Regions for Sustainable Change (RSC) partnership – focus on Burgenland
2010 - 2011
As part of the 3-year Regions for Sustainable Change (RSC) partnership running from late 2008 – co-funded by the INTERREG IVC Programme) - ICLEI Europe has engaged in early 2010, focussing on developments in Burgenland (Austria). ICLEI Europe addressed the analysis of Burgenland carbon emissions and relevant aspects of the regional economy, with the aim to support the overall project aims. These are to promote an EU-wide shift to climate-friendly economies and identifying opportunities for, and the costs and effects of, moving to a low-carbon economy. Burgenland is one of three regions studied, including Cornwall (UK) and Marche (Italy). The project results will be applied within other regions in the RSC Partnership and elsewhere in Europe (www.rscproject.org)
As part of the RSC project, the consultants SQW, ICLEI Europe and Mercados EMI were commissioned to analyse the carbon emissions–related aspects of the economies of three European regions: Cornwall (UK), Burgenland (Austria) and Marche (Italy). The purpose of the study was to develop a quantitative tool to compare a series of low-carbon measures for regions in terms of cost, carbon and jobs. The resulting PACE tool (Prioritisation of Actions for a Low-Carbon Economy) was developed as an aid to regional low-carbon strategy and action planning.
The PACE tool is designed to allow comparison between a range of carbon mitigation measures that a region might consider, including renewable energy, energy efficiency initiatives, transport initiatives, and changes in land use. It is intended to be flexible enough to cope with new evidence or changes in policy proposals that occur over time.
Once the supporting data sheets are populated with the best available evidence for each measure, the tool can be used to compare the selected measures for each region in terms of cost effectiveness, carbon impact and job creation. The tool produces simplified tables and charts to show decision makers which measures should be prioritised for support or investment. The analysis can readily be updated to reflect the different scales at which a measure might be delivered (e.g. 5MW heating or electricity, 10MW or 50MW of electricity generation), and a timescale for completion, giving policy makers the flexibility to present a range of options.
The methodologies and the PACE tool were designed to provide transferability across other EU regions as part of the legacy of the RSC project. See http://www.rscproject.org for more information.
