Transition towards a Sustainable and Low Carbon Society

Climate change is one of the main challenges for the sustainability of current and future societies, bringing along consequences at social, economic, and environmental. Carbon dioxide is the main anthropogenic greenhouse gas, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is imperative for climate change mitigation and adaptation. To replace the current, unsustainable pathways of a carbon-based economy, a transition to a sustainable and low-carbon society is therefore needed at multiple and complementary scales. Transition processes are highly dependent on the strategic and efficient design of policies and actions at local, national and international level, able to trigger the innovative potential of businesses, institutions and civil society towards common goals of mitigation, adaptation, and sustainability.

In this scenario, research by T6 provides innovative knowledge and systemic understanding to assess the social and economic impacts of both human activities and strategies implemented by the project in terms of mitigation, adaptation, and sustainability. These knowledge and understanding are key for supporting the strategic and efficient design of multi-level policies in Europe, allowing a transition to a sustainable and low carbon society.

T6 also develops and supports integrated and transdisciplinary research by aligning to the Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030) and working in multi-sectorial teams to facilitate the coordination between top-down policies and programmes and innovative, bottom-up and localised actions that involve everyday choices and changes.