Spanish cities deepen partnership with Climathon for accelerated transformation

Climathon Valencia

27 November 2023, Spain – EIT Climate-KIC is delighted to announce a historic milestone in the Global Climathon movement. Climathon, the world’s largest climate innovation hackathon, is now a pivotal tool for cities and regions striving to achieve their climate ambitions and targets.  

Seven Spanish cities held Climathons in October and November to creatively address the phenomenon of heat islands in shared urban spaces in the wake of record-breaking temperatures. These events are strategically embedded into specific climate initiatives such as citiES 2030, the collaborative platform for the climate neutrality of Spanish cities within the framework of the EU Missions. It underscores the role of Climathon as a powerful tool for municipalities and governments to collaborate with a wide group of local communities, and expedite the journey towards a sustainable, climate-resilient future. 

Climathon in Madrid

“In Seville, magic has been done again. People who hardly knew each other, of different ages, nationalities and life situations have worked as a team for 48 consecutive hours to improve the urban thermal comfort so longed for in the city and to generate a true alliance between the private sector, the public sector, universities, local associations, and citizens to promote a Seville that is more resilient to climate change and a fairer society”. Ana Moreno, Climathon Seville organizer.

This integration serves as a testament to EIT Climate-KIC’s dedication to supporting cities, regions, countries and industries to bridge the gap between climate commitments and current reality. It reinforces our belief that local activation and collaboration are key to addressing climate challenges and driving transformations for a sustainable future. 

“The integration of Climathon into citiES 2030 represents a crucial moment for EIT Climate-KIC and for the national platform. We are supporting Spanish cities in strengthening spaces for dialogue, ideation, and co-design with their citizens. We are addressing the challenge of activism and citizen participation with a multi-level approach, exemplifying the impact that can be achieved when local, national, and global forces are combined”. Maria Garcia, EIT Climate-KIC Director for Spain. 

Climathon in Seville

Since its inception in 2015, EIT Climate-KIC has driven more than 900 Climathons around the world, with the participation of more than 35,000 people. Over 100 Climathons will take place in 2023 in 115 cities around the world, mobilising entrepreneurs, students, practitioners, and youth to develop ideas to solve local climate challenges. 

Climathon Cartagena

For more information on how Climathon is now a powerful tool for cities and regions, visit https://climathon.climate-kic.org.

Watch the seven events that connected all Climathons and the Spanish cities watch this playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu8ruQWIRJIHBS_aWf7-X8KQuMH92Y_Nu&si=w4_uAElvJE991aj6 

 

Additional quotes 

“With this event held in our city, Climathon Cartagena 2023, we have managed to create a new space for dialogue, brainstorming and co-design of the city with its young people and municipal officials. Additionally, our local work was shared nationally and globally, so this integration illustrates the impact that can be achieved when local, national, and global forces are combined”. José Rojo, Cartagena City Council 

“For Murcia, the Climathon means an excellent opportunity to involve citizens in the local challenges of climate change. We are very satisfied with the participation and the proposals emerged to face the challenge of urban heat islands in our municipality. Murcia now has a good number of innovative proposals to continue working on”. Bernardo Lopez, Managing Director of the Local Energy Agency of Murcia Municipality  

“The resounding success of Climathon Valencia 2023 lies in its ability to engage the city’s young, innovative talent for an uninterrupted 24-hour period, addressing a climate challenge meticulously posed and orchestrated by the City Council through València Activa. This collaborative effort extends to partnerships with VLC Tech City and VIT Emprende. Such initiatives underscore the City Council’s dedication to steering València towards the ambitious goal of achieving zero net emissions by 2030, ultimately earning the city the prestigious title of European Green Capital in 2024”. Lucia Calabria Tasa, Subdirectora de Emprendimiento de la Fundación Valènciactiva 

“This year through the implication of the Spanish cities of the citiES 2030 in Climathon we have created meaning for citizen activation in three main aspects: participation, because we create a space for all of us to be part of transformation process of our cities; relevance, because it affects each of us, our families, our communities and our cities; and, interconnection, because it happens here and in several places at the same time”. Manuel Almestar, citiES 2030 facilitator and orchestrator 

 

Other resources: 

1) Map of the challenges of the Climathons developed in the last fifteen years: Climathons – Climate-KIC • Climathon Map • Kumu

2) Map of solutions developed in the Climathons of Spanish cities with support from citiES 2030: https://kumu.io/malmestar08/climathons-soluciones-climate-kic#untitled-map/isla-de-calor-en-lugares-publicos 

 

About EIT Climate-KIC: 

EIT Climate-KIC is Europe’s leading climate innovation agency and community, using a systems approach to shape innovation to support cities, regions, countries and industries meet their climate ambitions.  

Together with partners across the globe, EIT Climate-KIC acts to bridge the gap between climate commitments and current reality by enabling decision- makers and investors to act. They find and implement solutions in integrated ways and mobilise finance. They build skills to accelerate learning and explore innovation, opening pathways to shift mindsets and behaviours. Through radical collaboration, EIT Climate-KIC orchestrates large-scale demonstrations that show what is possible when cycles of innovation and learning are deliberately designed to trigger exponential decarbonisation and build resilient communities.   

 

About citiES2030: 

citiES 2030 is a multi-stakeholder space for collaboration and innovation aimed at supporting the transition of Spanish cities towards climate neutrality, within the framework of the European Missions. The platform develops activities and offers services that accelerate systemic transformation, and it provides a space for dialogue and multi-stakeholder action (public-private-social) to facilitate the transformation towards healthier and more sustainable cities. 

Today, the platform is made up of fifteen Spanish cities committed to neutrality. In March 2023 and with the support of citiES 2030, five of these cities – Madrid, Valencia, Valladolid, Zaragoza, and Vitoria-Gasteiz – submitted their Climate City Contracts to the EU, and in October 2023 they received the Mission Label, the EU’s recognition of their climate commitments. On the other hand, Barcelona, Cartagena, Gijón, Málaga, Sevilla, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santander, Soria, Pamplona and Viladecans have started the process of drafting its Climate City Contracts.  Together with these cities, more than 40 organisations from different sectors (public-private-social) are implementing the portfolio of projects for the transition to climate neutrality in Spanish cities. 

citiES 2030 is supported by EIT Climate-KIC and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid under the mandate of the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), through the Biodiversity Foundation (Fundación Biodiversidad).