Abstract for: Climate Change Actions in the Urban Context: A Tool for Decision Makers

In the attempt to combat climate change and to foster sustainable development the local authorities play a crucial role. They are trying to bundle political actions to reduce their local greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). But the interactions and influences of such actions on the city system are rarely visible and have been hardly investigated as of today. This evokes the difficulty for local decision makers to define appropriate measures. This paper presents the prototypical implementation of a city tool dedicated to support the decision making process for local authorities. The focus is on the final energy consumption and GHG emissions emerging from the residential sector (space heating, electricity, domestic hot water), the transport sector and the tertiary sector (including energy demand on heating, air conditioning and electricity). As well integrated are mitigation measures influencing these sectors. The prototype helps to gain first insights in the long-term effects of the local climate action plans on city systems. It does not only analyze, but also sensitize the user for the process and the different factors evoking GHG emissions. Thus it will enhance closing the gap between academics and decision makers. The urban model has been developed exemplary on the “Region Mulhousienne”, France.