HORIZON-CL6-2027-02-CLIMATE-01

Problem statement
The European Climate Law sets a clear goal: EU climate neutrality by 2050, balancing GHG emissions with removals through natural ecosystems and the LULUCF Regulation. However, current strategies give limited specific attention to Arctic and northern sparsely populated areas, where small, scattered municipalities lack staff, funding and technical expertise to implement high‑level climate and energy policies. Their relatively healthy but highly sensitive ecosystems face both climate change and fast‑growing development, requiring carefully adapted solutions.

Project aim
The project aims to identify gaps between the climate and clean energy needs/potential of small NPA municipalities and existing EU/national policies, and develop a simple, NPA‑specific solution toolkit that helps municipalities assess their situation, match local challenges with relevant policy tools and proven solutions (such as oil heating phase‑out, peatland restoration to create carbon sinks, building efficiency, coastal protection), and implement realistic actions toward climate neutrality while respecting ecological limits.