Speaker
Description
Bruno Latour (2017) described how we are now in a new climate regime, where there is no longer a safe “home” and we are all migrants and nomads. He emphasizes the need to confront the climate crisis, even as certain political forces seek to ignore it, close borders, and maintain the status quo. Persisting with business-as-usual, as depicted in scientific graphs, leads to catastrophe.
The IPCC and the Paris Agreement set specific timeframes and goals for addressing climate change. Concurrently, the SDGs remind us to address social foundations. However, the SDGs have limitations, and achieving one goal can sometimes create issues in another area. Therefore, it is crucial to assess these goals through a holistic approach, as introduced by Raworth in "Doughnut Economics" (Raworth, 2017). This approach emphasizes reevaluating sustainable growth, reintroducing planetary boundaries, focusing on redistribution and regeneration, and acting locally while considering global impacts—especially as current trends show regression in SDGs, indicating that we are not moving in the right direction.
A holistic assessment, incorporating the principles of the Doughnut Model, was applied to evaluate European policies related to cities and climate. It’s important as Europe wants to lead the way to a greener future, to see how much those policies are actually beneficial. The assessment highlighted a strong focus on technological solutions and innovation, which, while helpful for monitoring, have significant ecological footprints and do not always prioritize actual protection or prevention.
Environmental boundaries are often overlooked in the chosen policies of this research, necessitating further research into more European policies. It is essential to recognize how cities significantly influence planetary boundaries due to their concentration of activities and people. At the same time, they can offer immediate solutions and application of policies.
The European Green Deal provides a crucial framework policy, but specific directives and regulations are more influential in applying solutions and shaping national policies. The Leipzig Charter emphasizes the importance of city governance structures, though Greece has diverged from this direction. With proper governance and funding, such as that organized by the New Bauhaus, cities can make significant progress.
European policies, such as the Zero Pollution Action Plan, Biodiversity Strategy, and Environmental Action Plan, could significantly benefit Greece. The social foundation in Greece is insecure, with high unemployment, low income, housing and energy poverty, significant gender inequality, lack of political voice, and institutional corruption leading to distrust.
These issues are particularly evident in Athens, home to over a third of Greece's population. Addressing these challenges at the city level is crucial. An assessment of Athens’ plans through the DUD revealed that many necessary sectors, such as waste management, circular economy, life cycle assessment, materials, participation, equality, and transparency, are not adequately considered. This paper offers suggestions to address these gaps, aiming to create a more sustainable and equitable urban environment in line with European frameworks.
References
Baldini, E., Chessa, S., & Brogi, A. (2023). Estimating the Environmental Impact of Green IoT Deployments. Sensors, 23(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031537
Kate Raworth. (2017). Doughnut Economics- Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist. Penguin Random House.
Lempert, D. (2017). Testing the Global Community’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Against Professional Standards and International Law (Issue 18). https://www.jstor.org/stable/26188797?seq=1&cid=pdf-
P. K. Sharma, N. K. (2020). Blockchain Technology Toward Green IoT: Opportunities and Challenges. IEEE Network.
Perry, K. K. (2021). The new ‘bond-age’, climate crisis and the case for climate reparations: Unpicking old/new colonialities of finance for development within the SDGs. Geoforum, 126, 361–371. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GEOFORUM.2021.09.003
Vogt, M. (2022). Development postcolonial: a critical approach to understanding SDGs in the perspective of Christian social ethics. In Global Sustainability (Vol. 5). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2021.31
| Keywords | sustainability; decarbonization; Doughnut theory; city policies |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
