More specifically - the #CCchallenge.

In September 2022, one of the core contributions of our project was launched: the #ClimateCampaigners campaign. Here's how it works:

A smart phone app has been rolled-out. Its core functionality is sending citizens #CCchallenges. The citizens engaging will be part in shaping a long-lasting goal-setting network where citizens from 13 countries - the goal being to reach 100.000 participants - are invited to co-create new climate-friendly lifestyles. The app is the citizens’ “cockpit” for the goal-setting network. Users create an account and provide descriptive information (gender, age, etc.), as well as information on their current GHG-related habits (km per year driven by car, meat consumption, etc.) in an in-app survey.

Participating citizens then frequently receive #CCchallenges, each targeting different aspects of a daily routine and each with a different impact on comfort, time, needed framework conditions, etc. Some Challenges will follow a random treatment provision design whereby a randomly selected portion of users receive auxiliary information or incentives to accept the challenge. A simple example of a challenge could be, “put all your family’s car keys in the deep freezer for 24 hours”, which would then be a starting point for deeper research into mobility habits.

The approach was developed to overcome the above mentioned shortcomings of existing methods, which are particularly salient for the field of carbon-neutral lifestyle research where many of the target behaviours are not yet mainstream, i.e. still hypothetical. Thereby we provide realistic and replicable knowledge to foster the decarbonisation of citizens’ lifestyles. The smartphone app and the corresponding backend software system as facilitator of the goal-setting network serve as the project’s communication tool with citizens. Lighthouse Cities and Amplifier Cities motivate their citizens, the most important resource for the project, to download the app and participate in the goal-setting network.

Our approach also contains an innovative model of citizen science: the citizen science activities as a way to engage and educate citizens on climate action. #CCchallenges are not only created by researchers and cities, but also by the citizens themselves in a network that grows organically over the project lifetime and beyond.

Part of the campaign launch is also the action site, the space where citizens play the leading role, taking their challenges to social media platforms - and where we will be able to follow real climate action taking place across Europe and the world.

On the action site, you can access more information about how to download the app yourself - check it out!