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Mar 25 2024
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On the Narrative of Growth: Unlearning Dogmas

By Uncategorized

Context

This study explores how the growth narrative, once seen as the only measure of progress, is now being challenged by alternative viewpoints. It investigates the emergence of new societal narratives emphasizing values beyond mere economic growth. Through qualitative research rooted in the Spanish context, this publication aims to stimulate discussions on Europe’s future. 

 

Objectives

This publication seeks to broaden the discourse surrounding the predominant socio-economic model centered on growth and encourages exploration of alternative visions, particularly through a degrowth perspective. 

 

Project Background

Today, economic growth is still perceived as a sine qua non-condition for development. The hegemonic growth narrative leaves no room to explore alternative paths at the political level. The need to grow is so deeply rooted in this society that a political alternative seeking to limit growth is often outright rejected by the political and media establishment, as it poses a threat to the prevailing economic model. Reaching broader support inevitably involves combating the dominant narrative. This project aims to promote the questioning of faith in economic growth as the only way to prosperity. Encouraging society to reflect on the contrived growth narrative is essential to pave the way for post-crescent economic alternatives and green political thinking. 

 

Available Translations

Spanish

 

 

 

 

This report has been realised by the Green European Foundation with the support of Transicion Verde and the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this publication.

Jan 12 2024
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Geopolitics of a Post-Growth Europe

By Uncategorized

Context

As it stands, degrowth fails to resonate with experts in foreign and security policy. It is easy to see why. In geopolitics, many determinants of power – trade, aid, tech nology, defence – are closely linked to GDP. If they do not ignore planetary boundaries altogether, geopolitical pundits trumpet the ‘green growth’ narrative so as to reconcile ecological and geopolitical security. It is this very narrative that degrowthers aim to refute.

It is better to manage the end of growth through democratic deliberation than to have it imposed on us by ecological breakdown.

 

Objectives

It is unlikely that we will be able to defuse the climate time bomb, let alone other ecological threats, as long as our economy continues to grow. But what would the end of economic growth mean for geopolitics? Could a European Union that is the first to embrace post-growth still be a global actor? Would it be able to defend itself, its allies, democracy, human rights, and the international rule of law at a time when aggressive autocracies are invading or threatening their democratic neighbours? This report addresses uneasy questions that few have dared to ask.

 

Project Background

This report is produced by the Green European Foundation. It is part of the project Geopolitics of a Post-Growth Europe. The project is led by Wetenschappelijk Bureau GroenLinks (NL) and supported by BlueLink (BG), Center for Green Politics (RS), Etopia (BE), Fondation de l’Écologie Politique (FR), Green House Think Tank (UK), and Transición Verde (ES). Check out www.geopoliticspostgrowth.eu for more interviews, videos, and other project outputs.

 

Available Translations

Dutch

Spanish

Serbian

French

Bulgarian

Czech

Portuguese

This report has been realised by the Green European Foundation with the support of  Wetenschappelijk Bureau GroenLinks and the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this publication.

Apr 27 2023
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El Lado Oscuro de lo Digital

By Uncategorized

Context

Currently, digital technology consumes 10% of the world’s electricity and contributes to 3-4% of the global greenhouse gas emissions at the increasing rate of over 9% per year. A country like France dedicates 8% of its electricity to digital consumption. A study of the semiconductor industry (2015) estimate that, at the current rate of growth of computing power, and given the gradual slowdown in gains in energy efficiency, digital technology could consume before 20703 the equivalent of all the world’s energy used in 2010.

 

This report has been realised by the Green European Foundation with the support of Transición Verde, Fondation de l’Écologie Politique, and the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this publication.

Feb 01 2023
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Rethinking Heating and Cooling

By Uncategorized

Context

Climate impacts became more apparent within Europe through the record high temperatures in the summer of 2022. This has converged with a cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and consequent shortages of Russian gas and an unprecedented increase in energy prices. Whilst governments in some countries have shown imaginative thinking to deal with the immediate energy crisis, this thinking needs to be extended with a view to long-term changes of behaviour, practices and social norms. Change is essential to limit energy demand in the future as a critical response to the climate crisis.

Ensuring everyone has a living space that they can maintain at temperatures safe for human health should be a government priority.

 

Objectives

This publication argues for a broad rethink of the demand for heating and cooling buildings that goes beyond calls for widespread retrofit. It draws from the earlier ‘Rethinking Energy Demand’ report (October 2022) and the interviews conducted for that report with academics and thought-leaders across Europe. The earlier report considered the need and means to sufficiently reduce energy demand. This policy briefing invites policy makers to extend their thinking beyond the immediate crisis towards a longer-term strategy for delivering the human need for thermal comfort whilst eliminating carbon emissions. The briefing comprises 6 sections and offers 16 policy recommendations, across both efficiency and sufficiency measures.

 

Translations

Available in Spanish

Available in Greek

 

This publication has been realised by the Green European Foundation and Green House Think Tank with the financial support of the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this publication.

Oct 26 2022
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Rethinking Energy Demand

By Uncategorized

Context

Scientists are clear that Europe must significantly reduce its overall energy demand to meet the targets for carbon reduction necessary to limit climate danger. In its latest report on climate mitigation, the IPCC has, for the first time, included a chapter dedicated to reducing demand. This chapter concludes that calling for individual action is insufficient and that a society-wide approach is needed for significant impact, delivering up to 70% decarbonisation.

However, there is a dangerous silence on this matter within the public sphere. Politicians are hesitant to speak on this point, fearing the disruption that this will cause. (2) However, disruption is an inevitable part of any economic change and there is still time to make a choice about the form this disruption takes. Avoiding the topic closes off all options around how to address the impacts.

Objectives

This report explores the need to rethink energy demand in terms of policies, politics and economics. It draws on interviews and round-table discussions with academics researching energy reduction and sufficiency, and post-growth and macroeconomics, and with green politicians.

Energy demand is just a subset of how humanity is exceeding planetary boundaries.

 

The report focuses on the barriers, opportunities and where sufficient changes could be unlocked through new governance, policies and communication, rather than on specific policies for specific sectors.  Whilst this report focuses specifically on reducing direct energy demand, much of the report’s findings could be applied to much wider challenges, including the indirect energy embodied in supply chains, which also need to be reduced if we are to address the interlocking climate and ecological crises. The report is written to inform and provide a resource for policy makers, politicians, climate campaigners and the general public who are motivated to respond to the climate change threat.

Download

Available in Greek

Available in Catalan

Available in Spanish

This publication has been realised by the Green European Foundation and Green House Think Tank with the financial support of the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this publication.

Oct 19 2022
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City and countryside: so close, so far

By Uncategorized

Context

In an increasingly urban world, building resilient cities has become a challenge. But for this challenge to be successfully addressed, we cannot focus solely on urban areas. We need to develop strategies that consider the territory surrounding cities, as well as their dependence on the resources from rural areas. Establishing a balanced relationship between cities and their rural environment will bring mutual benefits while giving greater autonomy and independence to the city itself in obtaining the basic resources it needs. Based on this premise, this publication explores best practices in managing food, water or energy to make our cities and territories more resilient.

This report is partially based on the outputs of the conference “City and Countryside: So Close, So Far Away” (May 26th 2022), as part of the “Cities as places of hope” project.

 

Resilience is the capacity of a living being to adapt to a disturbing agent or an adverse situation. This term also applies to cities, for which this capacity to adapt is essential to respond to the major crises of our time.

 

Download

Available in Spanish

Available in Polish

 

This publication has been realized by the Green European Foundation and Transición Verde with the financial support of the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this publication.

Sep 22 2022
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A Green New Deal for Leeds City Region

By Uncategorized

GALBA’s Vision for a Sustainable Local Economy (Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport)

Context

The Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) is a group of concerned citizens in West Yorkshire. They came together from a range of backgrounds and across the political spectrum to stop the proposed expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA), which they managed to do in 2022.  Learn more here.

Following the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow, the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) launched their new report: ‘A Green New Deal for Leeds City Region: GALBA’s Vision for a Sustainable Local Economy’.

We believe that local jobs and our fragile climate are best safeguarded by investing in a new green economy that supports sustainability whilst making sure our communities are employed in secure, productive and meaningful work.

Objectives

This report sets out concerns about the claims being made by Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) around job creation.  GALBA propose a more forward-looking, ambitious and achievable economy that reduces reliance on aviation and encourages investment in local communities, whilst addressing the other key challenges faced around transport, energy and food supply. “Our generation has seen the emergence of a human-created climate emergency. We must also be the generation to fix this, by making best use of our most precious resource–our people”.

Download

Also available in Spanish.

This report is published by the Green European Foundation with the support of Green House Think Tank and the financial support of the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this project.

Apr 06 2022
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A guide to engaging aviation workers and trade unions

By Uncategorized

Context

Climate campaigners are coalescing around an agenda of no expansion of airports and the need for a long-term reduction of aviation. However, not all of these campaigns have incorporated worker perspectives to better understand the impact on jobs and changes to local and national economies.

We don’t just want to get the industry back to where it was in 2018, but decarbonised. Because that wasn’t a good industry for workers. Transport had become too cheap, it was market driven. There is a need to embark on a huge transformation of the industry.

Objectives

This short guide explores how campaigns can connect better with aviation workers and the trade unions that represent them – to build mutual support, win those campaigns and advance a rapid and just transition for workers in the sector.

About the project

This publication is part of the project “Just Transition in the Aviation Sector” that explores how the concept of a just transition could look like when applied to the aviation sector in the UK. It focuses on the loss of jobs in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the potential of the green job creation. In this context, a case study of the Gatwick airport was conducted.  

Just Transition in the Aviation Sector explored the topic of the Aviation sector adaptation through several formats, including the development of infographics, events with an inclusive European dimension. As a part of the project, GEF implemented an online event called Green jobs and airport expansion campaigns, gathering experts and politicians to debate the topic in a panel format.  

The initial research and debates within the project scope culminated in this report.  

Download

Available in Spanish

This publication has been realized with the support of Green House Think Tank and the financial support of the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this publication. 

Jan 14 2022
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Greening Hydrogen- Big issues around a small molecule

By Uncategorized

Context

Europe is heading towards the Green Age, an era defined by climate neutrality and the circular economy. There is broad agreement on the need for this transition, reflected by the global Paris Agreement, the European Green Deal, or COP26. The EU aims to be carbon-neutral by 2050. Decarbonising the production of an element like hydrogen is key to achieve such climate goals as this element is currently responsible for over 2% of total global CO2 emissions.

“ Europe should lead the way into the Green Age, but must take care that no one is left behind…”

 

About the project:

This report is part of a project led by the Green European Foundation exploring what a climate emergency economy would look like through a rethinking of trade, industry and infrastructure investment. The project is supported by Green House Think Tank in the UK alongside green foundations in the Netherlands, Ireland, Bulgaria, Poland and Finland. It is organised with the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation.

 

Objectives

Introducing hydrogen to our energy and materials systems clearly raises several pressing questions that are of relevance to the work of Green parties in Europe. This report aims to give a brief overview of the most controversial issues surrounding hydrogen from a green perspective in order to facilitate debate on this matter.

 

Download

Available in Spanish

This publication has been realised with the support of the Wetenschappelijk Bureau GroenLinks, and the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this publication.

Nov 30 2021
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European Mobility Atlas

By Uncategorized

Context

Europe is the continent where multiple forms of transportation have been invented or brought to technological maturity. The free movement of persons has made Europe grow together and led to an ever-stronger sense of cohesion. Cross-border mobility is a prerequisite for a united EU and the experience of inter-connectedness on all levels. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has limited the freedom of movement extensively and shows the vulnerability of Europe as a place of constant movement. While air traffic decreased and the use of bicycles increased, there has also been a strong negative shift from shared transport to individual transport. If this change prevails, a great deal of earlier efforts to reduce GHG emissions in the transport sector will be nullified. If one thing is clear is that recovery packages to overcome the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic must be accompanied by a commitment to a sustainable transformation that avoids further carbon lock-in with a transport sector still largely powered by fossil fuels.

Objectives

Our European Mobility Atlas seeks to contribute to the efforts towards sustainable and just mobility in Europe. Thus, it covers a multitude of transport-related aspects relying on evidence-based research and highlighting concrete, tangible mobility solutions from across our continent. GEF is working together with Heinrich Böll Stiftung to Europeanise the debate on sustainable mobility on our continent. We are doing this by translating the English language version of the European Mobility Atlas to Spanish and Italian, as well as providing a series of infosheets on the mobility context in Spain.

With more and more people being mobile, Europe is a continent that needs to remain innovative in order to achieve the relevant climate goals. We need new technologies to align our mobility infrastructure and behaviour with the pressing challenges of the upcoming years. To save our climate, the European Green Deal has to be Europe’s first priority.

Download

Digital version in Spanish is available here.

Digital version in Italian is available here.

Digital version in Portuguese available here.

Complementary resources

Present and Future of Mobility in Spain (ES): available here.

These publications have been realised by the Green European Foundation in cooperation with Heinrich Böll Stiftung, and the financial support of the European Parliament to the Green European Foundation. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this publication

Sep 27 2021
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Metals for a Green and Digital Europe- An Agenda for Action

By Uncategorized

Context

The climate crisis leaves us no choice but to make a swift transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies. However, while energy from renewable sources such as solar and wind is nearly infinite, the resources we need to capture it are not. Solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and power cables all contain metals. Their various properties, including toughness and conductivity, make metals uniquely suitable for renewable energy technologies. But first they must be extracted from ores that are dug up from the ground. Because of its decentralised nature, a renewable energy system requires far larger quantities of metals than a fossil energy system.

 

The more energy we harvest from the skies above our heads, the deeper we will have to dig for the metals beneath our feet.

 

Objectives

Both the energy transition and the digital transition require large quantities of metals, such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth. As a result, Europe must face up to various types of scarcity. This Agenda for Action sets out how we can achieve the sparing, circular use of metals and the responsible sourcing of the virgin metals that we really need.

 

Download

Available in Dutch

Available in Spanish

Available in Czech 

Available in French

Available in Polish

Available in Swedish

Available in Serbian

Available in Portuguese

 

This publication is part of the Metals for a Green and Digital Europe project. The project is led by Wetenschappelijk Bureau GroenLinks and supported by Fundacja Strefa Zieleni, Institut Aktivního Občanství, the Green Economics Institute, Etopia, Visio, and Transición Verde, with Cogito from Sweden providing additional expertise.

Aug 26 2021
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Transport Investment: The Zero Carbon Challenge

By Uncategorized

Context

“Transport Investment: The Zero Carbon Challenge” is part of a project led by the Green European Foundation exploring what a climate emergency economy would look like through a rethinking of trade, industry and infrastructure investment. The report exposes the uncomfortable truth that a major shift in transport infrastructure investment is needed. It quantifies the massive scale of transport infrastructure investment plans across the UK and EU and how this fails to align to existing climate targets. This highlights that whilst heavy goods transport, shipping and aviation are some of the hardest to decarbonise, demand for these transport modes are not being managed or constrained in line with climate commitments.

Objectives

The report calls on transport to have far stronger carbon targets so that it is able to help drive down carbon emissions across the rest of the economy, rather than holding back the transition to zero carbon. A radical overhaul of transport infrastructure spending plans is needed so that funding is redirected from expanding capacity, to decarbonising existing transport. The report is framed ,using the Zero Carbon Policy Toolkit introduced in GEF and Green House’s August 2020 report, Trade and Investment Requirements for Zero Carbon.

 

“Facing up to climate reality requires governments to stop driving transport growth. It is just as irresponsible to expand transport – which leads to burning of more petrol, diesel, kerosene and heavy fuel oil – as to dig a new coal mine in Cumbria. In both cases new infrastructure stands in the way of phasing out the burning of fossil fuels. Governments must ensure investment is redirected from expanding transport to decarbonising what we have already. Continued transport capacity growth should also be classed as Ecocide.” 

 

Download

Available in Spanish

 

Visual material

 

 

 

This publication has been realised by the Green European Foundation and Green House Think Tank with the financial support of the European Parliament. The European Parliament is not responsible for the content of this publication.

 

 

 

Apr 28 2021
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Freedom and Security in a Complex World (2021 edition)

By Uncategorized

Context

People all over the world are taking their future back into their hands. Together, they are taking initiatives in the fields of renewable energy, local food production, sharing tools, and so forth. This is the most hopeful movement of our time. Where the market and state fail, people are taking action. As free citizens, they are reinventing the collective, with open partnerships where personal development and social engagement go hand in hand. This observation seems to contradict what we experience every day. The system errors of our society model fill the newspapers: climate crisis, unstable banks, refugee flows. Accepted wisdom is that uncertainty is increasing. But both trends are happening, not by coincidence, at the same time.

 

Objectives

While examining the two interlinked concepts of Freedom and Security, this publication suggests that the answer needs to be the transformation into a socioecological society in the 21st century. It argues for the realisation of a societal project that strives for equal freedom for all people to flourish in security, within the boundaries of the planet, and proposes concrete steps towards it.

 

Download

Available in English here.

Available in French here.

Available in German here.

Available in Hungarian here.

Available in Spanish here.

Available in Macedonian here.

Available in Greek here.

This report presents a new and updated take on the 2017 version (Please see the English, French, German, Hungarian and Spanish editions from that year, which were part of the transnational project “A green transformation: Freedom and Security in uncertain times” ).

The 2021 report was developed in partnership with Oikos and with financial support from the European Parliament to the European Green Foundation. 

Feb 22 2021
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A Just Transition in Agriculture

By Uncategorized
This paper is part of the Green European Foundation’s Just Transition transnational project. The project looks into the question of transforming from an extractive to a regenerative economy in a just and equitable way in order to find the necessary support among the population. The project is focused on collecting and sharing insights on the development of future-proof politics and policies, developed in a sensitive way that keeps in mind local specificities. The project is, on behalf of GEF, coordinated by OIKOS (Belgium), who authored a framing paper, Climate, Jobs and Justice for a green and socially just transition, published in December 2020. The project partners are Green House Think Tank (UK), Institute for Political Ecology (Croatia); Sunrise (North-Macedonia), Transicion Verde (Spain), Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) and Networked (Serbia). In 2020 these partners carried out various activities in their countries to increase awareness of the importance of a Just Transition. In 2021 they will collaborate on the production of a book showcasing the main challenges and opportunities around Just Transition, to be published in autumn 2021. This publication will feed into the broader scope of the project.

 

Download

Also available in Spanish.

Feb 18 2019
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European Green Perspectives on Basic Income

By Uncategorized

Throughout 2017 and 2018, the Green European Foundation transnational project Basic Income for all EU Citizens? focused on basic income and investigated the proposal’s potential in relation to employment, the recognition of work beyond paid work, and the gendered division of labour.

This collection of articles brings together experts on basic income from all across Europe, to debate and clarify different aspects of the topic and help develop proposals. The aim of the publication is to inspire the next steps in promoting the basic income discussion, one which encompasses some of the biggest challenges faced by society today.

In 2019, GEF will continue its work on basic income and contributing to transnational discussion with the project Basic Income – European Public Debate. 

Download

Available in Spanish

 

Jan 24 2019
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Citizens Energy: Making Energy Democracy Happen

By Uncategorized

This publication has been produced as part of the GEF transnational project Energy Democracy: Changing the Energy System.  

In this project, Green foundations from the United Kingdom, Greece, Macedonia and Belgium share their experiences and ideas and develop policy proposals to enable a transition to a renewable and democratic energy system.

The publication, written by Dirk Holemans and Kati Van de Velde from Flemish think tank Oikos explores the concepts of a democratic energy regime, drawing from examples in Germany and Denmark, and cooperation between citizens and local governments, focusing on case studies in the UK and Belgium.

Download your copy here. 

This publication is also available in Serbian, Portuguese, Spanish, Macedonian & Turkish.

 

Oct 09 2018
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Chicken or Egg – Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) Congress Summary

By Uncategorized

Chicken or Egg – End Neoliberalism and Deliver Basic Income, or use Basic Income to End Neoliberalism?

Natalie Bennett was in Finland as part of the Green European Foundation’s expert group for a transnational project on Universal Basic Income, initiated in 2017.

In the framework of the “Basic Income for all EU Citizens?” transnational project, the GEF expert group, comprising Basic Income experts from Finland, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Serbia, and the United Kingdom, ateended the BIEN Congress to discuss the latest developments in the studies and application of the Basic Income models across Europe.

In addition to their participation in the conference, the expert group came together in a meeting organised by GEF to facilitate the development of the GEF Basic Income project.

GEF was present throughout the Congress, displaying and disseminating the outcomes of various GEF projects related to the topic.

 

Read the article in Spanish.

Nov 21 2017
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Freedom & Security in a Complex World (2017 edition)

By Uncategorized

Context

People all over the world are taking their future back into their hands. Together, they are taking initiatives in the fields of renewable energy, local food production, sharing tools, and so forth. This is the most hopeful movement of our time. Where the market and state fail, people are taking action. As free citizens, they are reinventing the collective, with open partnerships where personal development and social engagement go hand in hand. This observation seems to contradict what we experience every day. The system errors of our society model fill the newspapers: climate crisis, unstable banks, refugee flows. Accepted wisdom is that uncertainty is increasing. But both trends are happening, not by coincidence, at the same time.

 

Objectives

While examining the two interlinked concepts of Freedom and Security, this publication suggests that the answer needs to be the transformation into a socioecological society in the 21st century. It argues for the realisation of a societal project that strives for equal freedom for all people to flourish in security, within the boundaries of the planet, and proposes concrete steps towards it.

 

Download

Digital version in English is available here.

Digital version in French is available here.

Digital version in German is available here.

Digital version in Hungarian is available here.

Digitial version in Spanish is available here.

This report was part of the transnational project “A green transformation: Freedom and Security in uncertain times” . An updated version from April 2021 is available here. 

Jun 29 2017
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Citizens Building a New Europe

By Uncategorized

According to its citizens, immigration, terrorism, the economic situation and the state of member states’ public finances are the most important issues facing the EU. Less important, but still in the top 10, are unemployment and climate change. According to the latest Eurobarometer, a staggering 54% thinks that their voice doesn’t count in the EU. News about terror threats, refugee crises, budget cuts and corruption don’t paint a rosy picture of the reality we currently live in. Populists thrive on fear, human rights and freedoms are questioned and cynicism among citizens seems to be winning ground.

At the same time however, an ever-increasing number of citizens strike sparks in this seemingly dark tunnel, by developing social-ecological initiatives. To rebuild communities from the bottom up, to revitalize a more sustainable economy and to strengthen ties of solidarity and care, while governments struggle to manifest our common identity. Everywhere in Europe, hopeful democratic citizen initiatives emerge in fast pace. And knowingly or unknowingly, they are already making a difference, whether it be small or big, by building social and sustainable alternatives within the current neoliberal model of fear. Like swimmers against the tide, citizen movements get organised to take domains like production, finance, energy and care back in their own hands. So, join us for a walk through Europe and explore some of these exciting initiatives, because this is how citizens react to the policy of fear and austerity in our disrupted societies.

Digital version is Spanish is available to download here.

Jan 25 2017
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Creating a Peoples’ Europe [VIDEO]

By Uncategorized

“Creating a People’s Europe” was produced and scripted by John Gormley, Irish Minister for the Environment (2007 – 2011).

The film is a project of the Green European Foundation for the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament. It was realised in cooperation with the Heinrich Boell Foundation and with the financial support of the European Parliament.

Subtitles available in Catalan, Czech, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, and Spanish.