Pictures by: Emanuele Gualandri, Climate Alliance
Day 1: "Setting the Scene"
At the end of March, the DeCarb-Pro team came together in Kilkenny, Ireland, for two days of great conversations, fresh ideas, and lots of collaboration. This gathering was hosted by our partner South East Energy Agency and it gave us the chance to share updates from the field, and move forward together with clearer goals.
The meeting opened with a warm welcome from Dewi Dimyati Vliexs, Head of EU Projects for the South East Energy Agency, who acknowledged the project’s current momentum and highlighted the readiness of partners to take the next step with pilot implementation. Following a quick round of icebreakers, the morning moved into presentations from partners working on pilot projects, each one with its own challenges and takeaways. Some pilots are focusing on legal frameworks, others on political support or stakeholders engagement. What stood out across the board was how effective it can be to talk about carbon pricing in terms of money. Linking CO₂ reduction with cost savings makes the topic more relatable and easier to act on. It is a simple shift that can make a big difference when working with local decision-makers and stakeholders.
After lunch and a memorable visit to the castle of Kilkenny, we moved into one of the core questions of the meeting. What exactly are we trying to achieve? We asked ourselves whether we are building a tool, a strategy, or maybe something in between. The group came to a clear conclusion. It is not about creating one perfect tool. It is about putting together a strategy that makes sense in different contexts and gives local authorities the right instruments to act.
That conversation set the scene for a deep dive into the DeCarb-Pro strategy. We split into groups to look at the four main pillars, working through each step, identifying gaps, and suggesting ways forward. It was a constructive and creative session that laid a solid foundation for even more progress on the second day.
Day 2: "Refining the Strategy”
Work continued in the second day, where we went through all the inputs and suggestions, making sure each step of the strategy is clear, realistic and impactful. The atmosphere was collaborative and thoughtful. Several partners said how helpful it was to walk through the full structure and see how all the pieces fit together. It really felt like we were building something solid as a team.
Later in the morning, we took part in a role-play exercise where everyone stepped into different professional roles including procurement officers, technical advisors, and project leads. The idea was to explore how carbon pricing could work in practice. Each group came up with thoughtful and practical ideas. From internal guidelines and ambassador roles to framing climate actions in terms of long-term savings, the session showed just how many ways there are to approach carbon pricing.
In the afternoon, we moved into two hands-on workshops. Strasbourg Climate Agency introduced their “Green Card for Climate” game, based on the I4CE green budgeting method. We were asked to classify different types of spending and guess their climate impact. The activity sparked lots of discussion and helped challenge some common assumptions. After that, the team from Amsterdam walked us through their tool for comparing sustainable investments. We got to test it out and see how it can support greener decisions at the local level.
We closed the meeting with a atmospheric walk through the city and a relaxed group dinner. The two days in Kilkenny were full of meaningful work, useful exchanges, and a great sense of team spirit. Everyone left with a clearer view of where we are going and how we want to get there.