Author: Katherine Peinhardt A mission is meant to be transformative. In fact, the Cities Mission, alongside the other EU Missions, was modelled after humankind’s journey to the Moon. Much like the immense societal, technological, and scientific transformation that came about as a result of the mission to the Moon, the EU’s journey to climate neutrality means a radical change. The Cities Mission to forge 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 requires that we address the climate crisis by changing the whole system.  The climate crisis is uniquely complex, bridging the realms of technological, economic, financial, institutional, and social systems. [...]

Author: Katherine Peinhardt When we look at a challenge at the scale of climate neutrality, it is often tempting to place emphasis on technological solutions. But many of the most important approaches to solving the climate crisis start at the scale of the community – they start with social innovation.  Social innovation consists of new ideas and solutions aiming to resolve social needs and problems. A just climate transition, one that really engages with and takes care of our communities, is going to require us to change the ways in which we work together and share resources. If guided by [...]