CIRCULAR ECONOMY AS A RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE – WHERE TO START AND WHAT IS THE ACHIEVABLE RESULT?

Global warming caused by GHG emissions is still increasing; therefore, moving towards a low-
carbon carbon economy is among the greatest challenges of modern society. European Union's (EU)
Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy concludes, "In the long run, all scenarios
that achieve the emissions reduction target are cheaper than the continuation of current policies.”
Therefore, it is crucial to set an ambitious climate goal to reach climate neutrality, which will require
action by all sectors.
The Circular Economy is recognized as a critical strategy for advancing sustainable development
and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals at micro, meso and macro levels.
The circular economy (CE) aims to reduce, alternatively reuse, recycle, and recover materials in
production or distribution and consumption processes ‘to accomplish sustainable development, which
implies creating environmental quality, economic prosperity, and social equity to the benefit of
current and future generations’ [1]. In Latvia, the ‘right of everyone to live in a benevolent
environment by providing information about environmental conditions and by promoting the
preservation and improvement of the environment’ has been enshrined by The Constitution of the
Republic of Latvia since 1922 [2]. This constitutional commitment to sustainability, although it dates
back a century, aligns with the current principles of CE. Municipalities are key actors in implementing
CE strategies [3] to enhance national and global goals, but measuring the level of CE implementation
at the municipal level is still a challenge [4–5].
In 2024, the first scientifically led survey was conducted across all Latvian municipalities to
evaluate the level of circularity or readiness for transitioning from a linear to a circular economy (CE).
Through self-assessment, all municipalities provided their perspectives on key dimensions of the new
economic paradigm. These insights were integrated with feedback from citizens, collected via a
separate nationwide survey, to derive a composite index value.
This presentaton aims to review other methods and assessments of circular economy
conducted at the municipal level worldwide and to assess their applicability to municipalities. While
most of the frameworks, either developed institutionally or by research groups, utilize statistical
metrics to assess CE at the municipal level, the objectivity of such an approach is overshadowed by
the data availability and complexity of the CE concept. Further research is required to develop state-
of-the-art methodologies combining quantity and quality aspects in a good balance. In-depth
assessments of specific areas might provide more value than a broad measure for a meaningful
transition to CE.
Acknowledgment. This research is funded by the LU-BA-ZG-2024/1-0020 “The new paradigm in Education – changing values and integrating Sustainable Development goals into the study content”.