LOCALISED-Climate Action Strategiser

Objective(s)

The LOCALISED Climate Action Strategiser Tool (CAST) aims to transform siloed, departmental planning into holistic, long-term strategies and can be used to co-develop Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs) at the regional or municipal level in the EU.

Short description

The CAST Tool is an interactive decision-support tool which provides regional and municipality-level adaptation and emission reduction pathways aligned with EU and national long-term strategies. To ensure fair and inclusive decision-making, it also includes features for assessing the social impact of different measures. It is possible to adjust the recommendations based on local data or political context.

Free keywords

Systematic planning, climate action plan, adaptation pathways, integrated planning, co-creation process, cross-sectoral

Readiness for use

Applications

The Tool has been tested by local and regional authorities in Austria, Spain, Poland, and Germany.

The findings of a “Comparative Analysis of Emission and Adaptation Reporting across 30 Cities” are summarized in this report: https://www.localised-project.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Localised_Policy_Brief_30-cities-analysis.pdf

Strengths and weaknesses, comparative added value to other similar tools

Strengths:
(+) Easy to use – ready-to-use solutions, no data input required
(+) Tailored to regional (NUTS3) or local (LAU) levels, adaptable to local languages
(+) Scientifically validated pathways – Based on downscaled national trajectories
(+) Dual Approach – Covers both climate mitigation and adaptation
(+) Strategic and integrated – Designed to fit seamlessly into internal planning and co-creation processes
(+) Instant SECAP output – Easily export results for Covenant of Mayors reporting

Weaknesses:
(-) At local level, results are not pre-calculated and take some minutes to be available
(-) Data of baseline scenario stems from 2020
(-) For big cities, the tool cannot provide substructure

Integration:
The LOCALISED project provides two complementary resources to the CAST Tool to enable transformative climate action at local and regional levels: the Citizen Engager (CE) and Narratives of Change.

Input(s)

No data input required.

The tool builds on downscaled national trajectories and scientifically validated pathways. It is possible to adjust the data according to the local context.

Output(s)

The Tool offers several sets of emission reduction and adaptation measures, optimised for ambition, cost, risk reduction or social equity. Each climate hazard is linked to intensity reduction or risk reduction measures, which can be assessed in terms of risk/intensity reduction, costs, and social impact. The CAST also lists policy instruments to implement the measure.

Replicability: Cost/effort for (new) usage

The tool covers all regions and municipalities in EU countries (NUTS3 or LAU). The data and recommendations can be adjusted to the regional context relatively easy.

Materials or other support available

user guide (including a quick start video tutorial): https://localisedclimateaction.eu/guide

Glossary: https://localisedclimateaction.eu/Glossary.pdf

Website and maintenance

https://localisedclimateaction.eu/

The project ended on 30 September 2025, but the Tool might be applied in a planned LIFE project on regional governance innovations.

Contact

A contact form is available on the project website: https://www.localised-project.eu/tools/

Associated project(s)

LOCALISED (grant agreement No 101036458)