Stefan Taschner:Influencing Environmental Justice from a local level
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Remarks from a German socio-ecological movement point of view Dr. Stefan Taschner, Berliner Energietisch/ BürgerBegehren Klimaschutz e.V., Berlin Abstract: The prevention and the adaptation of climate change is one of the most important challenges human kind has to face within the next decades. However to approach the problem only from a global viewpoint is too short sighted. The global climate negotiations can not be the one and only solution path alone. The most practical implementation is found on-site, in the smallest units, the municipalities of the world. Keeping this in mind, the envisaged climate change targets can only be achieved if we solve it first on a local level. This however does not exempt us from the obligation to look also at the higher levels. The issue of Environmental Justice starts already at the local level and continues on the regional, national and global one. To achieve an overall fair distribution of the burden, solidarity must be the foundation for an overall solution. Nowhere this is more evident as in the energy sector. The Berliner Energietisch - a local socio-ecological movement in Berlin - is trying to face this challenge by formulating concrete action steps and their implementation in practice. 通过地区运动影响生态正义 ——从德国社会生态运动的视角出发 史蒂芬.塔斯奇纳 摘要：预防及适应气候变化是当今人类面临的最严峻的挑战之一。为了应对此问题，仅仅采取全球化的视角是不够的。仅依靠气候变化国际磋商，并无法圆满解决此问题。最为实际有效的措施或为发挥小规模社会群体的作用，推动社会自治。在此思路下，要达成预设的气候变化目标，首先应当在不排斥更高层次行动的情况下，解决当地、局部的问题。当前，对于环境正义的实践已经在地区、区域、国家和国际层面开展，该问题的全面解决，有赖于责任、合作利益的公正分配。而能源是环境正义践行最为彻底的领域。Berliner Energietisch是一个柏林地区生态组织，该组织以实际行动，应对前述挑战。 Introduction Since the nineties of the last century, the challenges of global climate change have become increasingly well-known and much more pressing. The man-made climate change is not only proved by sound science, also decision makers are trying to find realistic and practical solutions. However policy should not be left alone with this central task of our time. From Kyoto to Copenhagen, from Berlin to Brussels ... when it comes to climate change issues, the individual seems doomed to watch. However it is totally unfounded that the decision makers have everything under control and the citizens nothing. The climate change issue is of particular importance to municipalities. Particular the cities that are growing worldwide, cause on the one hand most of the greenhouse gases but are on the other hand the nucleus for the development of socio-ecological movements. This can result in broad local social alliances that develop constructive solutions that are also transferable. While the impacts of climate change are especially threatening in the global south, the causes are almost entirely in the industrialized countries. Many activists in socio-ecological movements also in the industrialized countries are therefore not only advocating for climate protection but also for Environmental Justice. These actors (groups, organizations, networks) demand for much: Avoid the most serious consequences of climate change and achieve a fair distribution of the burden. Climate protection covers all areas where greenhouse gases are produced. However energy for electricity and heat, for mobility, food, industrial production and consumer goods takes a very central role. On this energy topic the Berliner Energietisch based his work. With his Berlin-based approach to a local transformation of the energy supply to 100 percent renewable energy, the Berliner Energietisch takes also true care of his local, regional and global responsibility. The Berliner Energietisch The Berliner Energietisch is a broad social alliance and a socio-ecologiacal movement of local Berlin initiatives and organizations and many dedicated citizens. It was founded in summer 2011 as a reaction of the agenda of the new local Berlin government that was formed after the election 2011. The history of the Berliner Energietisch however goes back more than a year before the actual foundation. By the end of 2010, three Berlin initiatives - attac Berlin, BürgerBegehren Klimaschutz and Powershift – came together to discuss the possibility of a newly orientated energy supply for Berlin. BürgerBegehren Klimaschutz dealt quite some time with this subject and had established itself as a point of contact for citizens' initiatives and especially politicians. The non-party alliance sees itself as an open platform, where all are welcome who want to work together on a redesign of Berlins energy supply. The Berliner Energetisch consists currently of 43 local initiatives and organizations that are all active in supporting the campaign. These alliance partners range from large organizations to small initiatives from across the social, ecological through to confessional and union spectrum. As the common agreement ecological, democratic and social aspects were manifested equal as essential pillars of a new energy supply in Berlin. The Agenda of the Berliner Energietisch In the nineties of the last century, many municipalities in Germany were affected by the wave of liberalization and privatization. Promoted by the EU market liberalism, indebted municipalities withdraw from the areas of local interest (energy, water, waste, public transport) and privatize them. This resulted in a revenue from the sale for municipal budgets, however in a short term only. Due to the better efficiency of private providers as well as by the triggered competition the consumer was promised falling prices, better quality and more customer-oriented service. However this promise was never kept. One and a half decades later, things are starting an opposite trend. In recent years especially in the area of energy supply a clear trend of a remunicipalisation is recorded. This was caused by the nationwide expiring concession contracts for the distribution of electricity and gas in numerous municipalities. The pending of new contracts has led in many municipalities to a discussion of the local energy supply in the future. Often this debate was not just about the concession contracts but also on the distribution of energy by a community-owned energy supplier. In this debate not only the local government and the local councils are involves. In many places, different civil society actors have joined in. In Berlin, this task was done by the Berliner Energietisch. To organize the realignment of the Berlin energy supply it was more needed than to just but put political pressure on the newly elected government. The Berliner Energietisch has therefore decided to chose the way of direct democracy. The frame of the new energy supply should be determined by a referendum. For this purpose, a draft law was worked out, which defines essential cornerstones. In addition to the municipal ownership of the electrical power grid, a community-owned energy supplier designed as a modern energy service has also be established. Precisely, the environmental, social and democratic reorganisation demands several concrete steps: Ecologically The aim must be to provide Berlin on a long-term run with a hundred percent decentralized produced, renewable energy. A community-owned energy supplier will therefore offer only genuine green electricity, which comes primarily from renewable energy plants in the Berlin-Brandenburg region. The promotion of energy saving and efficiency are also key business objective. Socially A community-owned energy supplier has to make a contribution for social development of the energy transition. Possibilities are for example a targeted counselling of low-income households or the purchase of energy-saving household appliances is encouraged. Also necessary is a socially responsible implementation of the energy efficiency of buildings. Democratically The draft law specifies broad transparency rules and a number of opportunities for the Berlin citezens to participate in this process. The written down civic participation mechanism goes far beyond the well-known parliamentary control of state-owned enterprises. This includes, e.g. the direct election of parts of the Board. Also the right of a direct influence on the policy of the enterprise is enabled. Taking responsibility for Environmental Justice on the local level In addition to the energy transition to a hundred percent renewable energy, especially at the local level, the questions of a socially acceptable energy system transformation the so called Energiewende (energy transition) have to be dissolved. Especially in Berlin with a high social inequality many people are affected by energy poverty. Energy poverty means in this sense that low-income households have to spend an above average and growing part of their income on energy. In many households even the complete power is turned off. This conflicts with the fundamental right of an energy supply for all, which ascribes to them a minimum level of energy to secure their basic living needs. For the reason to ensure a minimum of Environmental Justice the municipal energy supplier has to cover with a series of tasks. For example as part of the public service, it has to ensure the supply of the Berlin customers with energy to guaranty an "energy poverty line" for all people living in Berlin and countering energy poverty in Berlin with appropriate measures. Here customers should not be treated as passive recipients, but they should be included in the design of the power supply in order to bring their vision of a just supply advantage. Equitable power supply also means that the business practices of the municipal energy supplier are designed that way that the turn off of energy should be avoided or high hurdles must be set before such measures are taken. Fines for not timely unpaid electricity bills should be limited to a small degree. Models have to be developed that allow the energy supplier together with customers to make "energy debt" offers for socially acceptable debt to reduce the number of turn off further. Taking responsibility for Environmental Justice on the regional and national level The issue of regional or national Environmental Justice can be separated on the one hand in the question of the spatial distribution of energy production an on the other hand in a number of social issues that can be resolved only at the national level. The Berliner Energietisch propose the way of a decentralized renewable energy production. This provides just an important part to the solution to the equitable spatial distribution of generation facilities. Especially the supply of large cities and conurbations with electrical power may not be outsourced exclusively to rural regions. As the first step the municipalities must therefore develop concepts to fully exploit the local potentials of energy production. Only if they do not have enough potential to fulfil the energy supply a regional solutions has to be found. Regions surrounding the cities or metropolitan areas should be then the preferred partner. However his has to be a partnership of equals, in order to find an acceptable solution for all parties involved. But also in the social sector new solutions have to be found to introduce Environmental Justice on the German national level. Thus, socially and environmentally friendly, innovative pricing models can only be approved, tested and implemented with support of the federal government. The goal is to provide a certain amount of energy at a low price or even free of charge, while wasting energy is counteracted by higher prices. Thus in sum the energy consumption can be reduced. New models, for example, can include social tariffs for socially disadvantaged status groups. These can be designed that way that an average of energy needed for the satisfaction of elementary needs is provided for free and the pricing of the other amount is designed progressive. This make higher levels of energy consumption more expensive. Unfortunately the Berliner Energietisch can not direct influence with its draft law this field of work. However it is expected that an intense debate on this issue initiated in the capital of Germany has also nationwide implications. Taking responsibility for Environmental Justice on the global level The influence on the global Environmental Justice is also limited for the initiative of the Berliner Energietisch. However the range of influence should be nevertheless covered. The community-owned energy supplier has to commit the claims of social justice on a global scale in their business policy. This concerns in particular the social and working conditions in the countries from which materials are purchased. Therefore the community-owned energy supplier close only contracts with business partners in those countries where high standards of social conditions of production are meet. However also the regional decentralized approach of the energy production involves global Environmental Justice issues. It is quite common to build up e.g. solar energy production farms in more southern countries and count the production on its own account. Thus the method hamper the development of a renewable energy production for their own consumption in these countries. The disadvantages of the energy production like e.g. land consumption are also exported and local people left alone. This can be seen as a new form colonisation. It is also on a long term short-sighted since we need a global transition of the energy system towards 100% renewable energy. A second point is the import of biomass from abroad in order to gain biomass energy. This is unacceptable in the light of global Environmental Justice and is a new form of imperialism. Biomass energy could only be part of the program if it is based on regional biomass and harvested in line with the issues of sustainability and nature conservation. All point are met by the agenda of the Berliner Energietisch. Resume Environmental Justice is not only a global issue. Also on the national, regional and even local level this challenge has to be addressed and practical solution have to be found. This opens the door also for socio-environmental movements to get active. The Berliner Energietisch has shown that influencing Environmental Justice on various levels can be done. A network of similar movement could have a strong influence on the national governments but also on the international level. Especially in the European Union this network can lead to revised and newly designed guidelines. This could have also a significant influence on the global climate change issue. In this sense the well known slogan “think globally, act locally” could get not only a meaning but more over a practical approach. |
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