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Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Addressing the climate crisis necessitates accelerating transitions towards climate-neutral systems of production and consumption, with electrification emerging as a crucial decarbonisation strategy. The acceleration of such net-zero transitions across multiple systems faces significant resistance and contestation. In this paper, we propose an extended list of challenges unique to the acceleration phase of socio-technical transitions: we introduce 'expansion and contestation', 'justice', and 'international dynamics' as additional challenge types to complement the already acknowledged challenge types of 'whole systems change', 'interaction between multiple systems', 'decline and resistance', 'consumers and social practices', and 'governance'. We apply this extended analytical framework to the electrification of private-passenger vehicles and investigate the unfolding transition to e-mobility with evidence from 35 expert interviews in Germany and California. We uncover over 50 real-world challenges associated with these net-zero transitions at the beginning of the acceleration phase. Most challenges fall within the categories of 'expansion and contestation' and 'governance'. While Germany and California share many real-world challenges, we also find significant variation between both jurisdictions, which we attribute to differences in their automotive incumbency, transition governance approaches, and institutional contexts. We discuss implications for future research, arguing for greater attention to the dual politics of acceleration during net-zero transitions: political conflict not only centres around the decline of old industries and future losses, but also around the expansion of the new system and associated future gains.

Addressing the climate crisis necessitates accelerating transitions towards climate-neutral systems of production and consumption, with electrification emerging as a crucial decarbonisation strategy. The acceleration of such net-zero transitions across multiple systems faces significant resistance and contestation. In this paper, we propose an extended list of challenges unique to the acceleration phase of socio-technical transitions: we introduce 'expansion and contestation', 'justice', and 'international dynamics' as additional challenge types to complement the already acknowledged challenge types of 'whole systems change', 'interaction between multiple systems', 'decline and resistance', 'consumers and social practices', and 'governance'. We apply this extended analytical framework to the electrification of private-passenger vehicles and investigate the unfolding transition to e-mobility with evidence from 35 expert interviews in Germany and California. We uncover over 50 real-world challenges associated with these net-zero transitions at the beginning of the acceleration phase. Most challenges fall within the categories of 'expansion and contestation' and 'governance'. While Germany and California share many real-world challenges, we also find significant variation between both jurisdictions, which we attribute to differences in their automotive incumbency, transition governance approaches, and institutional contexts. We discuss implications for future research, arguing for greater attention to the dual politics of acceleration during net-zero transitions: political conflict not only centres around the decline of old industries and future losses, but also around the expansion of the new system and associated future gains.

Addressing the climate crisis necessitates accelerating transitions towards climate-neutral systems of production and consumption, with electrification emerging as a crucial decarbonisation strategy. The acceleration of such net-zero transitions across multiple systems faces significant resistance and contestation. In this paper, we propose an extended list of challenges unique to the acceleration phase of socio-technical transitions: we introduce 'expansion and contestation', 'justice', and 'international dynamics' as additional challenge types to complement the already acknowledged challenge types of 'whole systems change', 'interaction between multiple systems', 'decline and resistance', 'consumers and social practices', and 'governance'. We apply this extended analytical framework to the electrification of private-passenger vehicles and investigate the unfolding transition to e-mobility with evidence from 35 expert interviews in Germany and California. We uncover over 50 real-world challenges associated with these net-zero transitions at the beginning of the acceleration phase. Most challenges fall within the categories of 'expansion and contestation' and 'governance'. While Germany and California share many real-world challenges, we also find significant variation between both jurisdictions, which we attribute to differences in their automotive incumbency, transition governance approaches, and institutional contexts. We discuss implications for future research, arguing for greater attention to the dual politics of acceleration during net-zero transitions: political conflict not only centres around the decline of old industries and future losses, but also around the expansion of the new system and associated future gains.

APPEL À CANDIDATURES POUR TRANSFORMER LES VILLES INTERMÉDIAIRES AFRICAINES

Paris, le 15 mars 2024 - Je m'engage pour l'Afrique (JMA) est fier d'annoncer la 2ème édition de la Résidence JMA, véritable fabrique à projets citoyens. Ce programme pédagogique innovant vise à impliquer activement les jeunes dans la transformation des villes intermédiaires africaines. Pendant quatre mois, les participants travailleront aux côtés d'experts, de chercheurs et de personnalités influentes du monde public et privé pour aborder les enjeux, opportunités et transformations au sein de ces villes.

Appel à candidatures ouvert !

L'appel à candidatures est ouvert dès maintenant et jusqu'au 29 mars. Il s'adresse à tous les citoyens d'Europe, d'Afrique et de la Méditerranée, désireux de s'engager pour leur territoire et leur ville. Le programme sélectionnera 30 Résidents âgés de 20 à 35 ans, sur la base d'un dossier de candidature et d'une analyse sur la ville intermédiaire de leur choix.

RDV sur le site de JMA pour candidater

https://www.jmafrique.org/la-residence-edition-2024

Le concept de la Résidence JMA

Depuis trois ans déjà, JMA, incubateur de politiques publiques, œuvre à faire émerger la nouvelle génération de jeunes engagés pour le continent africain. La Résidence JMA, lancée en 2023, s'est révélée être un véritable laboratoire d'échange et de discussion, favorisant un engagement actif et éclairé. En 2024, JMA continue sur sa lancée et ré-ouvre les portes de sa Résidence, se concentrant à nouveau sur les enjeux de transformations des villes intermédiaires africaines.

Les villes intermédiaires africaines, des territoires moteurs de développement stratégique pour le continent

L'Afrique connaît l'un des taux de croissance urbaine le plus rapide au monde - une tendance qui ne se démentira pas d'ici 2050 - or l'essentiel de cette croissance s'opère dans les petites et les moyennes villes qui servent de relais aux capitales et aux grandes métropoles. Ces villes intermédiaires deviennent alors des foyers d'opportunités de développement.

La Résidence JMA 2024 se concentrera sur l'analyse de cas de villes intermédiaires, en collaboration avec les élus locaux et des experts urbains, et mettra l'accent sur les piliers essentiels du développement urbain : l'eau, l'énergie, la santé et l'alimentation tout en tenant compte des enjeux transversaux tels que l'écologie et l'environnement, le financement, les nouvelles technologies et la coopération entre les territoires.

Programme et objectifs


Le but de la Résidence JMA est de permettre aux Résidents d'élaborer leurs projets citoyens, afin de proposer des solutions tangibles pour les usagers des villes africaines et de soumettre leurs recommandations politiques auprès des décideurs publics.

Grâce au soutien de la Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence, la rencontre physique de la Résidence 2024 aura lieu à Marseille, capitale de l'innovation euro-africaine, pour un cycle d'Ateliers Citoyens.
Les Résidents y rencontreront des entrepreneurs, investisseurs publics et privés, et collectivités territoriales afin de co-construire des projets citoyens à impact. La Résidence aboutira à une publication à l'automne 2024 sur les métamorphoses des villes intermédiaires africaines.

Rappel du calendrier

• Appel à candidatures : ouvert dès à présent et jusqu'au 29 mars 2024
• Sessions digitales "Comprendre et Débattre" : d'avril à mi-juin 2024
• Sessions digitales "Construire son Projet Citoyen" : de mi-avril à mi-juin 2024
• Rencontre physique à Marseille : 13, 14 et 15 juin 2024
• Publication de l'ouvrage Résidence JMA 2024 : automne 2024

Succès de la Résidence JMA 2023
La première édition de la Résidence JMA a notamment permis de produire « Nouvelles Voies » avec le soutien de personnalités telles que Yawa Kouigan, Ministre de la communication et des médias au Togo, Sarah El Haïry, ancienne Secrétaire d'État chargée de la Biodiversité en France, Crystal Cordell, Directrice du campus Afrique à Sciences Po, Fanta Berete, Députée, Nicolas Jean, fondateur du cabinet STORK Avocats, Karim Aittalb, directeur général délégué de Geocoton ou encore Phillippe Zaouati, CEO de Mirova...

À propos de Je m'engage pour l'Afrique :

Lancé en janvier 2021, “Je m'engage pour l'Afrique" est le 1er incubateur de politiques publiques citoyens qui œuvre entre l'Afrique, la Méditerranée et l'Europe. “Je m'engage pour l'Afrique” accompagne les jeunes à devenir des citoyens entrepreneurs grâce à des programmes de réflexion, de plaidoyer et de formation sur les enjeux cruciaux de l'Afrique et de la Méditerranée (l'environnement, le financement des économies, la citoyenneté, les villes ...).
En chiffres, JMA c'est : +15 000 acteurs engagés pour l'Afrique, + 50 experts, +300 bénéficiaires et un ancrage dans aujourd'hui 7 pays : Bénin, Belgique, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroun, France, Maroc et Togo

Les dirigeants de l’UE ont donné leur feu vert jeudi (21 mars) à l’ouverture des négociations d’adhésion avec la Bosnie-Herzégovine, tout en précisant que le pays des Balkans occidentaux devrait entreprendre davantage de réformes avant que les négociations ne puissent commencer.

Das französische Parlament einigte sich am Donnerstag (21. März) auf ein Verbot von elektronischen Einwegzigaretten. Das Verbot wird voraussichtlich Ende September in Kraft treten, so die grüne Abgeordnete Francesca Pasquini, die das Gesetz angestoßen hatte.

Ein Fischereiabkommen zwischen der EU und Marokko sollte annulliert werden, weil es das umstrittene Gebiet der Westsahara und seine Gewässer nicht als "getrennt und verschieden" von dem nordafrikanischen Königreich betrachtet. Dies erklärte eine Generalanwältin am obersten Gerichtshof der EU.

Une agence de la Présidence du gouvernement espagnol vient de publier un rapport qui blanchit le Maroc de tout soupçon d'espionnage dans l'affaire Pegasus.

L'Agence espagnole de contre-espionnage, relevant de la Présidence du gouvernement de Madrid, vient de blanchir le Maroc de toute accusation d'espionnage et d'ingérence dans les affaires intérieures du pays.
Le rapport vient lever l'équivoque concernant les soupçons et accusations dirigés contre le Maroc dans l'affaire Pegasus.
Le Royaume du Maroc avait été accusé sans preuve d'être impliqué dans de présumées activités d'espionnage visant le président du gouvernement espagnol, Pedro Sanchez, et d'autres hauts responsables du pays, à l'aide du logiciel Pegasus.

Ces accusations sans fondement avaient déjà fait l'objet de démentis par de hauts responsables espagnols, en novembre 2022, lors d'auditions devant une commission du Parlement européen qui enquêtait sur l'affaire Pegasus.

En juillet 2023, faute de preuves, l'Audience nationale espagnole a simplement décidé de classer sans suite l'affaire Pegasus et par conséquent lavé ainsi l'honneur du Royaume du Maroc.

Some western banks are lobbying against EU proposals to redistribute billions of euros in interest earned on frozen Russian assets, senior industry sources said, fearing it could lead to costly litigation.

Les dirigeants de l’UE ont appelé pour la première fois jeudi (21 mars) à une « pause humanitaire immédiate menant à un cessez-le-feu durable » à Gaza et ont exhorté Israël à ne pas lancer une offensive terrestre majeure à Rafah.

Ethnic women in Bangladesh had to traverse a long hilly path to fetch water for their households, but now they can easily collect water from newly-revived springs after the village common forests conservation project. Credit: Rafiqul Islam/IPS

By Rafiqul Islam
RANGAMATI , Mar 22 2024 (IPS)

Just a few years ago, Sudarshana Chakma (35), a resident of the remote Digholchari Debarmatha village under Bilaichari upazila in the Rangamati Hill District, had to traverse a long hilly path to fetch water for her household because there were no local water sources.

“Unchecked deforestation and degradation of village common forests (VCFs) led to the drying up of all-natural water sources in our village. We struggled to collect drinking and household water,” Chakma explained to IPS. 

Ethnic communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) rely significantly on forests for their lives and livelihoods. They gather water from natural sources like streams and practice jhum (shifting cultivation) in nearby forests. However, indiscriminate deforestation of the natural resources had dried up springs and streams, causing water scarcity in many areas.

The tide turned when the USAID-funded Chittagong Hill Tracts Watershed Co-Management Activity (CHTWCA) engaged surrounding communities, including those living in Digholchari Debarmatha village, as conservation volunteers to protect Village Common Forests (VCFs) in 2020. This initiative successfully revived springs, ensuring a year-round water supply.

The Strengthening Inclusive Development in Chittagong Hill Tracts Project, which the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs implemented, has transformed many lives, including Chakmas’.

“Now we can easily fetch water from nearby springs, bringing peace to our lives. Due to the arduous journey ethnic women had to make to fetch water, quarrels over who was going to fetch the water were common in the village and among families. Now, we live in harmony,” said Sudarshana, a mother of four.

Silica Chakma of Digholchari Hajachara village echoed her sentiments, highlighting the voluntary conservation efforts by ethnic communities to ensure an adequate water supply during the dry season.

“Before the restoration of our forests, we faced water scarcity. Now, we have no water crisis, as we collect water four to five times a day from the springs revived in the forests,” she said.

Silica emphasised that village common forests are conserved voluntarily, with strict regulations against harvesting forest resources without the approval of VCF management committees.

Barun Chakma, President of the Digholchari Debarmatha VCF Management Committee, emphasised the shift in mindset, stating that locals now protect the forests voluntarily, contrasting with past practices where trees were felled indiscriminately.

Enhancing Small Agriculture Sustainability

The CHT faces aggravated water crises during the dry season, impacting agriculture and homesteads.

To address this, local ethnic farmers in Digholchari Debarmatha have constructed bamboo-made dams on streams, creating water reservoirs fed by springs from the village common forest.

Pujikka Chakma, a 45-year-old female farmer, is grateful for the progress.

“After conserving the local forests, farmers do not face water scarcity for their agriculture and homesteads. We store spring water in the reservoir to irrigate cropland during the dry season.”

Thirty-seven-year-old Lika Chakma also acknowledged the benefits of the expanded use of spring water in agriculture, including cultivating various crops and ensuring food security for the community.

Conserving Medicinal Plants

In addition to addressing water security, ethnic communities in the Rangamati Hill District have been actively conserving medicinal plants for healthcare and treatments.

Lika Chakma explained, “We conserve medicinal plants in our local forests for use when we fall sick.”

Poitharam Chakma emphasised the importance of these efforts, given limited access to healthcare facilities in remote hilly areas. “Once our forests were degraded, we faced problems collecting medicinal plants. Now, we are conserving those in our forests.”

Barun Chakma provided details of the planting, a few years ago, of various medicinal plants, including Haritaki (myrobalan), Bohera (Terminalia bellirica), and Amloki (Indian gooseberry), in the Digholchari Debarmatha VCF. While acknowledging that it will take time for these plants to yield herbal medicines, he expressed confidence in the community’s ability to support health treatments in the future.

The conservation initiatives run by ethnic communities in Bangladesh address issues with water security, support agricultural sustainability, and protect priceless medicinal plants.

IPS UN Bureau Report

 

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Dänemark ist nach wie vor einer ernsten terroristischen Bedrohung ausgesetzt, insbesondere durch militante islamistische Bewegungen. Das geht aus der jährlichen Sicherheitsbewertung des dänischen Sicherheits- und Nachrichtendienstes hervor, die am Donnerstag veröffentlicht wurde.

Der Bundestag hat am Donnerstag (21. März) ein Gesetz zur Umsetzung des Gesetzes über digitale Dienste (DSA) verabschiedet. Dabei handelt es sich um ein EU-Gesetz, das regelt, wie Online-Plattformen mit illegalen und schädlichen Inhalten umgehen sollten.

Die Arbeitskosten in Belgien sind in den letzten Jahren fast doppelt so stark gestiegen wie im EU-Durchschnitt. Das geht aus Untersuchungen von Eurostat hervor, die am Dienstag in einem neuen Bericht bestätigt wurden. Gründe dafür sind Inflation, Lohnindexierung und Arbeitskräftemangel. 

Eine Überarbeitung des europäischen Green Deals und des EU-Migrationspaktes gehören zu den Hauptanliegen der tschechischen Partei ANO (Renew/ALDE), die derzeit bei knapp 30 Prozent liegt.

Die Europäische Kommission beabsichtigt, die EU aus dem Vertrag über die Energiecharta zurückzuziehen, wobei den Mitgliedstaaten das Recht eingeräumt wird, auf eigenen Wunsch im Vertrag zu verbleiben. Dieser Plan wurde am Donnerstag (21. März) dem Parlament vorgelegt.

Le rôle de l’Organe des régulateurs européens des communications électroniques doit évoluer, compte tenu de l’extension du domaine règlementaire de ses membres à des écosystèmes plus vastes, a expliqué la directrice de la Commission européenne chargée de la décennie numérique et de la connectivité à Euractiv.

Staff from the Popular Arts Collective "La Changa" on the delivery of agro-ecological baskets on bike in southern Quito in 2020. Heifer supports this group with equipment. Credit: Isadora Romero for Heifer International

By Surita Sandosham
LITTLE ROCK, AR, Mar 22 2024 (IPS)

Shocking and ongoing levels of violence in Ecuador since the New Year followed by flooding caused by El Niño landed a double blow for those in the country who live day to day and are most vulnerable to instability.

Farming families and communities, already struggling to earn a living income, saw the entire food market disrupted. Escalating crime and violence made it more dangerous and challenging to get crops, fish and meat to market, while growing insecurity also dampened consumer demand. Reports reached us of women sleeping in their shops to protect their agri-food businesses while migration levels continued to climb.

Yet against the odds, many communities are keeping local food supplies moving thanks to ongoing collaboration with local development groups that has strengthened their resilience to shocks, offering a blueprint for cost-effective, community-led economic development elsewhere.

Many rural communities in Ecuador were able to adapt to the effects of recent events with the support of organizations on the ground, including Heifer Ecuador, the Global FoodBanking Network and others. Grassroots efforts to minimize the impact of such crises have reduced the scale of losses and the cost of rebuilding as well as the imperative to migrate, making long-term resilience a strategic investment for the humanitarian and development sectors.

This picture of hope in Ecuador should inspire the international community to invest more funding and resources into strengthening local and rural economies in Latin America and around the world so that similar shocks do not set back development gains elsewhere.

Core to building long-term resilience is learning and applying lessons from previous shocks or stressors.

For example, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers in Ecuador united to pool their produce at dedicated and sanitized collection centers and create food baskets for home delivery, targeting low-income families. Meanwhile, communities established open-air marketplaces with the help of the Heifer Ecuador team to provide farmers with a safe place to sell their produce during periods of restricted movement. This meant farming families could continue to make a living, while also supporting local food security.

Clemente Cáceres shows a crab collected. Fishermen are permitted to harvest only male crabs that reach the pre-established size. Those who do not comply with this regulation will be sanctioned.

Today, farmers are applying the same flexibility and creativity to keep food markets functioning despite criminal gangs controlling key roads and ports. This includes adapting schedules to get key commodities like coffee and cocoa to ports safely.

A second element of long-term resilience is anticipating and preparing for shocks as much as possible.

The 1997-98 El Niño brought extreme rainfall to Ecuador, resulting in agricultural losses of more than $300 million by February 1998 alone. But this year, ahead of a forecasted El Niño, Heifer Ecuador worked with partners to carry out an innovative study of the areas at most risk to help take preventative measures to reduce agricultural losses and damage.

The data analyzed the potential threat to 500,000 farmers and producers in the provinces of El Oro, Esmeraldas, Manabí, Santa Elena and Guayas, and recommended measures such as reinforced flood walls and barriers, improved soil drainage, and storage and processing for crops harvested early.

The result was that communities were better prepared this time with more information about what to expect. Some simple but key prevention actions were implemented to protect food collection centers’ post-harvest equipment, among others, minimizing the impact on food systems and local economies.

One such preventative action in El Oro province involved the co-financing of a canopy for a farmer-run association to cover and protect harvested cacao as it dried — an intervention that helped prevent the product from getting wet and losing its quality during the winter season. Similarly, in Santa Elena, Heifer Ecuador and local partners reinforced the soil around a meat processing center, channeling rainwater away from the center’s perimeter to reduce the risk of flooding and prevent the deterioration of the site’s infrastructure.

With more empowered, resilient communities, humanitarian aid can therefore be better allocated for moments of unprecedented, urgent need.

In the meantime, vulnerabilities that exacerbate the impact of shocks — like the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Ecuador in 2016, which killed hundreds and displaced thousands more — must be addressed through long-term disaster risk reduction, including improvements to infrastructure and early warning systems.

The effectiveness of responding to shocks like the recent violent conflict and climate extremes depends as much on the decisions taken in preceding years as it does those taken in the moment. And with climate extremes becoming increasingly frequent, investing in long-term resilience is even more critical.

By investing in local teams and working to strengthen the resilience of rural and agricultural communities at the bottom of the pyramid, the whole fabric of society is stronger and more stable as a result. This has benefitted Ecuador when it most needed it, and by replicating this model elsewhere, it can help protect the most vulnerable around the world.

IPS UN Bureau

 

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Excerpt:

Surita Sandosham is President and CEO of Heifer International

Die Journalisten der italienischen Nachrichtenagentur streiken ab Donnerstag (21. März), um gegen den möglichen Verkauf der Agentur AGI an den Lega-Abgeordneten Antonio Angelucci zu protestieren. Der Verkauf an den Rechtspopulisten würde die Pressefreiheit untergraben, heißt es.