On January 22–23, 2025, the EARTHONE project officially convened its Kick-off Meeting at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Researchers, and practitioners from across Europe gathered to align on the project’s approach, structure, and next steps. EARTHONE – Environmental Analysis and Resilience for Transformative Human-Optimised Natural Environments – is a four-year EU-funded initiative aimed at rethinking the way greenhouse gas (GHG) sinks are understood, managed, and protected.
Understanding and managing GHG fluxes
EARTHONE addresses the interlinked ecological, social, and economic challenges that affect GHG absorption and emissions in European land systems. The project takes a systems-based approach to understand how demographic shifts, socio-economic patterns, and physical changes impact the performance of natural carbon sinks, such as forests and agricultural land.
Data gathered from key regions in southern and Mediterranean Europe – including Croatia, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Slovenia, and Spain – will serve as the foundation for targeted actions. These regions are especially vulnerable to climate pressure and provide critical testing grounds for the project’s methodologies.
A multidisciplinary, pan-European consortium
The project is a consortium of 17 organisations from 10 countries, including universities, research institutions, land-use specialists, and technology firms. This diverse partnership allows EARTHONE to integrate knowledge from environmental science, data analytics, and regional policy.
The kick-off meeting served not only to introduce the scientific and strategic pillars of the project but also to build operational coherence across work packages and pilot regions.
Focus on land-use resilience and policy recommendations
EARTHONE is structured to produce practical outcomes. These include adaptable land-use strategies, evidence-based recommendations, and scalable policy guidelines. The project aims to provide new tools to support EU climate policy and biodiversity targets, contributing to the European Green Deal objectives.
By bridging the gap between data and decision-making, EARTHONE supports stakeholders in responding to GHG trends with tailored, locally grounded strategies. This includes engagement with landowners, public authorities, and civil society organisations.
A sneak peek at how it started
Take a closer look at the project’s kick-off meeting in this short video, which captures key highlights from the two-day event in Madrid.
The EARTHONE project will regularly publish updates, findings, and stakeholder resources. Follow the project’s social media channels and subscribe to our newsletter for announcements and opportunities to engage with the climate research community.