14Jun 2021
Urban Sustainability in Europe – EEA reports published

EEA reports on urban sustainability in Europe, co-authored by CEP, are now published.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published today two assessments on urban environmental change. These explore how European cities have the potential to lead the way towards a green, sustainable future.

CEP has been supporting the EEA’s work on urban sustainability in Europe since 2017. This has been undertaken as part of the CEP-led framework contract which provides assistance on forward-looking analysis, sustainability assessments and systemic transitions. The two reports that the EEA has published today were co-authored by CEP with our partners LSE Cities:

  • Urban Sustainability in Europe – Opportunities for challenging times  – While the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is still being assessed, it is already clear that cities currently face a triple challenge of tackling the health impacts of the pandemic, dealing with the climate and ecological emergency, and addressing social and economic inequalities. This EEA briefing focussing on the huge challenges cities have faced trying to shift to a greener future in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Urban sustainability in Europe – What is driving cities’ environmental change? – This EEA report explores work on what could make up a benchmark on how cities evaluate key drivers of and barriers to urban sustainability transitions. It is based on a survey and interviews with selected European cities.

Conceptual framework for urban environmental sustainability:

The EEA has developed an overarching conceptual framework for urban environmental sustainability to provide the basis for future assessments. The conceptual framework is based on four main components: lenses; context; enabling factors; and building blocks.

The EEA has developed an overarching conceptual framework for urban environmental sustainability to provide the basis for future assessments. The conceptual framework is based on four main components: lenses; context; enabling factors; and building blocks.

The briefing and report are part of a series of products the EEA will publish over the coming months on urban environmental sustainability authored by CEP. Future work will include a flagship report on urban environmental sustainability setting out the EEA’s conceptual framework and summary of analysis or urban nexuses focusing on climate resilience, quality of life, accessibility, healthy environment, food security, circularity, clean energy and sustainable buildings at urban level.

Upcoming report and outputs:

  • Urban sustainability in Europe – A stakeholder-led assessment process

  • Urban sustainability in Europe – Avenues for change

  • Urban Sustainability in Europe – Learning from nexus analysis

  • Urban sustainability in Europe – Glossary of key terms and concepts

For further information please contact Ric Eales (Managing Director)

Team CEP
12May 2021
CEP successfully adapts FORENV interactive sense-making workshops for online delivery

CEP successfully adapts interactive sense-making workshops for online delivery as part of our role as secretariat for the EU Foresight System for the detection of emerging environmental issues (FORENV)

In our role of providing the secretariat for the EU Commission’s new EU Foresight System for the detection of emerging environmental issues (FORENV), CEP has designed and moderated four online sense-making workshops.  These workshop are part of the third annual cycle of FORENV, which is running from September 2020 – September 2021, and is focusing on the topic ‘Emerging issues that will impact our ability to deliver a zero-pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment by 2050’.

In the first two annual cycles of FORENV (2018-19 and 2019-20) these workshops were held physically in Copenhagen, Brussels and Ispra (Italy).  Responding to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions it was necessary in the third annual cycle to redesign the workshops to be delivered online.  Through this adaptation the workshops were delivered in a highly participatory and interactive manner.  We were also able to make use of a state-of-the-art media facility hosted by our partner on this project, Cranfield University, which enhanced the experience for participants leading to successful outcomes for the project.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

The workshops were held on the 12th and 16th of April and engaged approximately 40 experts from the European Commission, EU Member States, NGOs and research institutions.

Across the workshops approximately 130 ‘weak signals’ of change related to the topic were discussed, clustered and prioritised.  CEP led the organisation of the workshops and moderated them with support from our partners Cranfield University, Milieu Ltd and representatives of the European Commission.

Drawing on the workshop outcomes, up to 10 priority emerging issues will be proposed for further consideration in the next steps of the FORENV system.

For further information please contact Owen White (Technical Director) or Paula Orr (Technical Director).

Team CEP
30Apr 2020
CEP to attend upcoming virtual Defra/Environment Agency TAG meeting

CEP’s Dr Clare Twigger-Ross will be attending the upcoming virtual Defra/Environment Agency Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Theme Advisory Group meeting

Dr Clare Twigger-Ross will be attending the virtual Defra/Environment Agency Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Theme Advisory Group meeting on behalf of CEP on 6th May.  This meeting brings together the three advisory groups Policy, Strategy and Investment (PSI), Incident Management and Modelling (IMM), Asset Management (AM) who all support Defra/Environment Agency in their FCERM research and development.  The groups consist of a range of experts from across different areas of flood and coastal erosion risk management. At this meeting the groups will be updated on the latest research and also meet separately to discuss the upcoming research programme. 

Clare has been on a theme advisory group since 2004.  She is currently part of the Policy, Strategy and Investment (PSI) group.

For more information please contact Dr Clare Twigger-Ross (Technical Director).

Team CEP
25Mar 2020
COVID-19

COVID-19

The health and wellbeing of our staff, our partners, our clients and the wider community is of great concern to us at this difficult time.  CEP is taking precautions in accordance with the latest advice from the UK government and health organisations to act in a timely and responsible way and therefore do what we can to help minimise the impact of COVID-19.  

Our IT systems enable our staff to work from home and meetings are being held online.  We are therefore fully operational and working on our projects and deadlines as normal.  We remain extremely concerned by this evolving situation and will do all we can as a company to help to contain it.  

We send our best wishes to all our partners, business communities and clients.

Team CEP