What
The BOLSTER project (Bridging Organizations and marginalized communities for Local Sustainability Transitions in EuRope) aims to understand how marginalized groups are affected by European Green Deal (EGD) policies and to assess whether involving them in decision-making processes increases the support for transition plans.
The project, coordinated by Tilburg University, began in September 2022 and is delivering new scientific evidence on decarbonization transition strategies and how they intersect with various dimensions of inequality, such as gender, race, age and class. It conceptualizes the principle of leaving no one behind by developing participatory governance models and transition guidelines based on climate justice and gender equality.
In this framework, ECAS and the BOLSTER consortium partners are organizing a series of 10 regional policy dialogues, focused on the target regions of the project, and 3 EU policy dialogues.
When
The 9th BOLSTER regional policy dialogue will take place online in English on Thursday, May 15, from 10:00 to 12:30 CEST, in cooperation with the TANDEM project: https://tandem-heu.eu/
Why
This policy dialogue will explore how to develop innovative, inclusive and transdisciplinary methodologies that not only drive efficient climate action but also ensure a fair distribution of benefits and burdens in the context of the mobility and energy sectors. By showcasing how a combination of deliberative visioning, art-based approaches, system mapping, and assessment methods can serve as a robust foundation for inclusive policy design, the policy dialogue will discuss proven methods that have successfully integrated climate action with social equity, with a focus on mobility and energy policies. By discussing in particular the results of other EU-funded projects on inclusiveness in Just Transition policies, such as the TANDEM project, the policy dialogue aims at identifying set of strategic recommendations and practical guidelines that can be directly applied by local and regional policy makers. The TANDEM project uses a deliberative approach to co-develop just transition pathways in energy and mobility across five diverse regions in Europe.
The dialogue’s objectives are two-fold. First, it aims to identify the strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities within current Just Transition project calls and stakeholder engagement efforts. Second, it aims to highlight best practices from various “sister” projects and different regions, offering actionable strategies for local authorities, NGOs, trade unions, and citizens to support marginalised communities and grassroots initiatives throughout the Just Transition process.
Speakers:
Mag. Dr. Michael Klingler, University assistant at the Institute of Sustainable Economic Development, Working Group Environmental and Agricultural Sociology, BOKU Vienna (Austria)
Dr. Maria Luisa Lode, Senior researcher in Local Energy Systems at the House of Sustainable Transitions, Vrije Universiteit Brussels (Belgium)
Dr. Samyajit Basu, Senior researcher in Urban Mobility at the House of Sustainable Transitions, Vrije Universiteit Brussels (Belgium)
Dr. Seona Candy, Senior researcher, focusing on Ecological and Transitional Justice, at Demos Helsinki (Finland)
Discussants:
Dr. Diana Süsser, Coordinator of JUSTEM and Senior Expert Energy Policies and Transition Aspects, Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy (The Netherlands)
Dr. Tanja Fatur Šikić, Assistant professor, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management (Croatia)
Dr. Marcin Baron, Associate professor, Department of Strategic and Regional Studies, University of Economics in Katowice (Poland)
Nadya Parpulova, PhD student, University of National and World Economy (Bulgaria)
