Rural areas make a unique and important contribution to our economy and way of life but are often left out of low-carbon planning and strategies, which frequently have an urban focus.
Rural areas face distinct challenges compared to urban areas, specifically a declining and ageing population, less access to opportunities, and greater challenges in transport and energy infrastructure.
However, they also have many advantages, particularly in renewable energy generation and carbon-positive environment management, with an abundance of resources available to them to develop new climate-friendly and socio-economically beneficial actions.
This policy brief explores the challenges faced by rural areas, and how decarbonisation can benefit them, focusing on low-carbon energy, sustainable transport modes, and environmental management for ecosystem services.
It highlights good practices and project achievements from Interreg Europe projects that may prove inspirational for other rural regions in Europe and draws together materials from the Policy Learning Platform to provide a comprehensive overview of other available guidance.
Policy Brief on approaches for a rural low-carbon economy
Policy Brief on approaches for a rural low-carbon economy
Templederry Community Wind Farm is a 100% community-developed and owned wind farm, the first of its kind in Ireland, using a mix of public and private finance.
Maccarese Agricultural Company: from animal farming to energy production.
Production of electricity from two biogas plants fed by by-products derived from animal farm, such as effluents and feed waste, and from dedicated biomass.
The scheme allows households that do not own or have no access to roofs to invest in solar photovoltaic system installed on the roof of a large water reservoir.
Dartmoor Woodfuel Cooperative enables woodland to be made available for the biomass fuel production through co-operation between landowners and customers.
Low carbon rural public transport bus service fostering social inclusion and multimodality by providing connectivity to urban public transport bus and rail hubs
As compensation for the construction of the Klingenberg wind farm, an area of 12 ha of drained moorland in the vicinity of the wind farm was rewetted in 2016
Lowland Forest Association for CO2 compensation through Ecosystem services sale with innovative pub
The AFP is the first Italian association of lowland forest owners, created for the efficient, responsible and sustainable management of lowland forest resources
