By bringing Ambassadors and Partners together around shared goals and local priorities, the Italian National Event of the European Climate Pact helped strengthen collaboration, exchange and alignment across the community. The full-day event, organised by EuCliPa.it – the Italian network of European Climate Pact Ambassadors), took place on May 23 in Milan at the National Museum of Science and Technology “Leonardo Da Vinci”. Davide Michielin (CMCC), Naturance communication officer and European Climate Pact Ambassador, participated in the event on behalf of the project, which last year, through the Naturethon initiative, contributed to the organisation of the PAESC Summer School.

The keynote speech was delivered by climatologist Luca Mercalli. “With the European Climate Pact, we aim first and foremost to raise awareness, because the environmental crisis is so deep and complex that it must be addressed at all levels”, Mercalli said, highlighting the urgency of pairing the diagnosis of climate challenges with concrete action. “Young people need to be informed, but adults need to act”, he added. The European framework was presented by Leonardo Di Filippo, Team Leader of the European Climate Pact at the DG CLIMA of the European Commission: “The European Climate Pact is at the heart of Europe’s resilience: in Italy, with 108 Ambassadors and 8 partners, and across Europe with a network of 1,200 Ambassadors and over 100 organisations, the Pact demonstrates the importance of engaging schools, institutions, and local and regional authorities to ensure a successful transition. The real challenge is turning Brussels’ ambitions for change into concrete actions on the ground”.

Through presentations and open discussions, the debate later moved to the importance of strengthening the contribution of schools, students, and citizens in building more resilient, inclusive, and participatory urban environments, with particular attention to the potential of Nature-based Solutions to create climate shelters within cities and mitigate the urban heat island effect. During the event, the project “Regeneration of a City Parking Area through Nature-based Solutions” developed by students from Liceo Majorana in Desio (Lombardy) within the PAESC Summer School was presented.