Results from Barcelona 2010 on the topic

Climate and Energy

The following are the results of the GAP at the Degrowth Conference 2010 in Barcelona that are particularly relevant for this working group.

The document first presents a summary, including links to other working groups (in bold & italic), and then the complete results of those Barcelona working groups with some relations the current one.

Summary

Some energy production has to degrow (fossil fuels), while others – disappear (nuclear) (infrastructure). Energy consumption in inputs should be reduced while switching to locally produced renewable energy.

Foster policies, incorporating a multi-criteria evaluation to have an energy system with the highest EROI and the lowest environmental impact and material throughput with least transport distance (trade, social metabolism, indicators)

The decision making process of planning for future policies should be done in a democratic and decentralized manner ensuring fair access to fossil fuel as their scarcity increases (democracy).

Working Groups from 2010 GAP in Barcelona with some connections:

Energy degrowth and the transition to renewable energies

Political proposals

• Foster policies, incorporating a multi-criteria evaluation to have an energy system with the highest EROI and the lowest environmental impact and lowest material throughput with lost transport distance…

• The decision making process of planning for future policies should be in a democratic and decentralized manner but the decision could be to use and manage the energy either locally or centralized.

Research questions and proposals

• How can we ensure fair access to fossil fuel as their scarcity increases

• Research on the trade off and complementary points of locally vs centrally derived energy systems.

• Further invest money (public) on alternative energy sources (apart from nuclear) to research on their fundamental principles and also strategies for implementation in a transparent (to everyone) and for the common use and good of everyone (bien común).

Points of disagreement:

• Cap on the energy demand; prioritization of sectors for reduction of energy consumption.

Moratoria on new infrastructures

Proposals

• Eliminate/nationalise mega-construction companies (due to their levels of debt) that drive the building of infrastructure projects as ends in themselves.

• Some infrastructure projects must clearly be abandoned: Nuclear, ammonia production, incinerators, high speed train and large scale dams.

• Some infrastructure must be limited: highways, long distance transportation and airports.

• At the same time, transformation of some existing infrastructure must be promoted: smaller more compact cities, converting car based infrastructure to walking and cycling and open common space.

Research questions

• Research the full life-cycle impacts and components of infrastructure materials.

Activities

• Support social campaigns that change the imaginary of people regarding the need to travel, long distance travel, levels of consumption and production and dependence on infrastructure.

• Support communities that fight large infrastructure projects.

Political strategies

Three comprehensive and complementary options:

• Exit strategy: leaving the system, building alternatives

• Voice strategy: political movement and activist, a particular engagement

• Loyalty strategy: change within the political system, assimilation within the political party system, perhaps too early and perhaps against the ideas of degrowth

Further points

• Need to learn from other local initiatives, some cases were discussed, and the need to be based more in the grassroots and history of movements, have relevance recognize diversity of socio-cultural and political history contexts

• Need to learn to local initiatives to reply in other local contexts or to extract models that can be expanded at the global level. Degrowth is not an entirely new idea, to take root in the 1970´s, is important to learn about mistakes, need to highlight alternatives of the past and look at how they have worked.

• The discussion have emphasis in understand social, technological, political and economics contexts that made differences between now and 70´s. The movements change from our current situation and position at local and global level should not be only one, but would have to be constructed from an understanding of the different cultures and political history context in determining the emphasis on particular political strategies.

Social Metabolism and transitions

Socio-Political aspects

• Link environmental movements with social movements and focus on underlying root causes to form alliances.

• Aim at the consumption level of the sustainable peoples/classes of the world though this consumption levels take place in an unsustainable systems and therefore cultural changes are necessary even among within these peoples.

• Create autonomous and intentional communities (niches of sustainability), and connect them. Promote this way of living and intervene in the system.

• We need to change the current narratives that focus on material wealth to shift the focus on values that acknowledge the sustainability principles.

Bio-physical sphere

Global level

• Closing material cycles as much as possible

• Reinforce the product design-reduce its material requirements-make it more re-usable and re-cyclable.

• Reduce, eliminate toxic chemicals (industrial fertilizers)-

• Return to the traditional, innovative way of agriculture-agro-ecology.

• Reduce the global throughput of energy and materials adjusting it to the carrying capacity of the biosphere.

• Put a limit to human appropriation of net primary production. Limit deforestation, change in industrial agriculture.

• Internalize real costs.

Local and regional levels

• Not exporting trash-

• Reduce long-distance imports.

• Less energy consumption in inputs.

• Switching to locally produced renewable energy.

• Construct with regional materials.

• Bio-climatic architectural design.

• Use seasonal, ecological and local food.

• Re-ruralisation.

• Foster proximity relationships through urban redesign-re-organization.

• Reduce the transport infra-structure and make it more collective.

• Promote sharing of electronic home equipment. Perceive them as commons.

Which social changes we expect with bio-physical decrease?

• Demographic

• Human time

• Fool sovereignty

• Immigration

• Gender issues