LIFE IP CARE4CLIMATE CONFERENCE: With best practices to climate neutrality
An international conference within the LIFE IP CARE4CLIMATE project: With best practices towards climate neutrality took place in Ljubljana June 8th, 2022. The conference was attended by 21 experts from nine countries, who presented the latest examples of good practices in the field of sustainable mobility, green building transformation, sustainable and climate-friendly land use (LULUCF), sustainable construction and green public procurement. The aim of the conference was to address representatives of municipalities, development agencies and the professional and general public in co-creating good practices for the transition of Slovenian society to climate neutrality.
The participants of the conference, that was co-hosted by Ladeja Godina Košir, were able to listen to experts and best practises, as well to exchange knowledge and experiences. "Transfers of best practises from abroad are a good inspiration so we can set more ambitious plans for our country," said Luka Mladenovič from the Urban Institute of the Republic of Slovenia and highlighted the lecture by Professor dr. Hermann Knoflacher, one of the most prominent experts in the field of sustainable mobility, spatial, urban and traffic planning.
Dr. Knoflacher is known for his criticisms of the overuse of cars and is also the author of numerous studies to show and visualize the irrationality of urban motor traffic and its excessive consumption of space and resources. At the event, he presented how climate neutrality cannot be achieved without a paradigm shift in urban planning and transport.
(Photographer: Jani Ugrin)
In the field of land use and land use change and forestry, the challenges of adapting to climate change, measures in the sector and the importance of balancing environmental, social and economic aspects were highlighted. Dr. Emil Cienciala, head of the research and science department at the Institute for Forest Ecosystem Research in the Czech Republic, presented the challenges of climate change mitigation in the Czech Republic, where average annual temperatures are rising and extreme droughts are causing more damage. In the strategy of adapting forests to climate change, he assigned great importance to species-rich and structurally rich forests that are suitable for changing environmental conditions, as well as long-term planning, smart wood use and soil well-being.
The common denominator of the event was the realization that changes take time, which we don’t have. We need to connect, find synergies, collaborate and accelarate.
This was also emphasized by the acting Director General of the Directorate for the Environment Tanja Bolte, MSc. in her address to the audience, “Slovenia has achieved the formally set goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, as GHG emissions have not increased by more than 4 percent compared to 2005. However this does not mean the emission of GHG is under control, which is the aim of the transition to a climate-neutral society, set out with the adoption of a long-term climate strategy by the Slovene government. ”
In the field of green renovation of buildings and sustainable construction, Miha Tomšič, MSc., emphasized the importance of developing the Slovenian system of sustainable construction indicators. “We are quite far from the times when we were only interested in heating in the winter days. Today we are talking about sustainable buildings, which are quite complex. The building is not a separate unit that can be viewed independently from others, but we need to include different factors. ” The renovation of cultural heritage buildings was introduced in the lecture by dr. João Bravo Dias on the case of the renovation of the historic part of the city of Évora in Portugal. Architect from the Scapelab office Jernej Šipoš presented the energy renovation of buildings on the example of the site-protected Sugar Factory (Cukrarna) in Ljubljana.
The event once again proved the importance of such meetings and the exchange of experiences. Participants had a chance to learn also about many local initiatives - for example the School Street as an area of safe school arrival, implemented by the Institute for Spatial Policy - IPOP). The day ended with a carbon-neutral cycling trip with a guided tour of good local practices in Ljubljana organized by Umanotera, the Slovenian Foundation for Sustainable Development.
Through awareness-raising, education, training and information exchange projects such as LIFE IP CARE4CLIMATE with its 15 partners help accelerate the implementation of measures to mitigate climate change or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
You can watch the videos of the sessions on the conference playlist.