The climate crisis is not a future problem – we, humans, have already changed the Earth’s climate and degraded the majority of its ecosystems. The past five years have been the warmest on record. The impacts of climate change are now beyond dispute: droughts, forest fires, storms, floods and other extreme weather events are on the rise globally. It has had a major impact on demographic trends. The change will be more radical, with unpredictable consequences if we fail to reduce urgently our ecological footprint and emissions. Its effects will fundamentally transform our world, hitting the most vulnerable groups in the world and in our societies first.
The European Climate Pact is a Commission initiative to engage with different stakeholders and civil society with the aim to commit them to climate action and more sustainable behaviour.
Odysseus & Athena Institute aims to become a lively space to share information, debate and act on the climate crisis, and offer support for a European climate movement to grow and consolidate. We have designed three activities under the Pact’s values that have already begun to revolutionise the approach to climate action in Greece.
“Change is driven by individuals who can visualize a future they want to create.
When we are motivated to apply our creativity and skills towards something that
has purpose, we can truly unlock our human potential”.
Jules Hayward
Understanding Building cycles
It is increasingly recognized that climate change due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is one of the greatest challenges facing our society, with major implications for both human and natural systems. The built environment is responsible for a significant share of these emissions, for both the production and operation of buildings. In response, diverse initiatives are being developed and implemented at the local, national and international levels to limit the release of GHGs into the atmosphere. These initiatives rely on the assessment, monitoring, reporting and verification of GHG emissions and removals.
Systemic shift in the building sector. Renovation wave
Evidence gathered from buildings across Europe indicates that their most significant environmental impacts relate to energy use during their occupation. Their relative importance primarily varies according to the thermal efficiency of the building and the climatic zone in which it is located. This highlights the importance of taking into account the overall energy performance of a building, which could include the potential to generate cleaner energy. The production of construction products is responsible for the next most significant environmental impacts.