Guidelines for the Energy System Transition: Recommendations for Local and Regional Policymakers - Heat Roadmap Europe 4

The findings of Heat Roadmap Europe 4 (HRE4) proves that a common and coordinated effort of all citizens for the transition to a low-carbon future in accordance with the Paris Agreement is not only possible, but cost-effective and affordable with existing technologies available on the market today.
Therefore it would be an ethical, political and organisational failure, if the nations as well as regional and local governments together won’t be able to ensure the change required to keep global warming significantly below 2 °C compared to the pre-industrial area.

In particular, current and planned policies should be aligned with the vision of a carbon emission free heating and cooling sector by 2050, as the sector corresponds to about 50% of the final energy demand in most European countries and has a crucial role to play in the connectivity and affordability of the entire sustainable energy system of the future. This includes energy, environmental, economic,tax and educational policies, while ensuring that the impact of any legislation on all levels does not hinder the development towards this goal, but instead encourages and accelerates the transition

There is no sustainable alternative than a decarbonised, integrated energy system. Postponing the challenges will only make the transition organisationally more difficult and unnecessarily expensive, but will not make the challenge itself become obsolete. The emission targets required to meet the Paris Agreement must be reached sooner, rather than later in order for society to benefit from the improvements created. The scientific and technolocially neutral research initative Heat Roadmap Europe verifies how choosing the path of decarbonisation in an integrated manner will be beneficial
for all governmental levels, wether if the main priorities are economic, social or environmental.

Based on the outcomes of Heat Roadmap Europe, the authors call for action from all politicians to accept their responsibility to take on their necessary role as leaders towards a fossil fuel free energy system by setting up the decisive framework which will guide their countries to an economically feasible, socially accepted and environmentally needed low-carbon future, in particular from subnational
authorities, urban planners and regional developers, to accept their responsibility and take on their necessary role as leaders towards a fossil fuel free energy system. Cities and regions can prove once more their committment and ability to be key drivers in the low-carbon transition. But more authorities need to engage to accelerate this process and scale up the impact. This is therefore
the chance for local to regional decisionmakers to make their voices heard and guide their own municipalities and provinces to an economically feasible, socially accepted and environmentally needed low-carbon future