Sustainability

The topic of greening the economic and financial system is broad and daunting. However breaking it down into a few key questions can highlight the steps that we as Greens must urgently take to reign in the financial industry.

Despite being only a small part of their manifesto, the German Greens’ policy of ‘veggie days’ gave them the unfortunate appearance of being the party that ‘wants to ban things’.

On 29 September 2013, Austria went to the polls. The results gave the Greens 12,4% of the vote, a plus of 2%.

Today’s mainstream economic debate around investment vs. austerity is failing, but a truly comprehensive Green New Deal could offer the alternative. The right support from the EU and national governments could encourage different structures of business ownership, focused on sustainability and social ownership that will help the transition to a truly sustainable economy.

When looking at the disappointing result for the Greens in last week’s German elections, can some of the blame be placed on them downplaying their long-standing position as the pro-Europe party?

Though Croatia is now a full Member State of the European Union, it faces a tough path to full compliance with the Union’s environmental legislation. However, the potential benefits to Croatia are clear – from safer water to more green jobs.

Is the fight against climate change a declarative one, or a genuine one?

The decisive question for the coming decades is not ‘if’ but ‘how’ the global economy will grow. We are currently in the middle of a green revolution in which millions are already participating. To advance, however, we need effective environmental policy at national and international levels. And above all, we need a European Green New Deal.

Placing our society and economy within an ecological framework will require a radical rethink of what ‘progress’ means as to date this has become synonymous with economic growth. This will mean a change in our relationship with technology and a rebuilding of our social relations.

Can Croatia’s entry to the European Union create an opportunity to change the country’s economic and ecological paradigms? That potential exists, but will only succeed if new political alliances are created that bring together a broad range of social movements.