The European COMPOSE project brings together cross-disciplinary expertise and proven best practices to support decision-makers in small and medium-sized cities as they tackle the climate crisis and transition to renewable energy.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Rithymno, in Crete, is home to about 50,000 residents year-round, but like many Mediterranean
00:12cities, it faces mounting pressure from the climate crisis. From rapid urbanization to
00:18waste and energy management, local authorities must now strike a balance between economic
00:23growth and more sustainable ways of living. According to the mayor, tapping into solar
00:29energy is a key step towards that goal.
00:32We are the first area of Crete, which had a fuel system for electric cars, and, of course,
00:40we have 11 fuel systems, and at the next time, we think we will counterbalance it.
00:52Rithymno is a participant in Compose, an initiative led by an international team of experts, such
00:58as Stavroula from the Technical University of Crete. The project's goal is to increase
01:03the share of renewable energy in local strategies to combat the climate crisis.
01:08Compose built a step-by-step methodology like a practical guidance for the local authorities
01:16to enable them to build their capacity to design more efficiently and more effectively their
01:22energy plans. Launched between 2016 and 2019 across 11 Mediterranean countries, the project
01:30had a total budget of 2.5 million euros, of which 74.67% came from the European cohesion policy.
01:40To build on the lessons of Compose, Stavroula and the sustainable energy team of the Technical University
01:46of Crete created an online toolbox that continues to help municipalities to this day, with practical tools
01:53for planning and monitoring. The idea is to help decision makers to understand how to assess the
02:01solutions that are presented by different technology providers and how to go to a holistic approach.
02:09This approach was tested in Anorkia, a mountain village in central Crete. Compose researchers
02:16found that traditional fireplaces had negative impacts on both health and the environment. Working with
02:21local authorities, they developed a plan to replace them with cleaner and more sustainable heating systems.
02:42In just a decade, the number of modern fireplaces in Anorkia rose from 10% of households
02:48to 50%, leading to cleaner air and reducing the number of trees cut down for firewood.