NEWS Greening the economy? - Critical dialogues on energy transitions in the Bothnia region.
There is a scientific consensus that we need to abandon fossil fuels and to transition away from polluting energy sources to deal with the climate emergency. The question is what this transition will look like.
The current societal debate on green transitions tends to focus on technological solutions that would reduce carbon emissions without questioning the values, norms, and lifestyles that depend on continuous material and economic growth. Without taking these broader societal issues into account, there is a risk that green technologies will lead to new problems such as the destruction of ecosystems, loss of biodiversity, and environmental conflicts with affected communities.
The series will use international and historical perspectives on green extractivism, colonialism, environmental justice and conflicts
In this webinar series, we invite sustainability researchers and practitioners to engage in a cross disciplinary dialogue that takes these issues seriously. The series will use international and historical perspectives on green extractivism, colonialism, environmental justice and conflicts to reflect on the contested topics of green economy and energy transitions – and how these developments play out in the context of Northern Sweden and Western Finland. Together, we try to make sense of the current crises and to imagine alternative post-growth and regenerative futures.
The webinar series is a collaboration between the Research Institute for Organization and Business in Sustainable Transitions (ROBUST) at the Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics (Sweden) and Hanken School of Economics in Vasa (Finland).
The series has received support from the Umeå Transformation Research Initiative (UTRI).
Zoom Webinar, September 18, 14-15 (Sweden), 15-16 (Finland)
Participation is free. To get the webinar link, please register here.
What do we mean by “justice” in energy transitions? Can we talk about justice in a generalized context of extraction, colonialism and patriarchy? As capitalism devolves into a state of permacrisis, doesn't it seem odd that policy makers, scholars and activists continue to promote energy justice without dealing with these realities? Drawing on examples from the Global South, this talk will offer some answers to these questions reflecting on the origins of the notion of energy justice, pointing towards some of its limitations, and thinking what other possibilities, alternatives, and ways forward there might be.
Dr Carlos Tornel is a researcher, writer, translator, and activist living in Mexico City. He holds a PhD in Human Geography from Durham University (UK). His work has focused on the politicization of the climate crisis, the decolonization of energy justice, and the ontological transitions and openings created by pluriversal struggles in Mexico. He is a member of Global Tapestry of Alternatives and collaborates as a researcher with CONAHCYT's Strategic National Program for Energy and Climate Change at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Professor Camilla Sandström, Chairholder, UNESCO chair on biosphere reserves as labs for inclusive societal transformation; Department of Political Science, Umeå University
Dr. Nikodemus Solitander, Director of the Centre for Corporate Responsibility (CCR) and Associate Dean of Sustainability, Hanken School of Economics
Save the date for future webinars – 26th of November 13-14 (SWE) / 14-15 (FIN). One more date in the end of October coming soon.
With questions, ideas, and collaborations, please contact:
Maxim Vlasov, PhD, Head of research, ROBUST, maxim.vlasov@umu.se.
Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes, PhD, Associate Professor, Hanken School of Economics, maria.ehrnstrom-fuentes@hanken.fi.