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Description
The aim of the project is to build the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) and the existing climate network on to contribute to climate policy on local, national and EU levels. Many civil society organisations (CSOs) lack knowledge, capacity and a common voice to effectively participate in these discussions. In the framework of the project the following activities take place:
1. Development of the existing CSO climate network – better networking and training;
2. Simplifying the involvement in national and international climate policy development - during the project period a number of policy documents are being developed that have effect on climate policy. Effective participation in the development of these documents should result in positive climate and environmental impact;
3. Building the capacity of local level CSOs to participate in local and regional climate policy - skill and knowledge training for local communities, offering professional legal help for solving local climate related issues.
The project will be carried out in partnership with the Estonian Fund for Nature and Estonian Environmental Law Centre.
Summary of project results
The physical and political impacts of global climate change are increasingly affecting Estonia as well. Due to the complexity of climate issues, many civil society organizations have lacked awareness, capacity, and a unified voice to effectively contribute to these topics. Strengthening cooperation between various organizations could also raise Estonia’s national climate ambition. Therefore, the aim of the project was to enhance civil society''s influence in processes that shape climate policy at different levels. To achieve this, there were three sub-goals: promoting collaboration between civil society organizations interested in climate issues; facilitating their involvement and consultation at the national and EU levels; and increasing the interest and capacity of local organizations to participate in climate-related policy processes.
First aim of the project was to strengthen the cooperation and networking between more environmental organizations by enhancing the exchange of information on climate issues, setting of common messages and joint communication work, thereby increasing the collective impact of different individual associations. To this end, the climate network of civil society organizations, which was established in 2019, expanded from 15 member organizations to 33 thanks to project activities. In the main communication channel of the network, an email list, an average of two newsletters per month were distributed throughout the project period, which, in addition to summarizing climate-related media coverage in Estonia, also provided information about upcoming events and initiatives. A total of 36 newsletters were issued during the project. Due to the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, networking events were mostly held online. As planned, a total of 11 network events took place by the end of the project, eight of which occurred during the project period, with half of these conducted online.
Second aim of the project was to facilitate the engagement of and consultation with civil society organizations at both the national and EU levels. The Estonian Fund for Nature (ELF) led the preparation and distribution of summaries of various documents to the climate network members. For example, in 2021, ELF shared summaries of complex EU energy and climate policy documents and developments with the network, highlighting their significance for Estonia and providing its own assessments. Notably, summaries were prepared on the developments in the European Climate Law in April and on the Fit for 55 climate package in August-September 2021. For the latter topic, a significant portion of the climate network participated in the drafting process of national documents. Through the coordinated climate network, ELF organized environmental groups'' feedback on the EU Fit for 55 package in September. The feedback from 14 civil society organizations (11 of which were members of the climate network) served as input for the government in forming Estonia’s positions on the package. The joint formulation of positions was also supported by ELF’s training on EU climate policy, specifically on Fit for 55, held during the climate network’s summer days.
The final major sub-goal was to increase the interest and capacity of local civil society organizations in climate-related development processes. To achieve this, local organizations were specifically targeted in recruiting new members to the climate network, reaching out to them personally. In addition, in 2021, the Estonian Environmental Law Center (KÕK) organized three legal climate training sessions for the civil society climate network: 1) in March, KÕK lawyers presented various legal options for advocacy, including an overview of different types of climate litigation; 2) in August, the training focused on the role of land use and forestry in mitigating climate change; 3) the October session addressed climate change adaptation, with presentations from KÕK lawyers and experts, and officials from the Ministry of the Environment.
The climate change adaptation training sparked multiple ideas for collaboration and project initiatives among participants. Attendees have noted that, thanks to KÕK’s training, they are now more aware of climate-related processes to monitor.
The civil society climate network development project has significantly strengthened the network, whose main goal is to mitigate the impacts of climate change, which threaten all human values, through educating, empowering, and fostering cooperation among various organizations. Through the project, civil society’s capacity to unite efforts in implementing climate initiatives and promoting relevant discussions both in person and in the media has grown. Notably, the project has helped build and reinforce a bridge between traditional environmental organizations and other civil society groups for whom combating climate change may be an important topic or support their broader goals, although environmental protection is not their primary focus.
The participation in network events, policy discussions and formulation of policy positions, and training has raised the capacity of network members to participate in policy development and engage in advocacy work.
As a result of the project, the civil society climate network is stronger than ever, with as many as 33 interested member organizations. Consequently, the network now has abundant shared knowledge and resources to sustain its activities going forward.