University Challenge
Challenge 1 – Sustainable and decarbonized cities
Urban-based activities are one of the major contributors to climate change. Cities consume 65% of global energy and produce more than 70% of greenhouse gas emissions. However, they take up less than 2% of the Earth's surface.
These are the areas in which you can develop your proposals, you can choose more than one.
Energy efficiency in buildings and the built environment
How to make energy efficiency the key to the decarbonization of buildings and the built environment?
Watch the video
Renewable energy integrated into cities
How can renewable energy production be integrated into cities in a cost-efficient way?
Watch the video
Improve air quality
What sustainable solutions can we adopt to improve the air quality in cities?
Watch the video
Tecnology
What new technologies and materials can be incorporated into urban infrastructure to reduce the carbon footprint?
Digitalization and AI
How can digitalization and AI (Artificial Intelligence) contribute to emissions reduction and smart cities?
Watch video
Sustainable construction
What ideas do you propose to achieve a more sustainable and decarbonized building throughout its value chain?
Watch video
In 2022, the European Commission, in its plan to decarbonize the continent, announced the 100 cities that will participate in the EU's mission to have smart and climate-neutral cities by 2030.
Urban-based activities are one of the major contributors to climate change. Cities consume 65% of global energy and produce more than 70% of greenhouse gas emissions. However, they take up less than 2% of the Earth's surface.
Half of humanity lives in cities and in Europe it is even more concentrated, with 75% of the population living in cities.
CO2 emissions in cities are closely related to their infrastructures, particularly mobility systems and buildings. The lack of green spaces and the intensification of urbanization also contribute to climate concerns in these areas. Therefore, these factors need to be addressed to reduce emissions and promote more environmentally-sustainable cities.
Furthermore, the high concentration of people makes cities areas of greater vulnerability to natural disasters resulting from climate change.
It's simple, the first thing to do is to register in Open Room to create a team. At the end of the registration phase, with the teams already formed, you can start to elaborate the proposals for the challenges of your choice.
What if I don't have a team?
You can still register, we will assign you to a team already created at the end of the registration phase.
What are the deadlines?
What should your team's proposal include?
Check out our content section for all the available material on Open Room.
