Climathon
An opportunity for cities and citizens to co-create local ideas to shared climate challenges
Project Facts
Project Volume
500.000-1 Mio. EUR
Applied Financing Solutions
Grants, In-Kind Contributions
Project Dates
Start: 2015
In operation since/from: 2015
The Story
Climathon is a city-based program, supported by the EU, that offers a path to action and interaction. It is an opportunity for citizens to co-create ideas that address local climate challenges. Its intent is to raise climate awareness, disrupt the status quo, and rethink the places we live in and the future we want as citizens.
At the core of the Climathon program is an annual “ideathon”. The next ideathon event – Global Climathon Day – takes place on 13 November 2020 in hundreds of cities across continents and many time zones. It is powered by local organizers – people who know their cities and climate challenges best and carry the mission to bring people together.
Over the span of 12-72 hours, a diverse group of participants ranging from policymakers to entrepreneurs, youth to business leaders, hackers to academics, and students to professionals, come together to collaborate on forward-thinking ideas. With their own communities in mind, these groups bring forth tangible projects, impact-driven start-ups and sustainable dialogues with local decision-makers.
The most transformative ideas can be presented at the Global Climathon Awards, the global celebration and action boost, after Global Climathon Day. This event offers participants a stage to accelerate their climate innovations.
Success Factor | Hero Moment
In just five years, the Climathon movement has grown from 19 to 145 cities and from 600 to 6,000+ participants worldwide. The growing number of “Climathonians” is being empowered through direct collaboration and learning. Recent participants from Dhaka, for example, mentioned that Climathon taught them more than most semester-wide courses that tackle Sustainable Development and the Environment. Furthermore, several developed ideas have already been implemented in cities. For example, one Climathon solution is now informing the city administration of Vienna on heat island effects to protect vulnerable population groups.
Submitter
EIT Climate-KIC, Netherlands
Contact Mail
climathon@climate-kic.org
