| The starting point for the project was the study commissioned by the European Commission's "Adressing the Social Dimensions of Environment Policy (Pye et al., 2008).
3 and 4 May 2010 the closing event of the inspiring, insightful and lively debate process took place. During this event, the second stakeholder dialogue and the presentation of the policy recommendations were inserted in the programme.
On 3 May were discussed:
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the General Policy Recommendations
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recommendations on 'Housing' and on 'Mobility'
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recommendations on 'Industry, manufacturing and power', 'Consumption and attitudes' and 'Social policy'.
On 4 May the policy recommendations were presented to the European Parliament and the European Commission. The recommendations in the document mark the culmination of a project, which examines the relationship between climate change mitigation policies and social justice.
In the debate over how best to respond to the climate change challenge, the focus to date has been on what targets should be set for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and what measures are needed to meet those targets. Far less attention has been paid to the impact of these measures on different groups in European societies.
How can we ensure that the costs and benefits of environmental policies are shared fairly across society in Europe? How can we prevent policies to combat climate change hitting the pockets of poorer households hardest? Can social policies contribute to achieving the European's Union climate change goals in a way that benefits everyone in society?
The unique project was launched which aims to answer these questions by bringing together climate change and social justice experts and stakeholders (policy-makers, scientists, business associations and civil society organisations) to discuss this important but neglected issue. |
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