Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
urban external economies
3
. Innovation is more and more a social structure that
occurs in an urban context plenty of opportunities, interactions, qualified coop-
eration and information exchange. Cities, as multicultural centres of global com-
munication, have the power to change the world and to write the agenda for a
sustainable future.
4.2
Sustainability Proposals
Under the Kyoto Protocol, the EU has set strategies and has enacted directives to
ease the transition towards a low carbon economy and improve the cities' inno-
vation potentials. Reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of CO
2
, preserving the
entropic stability of the global ecosystems are the main intervention policies to be
implemented. It was also proposed to modify the production techniques and
processes and, at last, to change individual and collective behaviour. The EU has
set its own targets by 2020: CO
2
emissions must be cut down by 20 %, the energy
efficiency and the energy production from renewable sources should be increased
by 20 %, and that of the biofuel for vehicles by 10 % (EU Commission
2010
).
Europe 2020 is the ten-year growth strategy of the European Union. It is more
than just overcoming the crisis, which unfortunately still afflicts most of our
economies. It is about tackling the deficiencies of our growth models and creating
conditions for a different type of growth that is smarter, more sustainable and more
inclusive. On December 2011, the European Commission adopted the Commu-
nication ''Energy Roadmap 2050'' (EU Commission
2011
). The EU is committed
to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80-95 % below 1990 levels by 2050. In the
''Energy Roadmap 2050'' the Commission explores the challenges posed by the
decarbonisation objective, while at the same time ensuring energy supply and
competitiveness (ECF
2010
; EEA
2012
).
These are the main goals of the Climate and Energy Packages written in the EU
White Paper ''Adapting to climate change: Towards a European framework for
action'' (EU Commission
2009
) which sets out the basis for an European adap-
tation strategy to reduce vulnerability and correctly tackle the consequences of
climate change and strengthen European resilience.
The goal 20-20-20 is an integrated approach to climate and energy policy
aiming
at
fighting
climatic
changes,
increasing
EU
energy
security
and
at
strengthening our own competitiveness.
In April 2013, the European Commission adopted a climate change adaptation
strategy. The main document ''An EU Strategy on adaptation to climate change''
defines the targets and actions to be taken, in order to make Europe more resil-
ient EU Commission
2013
).
3
The main activities of the knowledge economy are: high technology, professional services to
businesses and individuals, the cultural industry (media, television, cinema, music, cultural
tourism), but also productions neo-craft (fashion, design, etc.), services able to answer a question
very specialized.
