Climate and Circular Economy Road Map of South Ostrobothnia
About this good practice
Climate change and the over-consumption of natural resources are the most serious problems facing humankind. Overcoming these problems requires a transition to carbon-neutral society and from a linear economic model to a circular economy. Finland is committed to the international and European climate goals and Finland’s national goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. This puts pressure for the Finnish region’s and South Ostrobothnia is not an exception.
The purpose of the project was to support South Ostrobothnia and the public organizations in the region to achieve the national and international climate and circular economy goals by bringing together actors on a wide range.
The aim of the project was also to improve regional know-how and expertise related to climate change mitigation and themes, to reduce climate emissions in Southern Ostrobothnia, to increase the circular economy and lastly the preparedness for and adaptation to climate change.
The main measures of the project were the preparation of a climate and circular economy road map for South Ostrobothnia and the establishment of a continuous cooperation model for climate and circular economy work.
In order to prepare the roadmap, an expert group for the Southern Ostrobothnia Climate and Circular Economy Road Map project was established, with representatives from a total of 38 different parties, such as business, research, education organizations and the public and third sectors.
Resources needed
The project was funded from Sustainable Growth and Vitality in Regions funding instrument. The total budget of the project was 61 884 €, covering costs of one full time project worker for 12 months and 10 000 € for external expert services to organise and facilitate workshops with key stakeholders.
Evidence of success
With the project the region of South Ostrobothnia has a clear and straight-forward Climate and Circular Economy Road Map that leads the region to achieve the climate goals set by the Finnish Government. The road map consists of 126 concrete actions that are divided between 6 thematic topics. With the project an operational model for the region’s climate work was set up and a wide group of local actors were engaged in the process.
Potential for learning or transfer
The good practice is an example of a project that can be carried out in regions that are still lacking a regional climate and circular economy road map. The way the key actors in the region were actively engaged in the process was successful and a factor that should be taken into consideration when designing regional road maps. Active communication and engagement via emails, online-meetings and workshops guaranteed that actors are devoted to the regional climate work. With the active engagement and open dialogue a lot of valuable information and ideas for actions were received and included in the road map.
The way the Regional Council took responsibility of the coordination of the project and the climate work was also important for the success. Without a clear and neutral coordinator it might have been difficult to engage such wide range of actors to the creation of the road map and also to the regional climate work in the future.
Further information
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