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Covenant of Mayors initiative—Public perception issues and barriers in Greece

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  • Christoforidis, Georgios C.
  • Chatzisavvas, Konstantinos Ch.
  • Lazarou, Stavros
  • Parisses, Costantinos

Abstract

The Covenant of Mayors (COM) initiative invites cities to commit themselves to reduce voluntarily the greenhouse gas emissions within their territories. This manuscript presents the COM initiative and analyzes its mechanisms. In order to better quantify the penetration of the initiative, the authors introduce suitable “participation factors”. Moreover, a study and a survey are presented concerning the COM initiative in Greece. Certain barriers are identified preventing the realization of the initiative's full potential in Greece. Results from the public survey indicate lack of proper information and communication about the COM initiative and the obligations arising from its signing towards the citizens itself. Nevertheless, once the citizens are informed properly, the public acceptance of the initiative and its commitments is considerable, to the extent that its success would influence the vote of a substantial percentage of citizens. The positive role of supporting structures is evaluated and may be demonstrated through the survey's results and discussion. Recommendations are provided for future or existing signatories based on the findings of this work.

Suggested Citation

  • Christoforidis, Georgios C. & Chatzisavvas, Konstantinos Ch. & Lazarou, Stavros & Parisses, Costantinos, 2013. "Covenant of Mayors initiative—Public perception issues and barriers in Greece," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 643-655.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:60:y:2013:i:c:p:643-655
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.05.079
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    2. Cosmi, Carmelina & Dvarionenė, Jolanta & Marques, Isabel & Di Leo, Senatro & Gecevičius, Giedrius & Gurauskienė, Inga & Mendes, Gisela & Selada, Catarina, 2015. "A holistic approach to sustainable energy development at regional level: The RENERGY self-assessment methodology," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 693-707.
    3. Silvia Rivas & Ruben Urraca & Paolo Bertoldi, 2022. "Covenant of Mayors 2020 Achievements: A Two-Speed Climate Action Process," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-21, November.
    4. Batas Bjelic, Ilija & Ciric, Rade M., 2014. "Optimal distributed generation planning at a local level – A review of Serbian renewable energy development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 79-86.
    5. Buga, Nadya & Yousif, Charles, 2021. "Evaluating drivers and barriers to adopting a local energy policy under The Covenant of Mayors Initiative in the Small Island State of Malta," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    6. Pablo-Romero, María del P. & Pozo-Barajas, Rafael & Sánchez-Braza, Antonio, 2016. "Analyzing the effects of Energy Action Plans on electricity consumption in Covenant of Mayors signatory municipalities in Andalusia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 12-26.
    7. Paolo De Pascali & Annamaria Bagaini, 2018. "Energy Transition and Urban Planning for Local Development. A Critical Review of the Evolution of Integrated Spatial and Energy Planning," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-21, December.

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