Coal Regions in Transition

On Tuesday, July 16 more than 150 representatives of Coal and Carbon-Intensive Regions in Transition (CCIRIT) from all over Europe have met in Brussels to co-ordinate strategies for phasing-out coal. Prof. Dr. Philipp Schepelmann and Kata Gyori (Guest Researcher) of Wuppertal Institute gave two presentations at the Platform meeting of Coal and Carbon-Intensive Regions in Transition (CCIRIT). Kata Gyori provided practice examples from Europe, Canada and Australia, while Philipp Schepelmann presented guidelines for strategy and project development.

Philipp Schepelmann says: "The creative destruction of the coal sector is a daring and unique endeavour. This has serious consequences for the economic development and employment in many regions around the world. I am optimistic that the platform can accelerate policy-learning and make it work for all stakeholders".
In 2017, the European Commission initiated the "Operation of the Secretariat for the EU Coal Regions in Transition Initiative". The initiative is intended to support European coal regions in their transition to a low-carbon future. As of 2019, the secretariat of the platform is run by an international consortium led by Ecorys. Further partners in the consortium are ICLEI und Climate Strategies. The Wuppertal Institute is part of the consortium and its task is to collect scientific evidence and deliver knowledge products that support the various activities within the platform.