‘Summer Reading’ Energy and Smart Cities
European cities are a hub for all sorts of activities – a pathway for study opportunities, jobs and services because of their key infrastructure and economic activity. More than three-quarters of the EU population live in urban areas and this figure is expected to rise to almost 85% by 2050.
Due to their large concentration of population, urban areas also consume the largest volumes of energy and have the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions. As the fight against climate change increasingly involves the deployment of solutions at all levels and the participation of citizens, cities are well-placed to show leadership in the clean energy transition and can achieve significant benefits through the early adoption of policies aimed at achieving climate neutrality. To this end, the European Commission is placing smart cities at the forefront of its efforts to reach the European Green Deal objectives and make Europe climate-neutral by 2050.
- What is a ‘smart city’?
- EU energy policy initiatives and cities
- Horizon Europe Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities