Pathways to climate-neutral wastewater: from EU policy to local practice

• Florence School of Transnational Governance
• EUI Climate Workshop
• STG Climate

Since 2020 and the approval of the European Green Deal, the European Union is building its roadmap towards reaching climate neutrality by 2050.

The revised Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive — adopted in 2024, which aims to promote energy efficiency while achieving energy neutrality for large wastewater treatment plants — constitutes a new legal piece driven by the overarching EU Green Deal.

Improving energy efficiency and neutrality in the wastewater sector is an important step towards climate neutrality, as the sector can be among the major consumers of energy in certain member states.

Reducing carbon emissions in the wastewater treatment sector requires both lower-energy consumption and a transition towards renewable energy sources. Utilising the embedded energy in wastewater, which has been traditionally overlooked, could be a substantial additional step towards achieving carbon neutrality.

Chair:

• Jacopo Bencini, Research Associate, Florence School of Transnational Governance

Speaker:

• Maria Salvetti, Director of the Water Area, Florence School of Regulation

Speaker:

• Christopher Hopwood, Policy Leader Fellow, Florence School of Transnational Governance

This session is part of the EUI Climate Workshop, a forum that brings together members of the EUI community from across the Institution working on climate-related issues. Find out more about the workshop and the upcoming sessions here.