Founded in 2023, Club Climate Europe has rapidly positioned itself as a trusted international platform for climate intelligence, foresight, and action. More than a think tank, it is a growing coalition of climate analysts, educators, policymakers, and capacity builders committed to closing the critical gaps in climate adaptation and sustainable transitions in Europe and beyond.
The initiative took root in 2022 while developing a Horizon Europe project centred on integrated climate modelling. It brought together experts from American and Purdue universities, the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Imperial College London, and other prominent universities and research centres across the USA, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Lithuania. This collaboration led to the realisation that one of the major obstacles to global climate and energy transitions lies in the limited capabilities of current analytical and modelling tools, particularly integrated assessment models.
Club Climate Europe was born in response to this challenge. Today, it functions as a highly networked, mostly non-profit platform for climate professionals, offering strategic guidance to governments, international organisations, and civil society. The group recently held a direct online meeting with Philippe Lamberts, principal advisor for climate to the President of the European Commission, underlining its growing role in supporting EU institutions on capacity building and alignment toward the 2030, 2040, and 2050 climate goals.
Earlier, it met with the Cabinet of V. Dombrovskis, the executive Vice-president of the European Commission, and with Mr. Kamil Maj, a member of the Cabinet of the President of the European Parliament, with several other officials of the European Commission and of the European Parliament, and the embassies of the USA in Brussels and Vilnius.
Uniting Global Expertise for Local Impact
Club Climate Europe is built on four strategic pillars: think tanking and foresight, climate education, grassroots-style NGO work, and business consulting. These pillars are united by a common goal, integrating climate knowledge with real-world solutions. Flagship initiatives include the Global Climate School and the North-South Climate Cooperation Program. Other focus areas include the clean industrial deal, corporate environmental reporting, the agriculture-climate nexus, and the use of biochar for carbon sequestration and soil regeneration in Ukraine.
Operating across borders, Club Climate Europe fosters North-South cooperation, partnering with institutions in the US, Canada, Switzerland, and the EU, while actively engaging with countries like India, Nepal, Pakistan, Uganda, Azerbaijan, Tanzania, Burundi, and Kenya. The platform’s team is made up of global leaders and experts, including World Food Prize Laureate 2023, founder of the NGO Roots of Peace Heidi Kuhn, Prof. Oliver Bahn of GERAD HEC Montreal, Prof. Edward Saltzberg of George Washington University and Security and Sustainability Forum, Patrick Dunn, the CEO of Paxaterra International USA, Peter Hefele of the Martens Centre in Belgium, the think tank of the European people party, Professor Robert Piret of the MIT Foundation in France, Dr Sami Rtimi of GIWEH (Global Institute for water environment and health) in Geneva, Vikram Basyal, former Green Growth Institute in S. Korea, Nepal, Samuele Bennici, CEO of Pay4Climate, Italy, H.E. Ambassador Vaqif Sadygov, Mission of Azerbaijan by EU, Berat Senyerli, the founder of Bankable zero, New York, UN premises, Arti Kabra, the founder and CEO of ReshaCelium, a startup producing eco-conscious products, India, Sakshi Krishna, the youth delegate speaker at the UN conferences on climate and sustainable development, India, Qaiser Nawab, the leading speaker for climate investments at COP29, Pakistan, of etc.
“Our mission is to provide actionable insights that empower stakeholders to make informed decisions in the face of climate challenges,” says Dr Angele Kedaitiene, CEO and Founder of Club Climate Europe.
Pioneering a Cross-Continental Model for Climate Intelligence and Sustainable Development
A key differentiator for Club Climate Europe is its integrated, agile approach. Traditional structures often fall short when complexity meets urgency. Club Climate Europe instead brings together AI, advanced climate modelling, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Tools like AD-MERGE, ETEM, and TIAM from Canada’s GERAD centre inform policy design and energy transition forecasts. Collaboration with AI-driven ESG consultancy Spectreco in the US adds a layer of analytical strength, critical as the EU targets a 90 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
The organisation also leads in forging new cooperative frameworks. The 20+ Cooperation Platform, launched after the YATA energy security conference in Istanbul, plans to connect countries as a coalition of the willing, along the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas, to promote joint climate and energy initiatives. These ideas were recently presented to the members of the European Parliament from the ECR political group (European Conservatives and Reformists), to be considered within the already established framework of IMEC (India – Middle European corridor), recently discussed with the participation of Dr. Kaush Arha from the Atlantic Council. With this, Club Climate Europe aims to contribute towards the emerging new structures of climate governance around the world, to coalitions of willing, complementing the official governmental structures.
In climate finance, the organisation is working with various financial institutions to prove that investments in green projects can rival the profitability of fossil fuels when measured by long-term indicators such as the Climate Alpha metric. Their insights have been shared with the Swedbank in Vilnius, the European Central Bank, the European Environmental Agency, and the European Climate Advisory Board.
The most recent focus relates to climate and defense, to prove that the defense industry of EU and globally shall turn greener, to contribute to sustainability goals, to see the peace and confidence building in the war zones as an undeniable environmental benefit. In this area, Club cooperates closely with A. Kubilius, the EU Commissioner for space and defense, follows in the footsteps of its recent president, the honourable Heidi Kuhn, the founder of Roots of Peace and the Laureate of the World Food Prize, nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Driven by passion and purpose, Club Climate Europe is committed to long-term impact over short-term gains. Guided by principles outlined in the encyclicals of the Holy See, Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti, the platform continues to grow as a role model for climate intelligence rooted in collaboration, integrity, and global responsibility.
