Academy Report Green European Horizons: Good for All
Several dozen participants and spectators from three continents spent four days discussing extractivism, neocolonialism and opportunities for a just green transition within the Green European Horizons Academy and visiting Loznica and Gornji Nedeljice.
Is it good to exploit natural resources , and could we live and work differently to make it better, so that it would be both good for everyone and good for everyone? These are just some of the questions that were sought to be answered at the three-day Green European Horizons Academy: Good for All, which was held from 15 until 17. February in Belgrade.
The first day of the Academy, February 15, was dedicated to getting to know activists from three continents, 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 through social networks. Žaklina Živković, the executive director of Polekol, in her opening address drew attention to the urgency of the historical moment and the need to understand the processes we are facing in order to participate in them responsibly and empowered. Polekol’s program director, Iva Marković, got involved with a video address from the University of Sussex and short interviews with colleagues there who presented their view of extractivism.
As the organizers have emphasized before, it is necessary to better understand both the climate and economic crisis in which we find ourselves, and the processes that the dominant actors at the global level promote as a means of solving them, as well as what is “behind the hill”, i.e. the problematic nature of the proposed solutions and, last but not least, possible alternatives. The first two lectures and accompanying discussions were devoted to these topics.
Iskra Krstić, a researcher in the field of critical urban studies engaged in Polekol and the Mašina portal, spoke about what we mean when we say extractivism . Krstić reminded and introduced the audience to the fact that extractivism is primarily the 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 hot 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 about the necessity of economic growth, and that it contributes to the growth of socioeconomic inequalities at the global level, most endangering the affected communities.
In the circumstances of “global boiling”, as the UN president called this phase of the climate crisis, it is necessary to abandon fossil fuels. As a solution, at the current level of technological development, electrification is offered, which currently requires even more mineral raw materials and an even higher initial energy consumption than “business as usual”, according to research cited by Krstić. In addition to the fact that the ecosystems and natural resources on most 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 sacrifices for the common good are made by the countries, regions – and communities in 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 thoroughly and extensively supported them with research data, with a focus on the EU Law on Critical Raw Materials and the European Green New Deal . Marin showed that the current projections of how much 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.
Organizers and lecturers have repeatedly emphasized the following problem: while part of the global public does not want to accept arguments about the existence of global warming (thus adopting the narratives proven to be financed by the oil lobby with billions of dollars per year), part of the people on the planet accept the fact that we are in a climate crisis, but are also aware that the formulation of ways to deal with it is disproportionately influenced by interest groups, which is why – more or less argued – they reject the green agenda. A green transition is necessary for us, warn the organizers and participants, but we must know the weak points of 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 people and for nature.
The second part of the day was dedicated to people and nature, that is, field battles, strategies and motivation. The audience and participants were first introduced by guests from Minnesota (USA), longtime fighters for the rights of local residents and ecosystems, with their struggles and victories in a lecture entitled The right of the local community to say no. Jan Morrill from the Earthworks organization, Shanai Matteson from the 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, for the health of your community and all the hundreds of thousands of people who drink water from the Mississippi downstream from its mouth. They have shown that it is necessary to know both domestic customs and federal laws, as well as impromptu stand-up tactics 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 from the Fond du Lac Ojibwe tribe from Minnesota, Lynda Sullivan from the organization Yes to Life, No to Mining from Ireland, Marijana Petković from the Association of Environmental Organizations of Serbia (SEOS) from Gornji Nedeljica, Francisco Venes from Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso (UCDB) from Portugal and Majda Ibraković from Eco Forum Zenica from Bosnia and Herzegovina spoke about what the transition from exploitation to restoration would look like. The speakers agreed that a profound change in the system and worldview is necessary, within which sustainable ways of doing business, existing communities and economies would deserve much more protection and respect than they currently have. The great interest of the audience was attracted by Ricky DeFoe’s thesis that it is necessary to decolonize our mind in order to get rid of racist, sexist and imperialistic ways of thinking about other people and the space that surrounds us, which are the basis of the exploitation of everything that is good around us. 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 Green European Horizons Academy: 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 Gornji Nedeljice hosted by the local initiative Ne damo Jadar. This is the territory 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 inhabitants of this region, to exchange experiences with them, to 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, as much as possible.