pact
The European Green Deal
Transforming EU’s economy for a sustainable future
Financing the Transition
Leave no one behind (Just Transition)
Sustainable Europe Investment Plan
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal/energy-and-green-deal_en
The production and use of energy account for more than 75% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonising the EU’s energy system is therefore critical to reach our 2030 climate objectives and the EU’s long-term strategy of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
The European Green Deal focuses on 3 key principles for the clean energy transition, which will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance the quality of life of our citizens:
One of the main actions EU undertakes towards clean energy transition is the “Renovation wave” of public and private buildings, pursuing this dual ambition of energy gains and economic growth
Increasing the rate, quality and effectiveness of the renovation of existing buildings is the biggest challenge for the coming decades
Renovating both public and private buildings is an essential action, and has been singled out in the European Green Deal as a key initiative to drive energy efficiency in the sector and deliver on objectives.
Action Plan:
Specific Challenge: With rising focus on the building sector (e.g. the ‘renovation wave’ initiative of the European Green Deal) in view of the full decarbonisation by 2050, the built environment remains a strategic domain. The priority is the design and construction of new or retrofitting of existing buildings as zero-emission/zero-pollution, positive energy powerhouses within sustainable green neighbourhoods (districts). There are two major components of this transition.
Firstly, a transition in design and construction of buildings to reduce their embodied emissions and to increase the energy efficiency of their operation; also the retrofitting of existing buildings to increase their efficiency.
Secondly, a transition to energy positive buildings (producing electricity, covering their heating and cooling needs and contributing to the grid stability) with sustainable, renewable energy technologies. The multiplication of such buildings allows the creation of green neighbourhood “living labs” (including social housing and non-residential buildings such as hospitals, schools, public buildings, commercial buildings etc.) with additional urban functionalities (e.g. shared EV charging facilities).
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/research_and_innovation/green_deal/gdc_stakeholder_engagement_topic_04-1_buildings.pdf; https://setis.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-03/setis_magazine_2019_energy_efficiency_in_buildings.pdf
“To increase the energy efficiency of buildings, the first strategy is the renovation of their envelopes”
What the EU Commission undertakes:
The New European Bauhaus
In October 2020, the Commission also launched the New European Bauhaus. Search for available translations of the initiative which provides a forum where Europeans can come together to share ideas on climate-friendly architecture. The initiative comprises 3 phases:
EU building projects
The Commission supports many projects on building renovation, as well as research and innovation in this field, with its Horizon Europe research programs, such as:
Resource efficiency means using the Earth's limited resources in a sustainable manner while minimizing impacts on the environment. It allows us to create more with less and to deliver greater value with less input.
Resource-efficient construction offers a systemic approach to sustainable construction; it goes beyond zero energy, zero emissions, and zero carbon to look at the big picture—how can the existing building stock be (better) used (i.e. through renovation and urban mining) and how can new buildings be built in a more resource efficient way, i.e. with less resource-intensive materials, new technologies and new approaches to design?
It is a systems wide approach that looks at material and energy flows over the life-time of a building. Resource-efficient construction ultimately means using less material resources to build or renovate homes, buildings and infrastructures while achieving the same or better functionality.
Key solutions:
GOALS:
Manufacturing Technologies
Enabling a “new way to build”, for construction with lower environmental footprint, through modularisation, digital technologies, circularity and advanced materials, as well as standards and safety
Highly energy-efficient and climate neutral EU building stock with specific focus on buildings energy performance
Cost-effective renovation and modernisation of existing buildings towards nearly zero-energy; Digital tools for design, monitoring and optimisation of energy performance of buildings; Cost-effective integration of renewables at building- and neighborhood – level, smart energy;
Cross-cutting calls under the Partnership on People-centric, sustainable built environment (Built4People, B4P)
Life cycle approaches integrating resource efficiency, circular economy and environmental impacts High quality architecture, heritage preservation, user-centric approach