Izveštaj sa Akademije Zeleni evropski horizonti: Dobro za sve

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Nekoliko desetina učesnika i gledalaca sa tri kontinenta provelo je četiri dana u diskusijama o ekstraktivizmu, neokolonijalizmu i mogućnostima za pravednu zelenu tranziciju u okviru Akademije Zeleni evropski horizonti i poseti Loznici i Gornjim Nedeljicama.  

Da li je dobro da se izrabljuju prirodna dobra, i da li bi moglo da se živi i radi drugačije da bi bilo bolje, pa da bude i dobara za sve i dobro za sve? To su samo neka od pitanja na koja se tražio odgovor na trodnevnoj Akademiji Zeleni evropski horizonti: Dobro za sve koja je održana od 15. do 17. februara u Beogradu. 

Prvi dan Akademije, 15. februar, bio je posvećen međusobnom upoznavanju aktivistkinja i aktivista sa tri kontinenta, i razmeni iskustava i perspektiva koje se tiču zelene tranzicije i ekstraktivizma. U radnim sastancima koji su održani u Prostoru Miljenko Dereta učestvovalo je oko 40 učesnica i učesnika iz Sjedinjenih Američkih Država, Perua, Irske, Portugala, Bosne i Hercegovine, Grčke i različitih krajeva Srbije. 

Akademija je za publiku otvorena 16. februara, bogatim javnim programom koji je mogao da se uživo prati u Dereti, a onlajn putem društvenih mreža. Žaklina Živković, izvršna direktorka Polekola, je u uvodnom obraćanju skrenula pažnju na urgentnost istorijskog trenutka i potrebu da razumemo procese sa kojima se suočavamo da bismo u njima odgovorno i osnaženo učestvovali. Programska direktorka Polekola, Iva Marković, uključila se video obraćanjem iz Univerziteta u Saseksu i kratkim intervjuima sa tamošnjim kolegama koji su izneli svoje viđenje ekstraktivizma. 

Kako su organizatori i ranije naglašavali, neophodno je da bolje razumemo kako klimatsku i ekonomsku krizu u kojoj smo se zatekli, te procese koje dominantni akteri na globalnom nivou promovišu kao sredstva za njihovo rešavanje, tako i ono „šta se valja iza brda“, odnosno problematičnost ponuđenih rešenja i, na kraju ali ne najmanje važno, moguće alternative. Upravo ovim temama su bila posvećena dva prva predavanja i prateće diskusije. 

Iskra Krstić, istraživačica iz polja kritičkih urbanih studija angažovana u Polekolu i portalu Mašina, je govorila o tome Šta mislimo kada kažemo ekstraktivizam. Krstić je podsetila i upoznala publiku sa tim da je ekstraktivizam pre svega  eksploatacija i izvoz sirovina, pojava koja se može pratiti od integrisanja svetskog privrednog sistema u 16. veku, a koja se u protekle tri decenije opasno zahuktala. Nauka pokazuje da izvoz neprerađenih sirovina ne utiče povoljno na privrede zemalja izvoznica, da se odvija u uslovima neokolonijalne svetske privrede i pod okriljem dogme o neophodnosti ekonomskog rasta, a da doprinosi rastu društvenoekonomskih nejednakosti na globalnom nivou, najviše ugrožavajući pogođene zajednice. 

U okolnostima „globalnog vrenja“, kako je predsednik UN nazvao ovu fazu klimatske krize, neophodno je napustiti fosilna goriva. Kao rešenje se na aktuelnom nivu razvoja tehnologije nudi elektrifikacija koja zasad zahteva još više mineralnih sirovina i još veći inicijalni utrošak energije nego „business as usual“, pokazuju istraživanja koja je citirala Krstić. Pored toga što su ekosistemi i prirodna dobra na većem delu planete potrošeni i iscrpljeni toliko da dodatni pritisak neće moći da podnesu, moćniji ekonomski igrači, to jest razvijene zemlje, rade na tome da obezbede da žrtvu za opšte dobro podnesu zemlje, regioni – i zajednice u samim razvijenim zemljama – koje imaju najmanje političke i ekonomske moći i najčešće su već disproporcionalno ugroženi klimatskom krizom. 

Predavanje Diega Marina iz Evropskog biroa za životnu sredinu je produbilo pomenute teze, te ih temeljno i opširno potkrepilo podacima iz istraživanja, sa fokusom na Zakonu o kritičnim sirovinama EU i Evropskom zelenom sporazumu (Green New Deal). Marin je pokazao da se aktuelne projekcije o tome koliko će kritičnih sirovina biti potrebno u narednim decenijama temelje na proračunima koji se usled napretka tehnologije stalno menjaju, ali i potrebama industrija ekonomski i politički moćnih zemalja, kao što su nemačka automobilska i  građevinska industrija. 

Organizatori i predavači su višekratno isticali sledeću problematiku: dok deo globalne javnosti ne želi da prihvati argumente o postojanju globalnog otopljavanja (usvajajući tako narative koje naftni lobi dokazano finansira milijardama dolara godišnje), deo ljudi na planeti prihvata činjenicu da se nalazimo u klimatskoj krizi, ali je svesno i da na formulisanje načina za nošenje s njom disproporcionalno utiču interesne grupe, zbog čega – manje ili više argumentovano – odbacuje zelenu agendu. Zelena tranzicija nam je neophodna, upozoravaju organizatori i učesnici, ali moramo poznavati slabe tačke aktuelnih rešenja da bismo učestvovali u formulisanju boljih i mogli da ih udruženo zahtevamo. Zelena tranzicija da, ali pravedna za sve, i za ljude i za prirodu. 

Ljudima i prirodi, odnosno terenskim borbama, strategijama i motivaciji, bio je posvećen drugi deo dana. Publiku i učesnike su najpre gosti iz Minesote (SAD) dugogodišnji borci za prava meštana i ekosistema upoznali sa svojim borbama i pobedama u okviru predavanja naslovljenog Pravo lokalne zajednice da kaže ne. O tome kako se istovremeno boriti za tradiciju i za budućnost, istovremeno za zdravlje svoje zajednice i svih stotina hiljada ljudi koji piju vodu iz Misisipija nizvodno od njegovog ušća inspirativno su govorili Jan Moril iz organizacije Earthworks, Shanai Matteson iz Tamarack Water Alliance, Johnny Barber iz Honor the Earth i Allen Richardson iz iste organizacije. Oni su pokazali da je neophodno znati i domaće običaje i federalne zakone, i taktike iskrsavanja sa improvizovanim štandom i međunarodnu politiku, da bi se uspešno suprotstavilo korporacijama iza kojih slede samo sve veće i veće, i koje i previše dobro sarađuju sa političarima „od karijere“. 

O tome kako bi izgledao Prelazak sa izrabljivanja na obnavljanje govorili su Anishinaabe starešina Ricky DeFoe iz Ojibwe plemena Fond du Lac iz Minnesote, Lynda Sullivan iz organizacije Yes to Life, No to Mining iz Irske, Marijana Petković, iz Saveza ekoloških organizacija Srbije (SEOS) iz Gornjih Nedeljica, Francisco Venes iz Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso (UCDB) iz Portugala i Majda Ibraković iz Eko foruma Zenica iz Bosne i Hercegovine. Govornici su se usaglasili u tome da je neophodna dubinska promena sistema i svetonazora u okviru koje bi mngoo više zaštite i poštovanja nego što ga sada imaju zavredili održivi načini privređivanja, postojeće zajednice i privreda. Veliko interesovanje publike je privukla teza Ricky DeFoa o tome da je neophodno da dekolonijalizujemo svoj um da bismo se oslobodili rasističkih, seksističkih i imperijalističkih načina razmišljanja o drugim ljudima i prostoru koji nas okružuje, koje stoje u osnovi eksploatacije svega što je oko nas dobro. Nadovezujući se na ove reči i govoreći o tome šta je za nju budućnost, Marijana Petković je ponovila istrajnost članova SEOS-a da zaštite svoj način (su)života s prirodom. 

Akademiju Zeleni evropski horizonti: Dobro za sve organizovala je Evropska Zelena fondacija u saradnji sa Organizacijom za političku ekologiju Polekol, a pratila ju je dvodnevna poseta Loznici i Gornjim Nedeljicama čiji je domaćin bio lokalna inicijativa Ne damo Jadar. U pitanju je teritorija na kojoj se zagovara otvaranje rudnika litijuma, čemu se lokalno stanovništvo, ekološki aktivisti i veći deo srpske javnosti apsolutno protivi. Učesnici su imali priliku da se povežu sa stanovnicima ovog kraja, da sa njima razmene iskustva, nauče više o kulturnom i ekološkom nasleđu, ali i svojim očima vide istražne bušotine i razrušene kuće u selu Gornje Nedeljice. Svi učesnici su istakli potrebu da ostanu u kontaktu i nastave borbu protiv ekstraktivizma zajednički, na regionalnom i globalnom nivou, koliko god je to moguće. 

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How can we make it  “Good for all”?

Report from the Green European Horizons Academy: Good for All

Several dozen participants and members of the audience from three continents spent four days in discussions about extractivism, neocolonialism and possibilities for a just green transition within the Green European Horizons Academy in Belgrade, Serbia, and visits to Loznica and Gornje Nedeljice, Serbia.

Is it good to exploit natural resources, and is there a way to live and work differently to make it better, so that there would be enough natural goods for everyone and that the world becomes good for all? These are just some of the questions debated at the three-day Academy Green European Horizons: Good for All, which was held from February 15 to 17 in Belgrade.

Activists from three continents spent the first day of the Academy, February 15, getting to know each other and exchanging experiences and perspectives regarding the green transition and extractivism. About 40 participants from the United States of America, Peru, Ireland, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece and different parts of Serbia took part in the working meetings held in the Miljenko Dereta Space.

The Academy was opened to the public on February 16, with a rich public program that could be followed live in Dereta, and online via social networks. Žaklina Živković, the executive director of Polekol, in her opening address drew attention to the urgency of the current historical moment and the need to understand the processes we are facing in order to participate in them responsibly and in an empowered manner. Polekol’s program director, Iva Marković, took part in the program with a video filmed at her current place of training, University of Sussex, UK, and short interviews with colleagues there who presented their view of extractivism.

As the organizers emphasized previously, it is necessary for us to better understand both the climate and the economic crisis in which we find ourselves, the processes that the dominant actors on the global level are promoting as the means of their overcoming; as well as to understand the hidden implications, i.e. the problematic nature of the offered solutions and, last but not least, possible alternatives. The first two lectures and accompanying discussions focused on these topics.

Iskra Krstić, a researcher in the field of critical urban studies engaged in Polekol and the Mašina internet media, spoke about What do we mean when we say extractivism. Krstić reminded and introduced the audience to the fact that extractivism primarily equals exploitation and export of raw materials, a phenomenon that can be traced back to the integration of the world economic system in the 16th century, and which has become dangerously intensive in the past three decades. Science shows that the export of unprocessed raw materials does not have a favorable effect on the economies of the exporting countries, that it takes place in the conditions of the neo-colonial world economy and under the auspices of the dogma of economic growth, and that it contributes to the growth of socio-economic inequalities at the global level, endangering the affected communities most.

In the circumstances of “global boiling”, as the UN president called this phase of the climate crisis, it is necessary to abandon fossil fuels. At the current level of technological development electrification is offered as the primary sollution – but it (for the time being) requires even more mineral ore and an even higher initial energy consumption than to keep doing “business as usual”, according to research cited by Krstić. In addition to the fact that the ecosystems and natural resources on the greater part of the planet have been consumed and exhausted to such an extent that they will not be able to bear the additional pressure, the more powerful economic players, i.e. the developed countries, are working to ensure that the sacrifice for the common good is made by countries, regions – and those communities within the developed countries themselves – which have the least political and economic power and are most often already disproportionately threatened by the climate crisis.

The lecture by Diego Marino from the European Environmental Bureau deepened the aforementioned theses, and fundamentally and extensively supported them with research data, with a focus on the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and the Green New Deal. Marin showed that the current projections of how many critical raw materials will be needed in the coming decades are based on calculations that are constantly changing due to the progress of technology, but also on the needs of the industries of economically and politically powerful countries, such as the German automotive and construction industries.

The organizers and lecturers repeatedly underlined the following issue: while a part of the global public refuses to accept the arguments about the very existence of global warming (thus adopting the narratives proven to be financed by the oil lobby with billions of dollars per year), a part of the people on the planet accept the fact that the climate crisis is real, but are at the same time aware that the conceptualisation of solutions is disproportionately influenced by interest groups, which is why they rejects the green agenda. There must be no doubt that the green transition is in fact necessary, warn the organizers and participants, but we must understand the weak points of the current solutions in order to participate in the formulation of better ones and be able to jointly demand them. A green transition, yes!, but fair for everyone, both for the people and for nature.

The second part of the day was dedicated to people and nature, the local struggles, strategies and motivation. Guests from Minnesota (USA), longtime fighters for the rights of local residents and ecosystems, first introduced the audience and participants with their struggles and victories in a lecture entitled The right to say no. Jan Moril from Earthworks, Shanai Matteson from Tamarack Water Alliance, Johnny Barber from Honor the Earth and Allen Richardson from the same organization spoke inspiringly about how to fight for tradition and the future at the same time, fight for the health of their community and all the hundreds of thousands of people who drink water from the Mississippi downstream of its source. They have shown that it is necessary to know both domestic customs and federal laws, as well as be “fluent” in the tactics of getting out with an improvised stand and international politics, in order to successfully oppose corporations that are followed only by bigger and bigger ones, and that cooperate too well with “career” politicians. 

Anishinaabe elder Ricky DeFoe, Fond du Lac Band of Minnesota Chippewa (USA), Lynda Sullivan from the Yes to Life, No to Mining (Ireland), Marijana Petković from the Alliance of Environmental Organizations of Serbia (SEOS) from Gornje Nedeljice (Serbia), Francisco Venes from Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso (UCDB, Portugal) and Majda Ibraković from Eco Forum Zenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina) spoke about what the transition from exploitation to restoration would look like. The speakers agreed that a profound change in the global system and worldview is necessary, such that more protection and respect is dedicated to sustainable economy and existing communities. The audience showed great interest in  Ricky DeFo’s thesis that it is necessary to decolonize our mind in order to free ourselves from racist, sexist and imperialistic ways of thinking about other people and our environment, which give ground to the exploitation of everything that is good in this world. Building on these words and talking about what the future holds for her, Marijana Petković reiterated the perseverance of SEOS members to protect their way of (co)living with nature.

The Academy Green European Horizons: Good for All was organized by the European Green Foundation in cooperation with the Organization for Political Ecology Polekol, and was followed by a two-day visit to Loznica and Gornje Nedeljice hosted by the local initiative Ne damo Jadar. Loznica and Gornje Nedeljice are an area where the opening of a lithium mine is advocated, which the local population, environmental activists and a large part of the Serbian public are absolutely against. The participants had the opportunity to connect with the locals, exchange experiences, learn more about the cultural and ecological heritage, but also to see with their own eyes the exploratory wells and destroyed houses in the village of Gornje Nedeljice. All participants emphasized the need to stay in touch and continue the fight against extractivism together, regionally and globally.