Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in the Danube Delta

The EDAPHIC-BLOOM Danube project, sponsored by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), epitomizes our commitment to climate action within the European Union. The project’s overarching aim is to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions through enhanced cooperation across member states, enabling well-founded and sustainable decisions for land use and energy efficiency in the Romanian Danube Valley.

Project implementation period: 11/2020 – 07/2023

BLOOM component

With regard to the energy efficiency of buildings, the BLOOM component of the project ensured capacity building and knowledge exchange through various means: First, it created a regional energy efficiency map. This provided public authorities and professionals with valuable information on the existing building stock as well as the basis for energy audits of public buildings. Second, at least 20 professionals from the built environment sector received training and were examined for Certified Passive House Tradesperson (PHTP), according to the “Passivhaus Standard” developed in Germany. Third, the project created an online platform to enable access to knowledge and support the development of future retrofit projects. Finally, to raise public awareness and include local communities, the project organized two “urban living labs” to discuss and promote sustainable energy practices and behaviors.

EDAPHIC component

The EDAPHIC component of the project organized local climate protection measures to preserve soil organic matter and offered advice, workshops, and training. These initiatives provided environmental authorities and local communities with the necessary skills and knowledge to increase the capacity of organic soils and to respond to climate change effects. Secondly, the project developed a Master Plan (MP) and a good practices guide for reducing GHG emissions, proposing solutions for sustainable land management. Thirdly, to disseminate the MP and good practices guide, the project set up the “Cluster for Sustainable Development of the Lower Danube Plain and Danube Delta.” Members included project partners, local authorities, universities, and research institutes from Romania and Germany, private land owners and administrators, and NGOs. The cluster created a space for efficient dialogue, exchange of good practices, awareness raising, and knowledge transfer between members. Moreover, a dissemination plan that included conferences, workshops, trainings, roundtables, and a documentary film laid out the necessary communication infrastructure to involve a wide range of stakeholders.