Climate, Natural Resources and Environment
A key area for a more sustainable world
Climate, natural resources and the environment are key areas in which to work towards a more sustainable world. In fact, they are framed within Horizon Europe’s Cluster 5, which aims to fight climate change by better understanding its causes, evolution, risks and impacts.
Climate, natural resources and environment objectives
One of the European Union’s maxims is to protect the environment and to try to minimise risks to the climate, human health and biodiversity. In fact, the European Green Pact aims to make Europe the first continent to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
In December 2022, the European Green Pact achieved two new goals: approving the Social Climate Fund for a fair transition to climate neutrality, and extending the application of emissions trading to new sectors. Achieving a clean and emission-free environment is an ambitious but realistic goal for the European Union. Another important focus is mitigating climate change, through R&D&I actions that work to understand the impacts of climate change, reduce emissions from agricultural practices and increase the capacity of agriculture and ecosystems to adapt to climate change.
This area is of such relevance to the EU that the European Commission has dedicated three of the five missions identified in Horizon Europe to it:
- Adaptation to climate change, including digital transformation
- Health of oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters
- Smart and climate-neutral cities