On 21st and 22nd March 2018 Baltic Development Forum in close cooperation with Climate KIC Nordic and the Russian partner organisations – St. Petersburg City/ Committee for Nature Use, Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety, SC MINERAL and the supporting organisation ICSER “Leontief Center” – contributed to the discussions on environmental protection and ecology in St. Petersburg under the framework of the international project Urban Eco-Cluster, led by Baltic Development Forum. Inputs were provided to the panel discussions arranged under the XVIII International Forum Ecology of Big City and followed the XIX International Environmental Forum Baltic Sea Day, by highlighting the upcoming eco-cluster infrastructural project on the territory of St. Petersburg and providing the grounds why it is crucial to support this type of green initiatives.
Background:
The project Urban Eco-Cluster aims to jointly address environment and climate issues by developing a concept of ecological cluster based on open innovation approach, by arranging educational trip and providing opportunity for learning best experiences in Nordic countries.
The project targets Northwest Russia primarily, it’s intensified work on improving climate change adaptation tools and methodologies. The initiative stresses strengthening the dialogue partners in Northwest Russia and the Nordic countries in the field of environment and climate through the Programme for Environment and Climate Co-operation (“PECC”). Furthermore, the initiative underlines the importance of the NW Russia’s and the Nordic countries’ joint endeavour in addressing the development of a low carbon economy, generating economic and social innovation, and jobs.
The Urban Eco-Cluster overall objective is to contribute to Sustainable Agenda 2030 in the Baltic Sea Region by fostering cooperation and adaptation of the best practice Nordic Eco Innovation Cluster Models and climate change policy instruments in the NW Russian Cities. This proposal sets out a plan to accelerate the development of connected urban climate innovation clusters. The project will provide a framework for the city of St. Petersburg to improve their capacity in understanding the problems incurred by climate change and the most optimal solutions applied.
Partnership:
The project covers less than one year of activities jointly developed by Baltic Development Forum, Climate-KIC ApS, St. Petersburg City/ Committee for Nature Use, Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety and State Company “Mineral”.
Funding:
The project is funded with a PECC Grant financed by Nordic Council of Ministers and The Barents Hot Spots Facility (BHSF) with Nordic Environment Finance Corporation(NEFCO) as fund manager.
For more information, contact Viktoria Nilsson, Head of Business Development vn@bdforum.org
