Green Transition

Tine De Moor takes us through the historical context of the commons.

Editorial: A striking brand of political momentum is building, driven by the resurgence of citizen-led initiatives around the commons…

LabGov, the Laboratory for the governance of the commons in Italy, aims to foster innovative forms of public collaboration in the city of Bologna and beyond.

The idea of a free interrail pass for every EU citizen on their 18th birthday to explore Europe’s diversity is enticing. However the EU’s emphasis on liberalisation is leading to the loss of night trains.

Fifteen years ago, in April 2001, an unexpected event took place in Canberra, Australia, that would change the scene of international political organisations. A significant number of environmentalists came with a single objective: to found a global Green movement that brings together all the Green parties and political movements of the Green world.

As the TTIP negotiations between the EU and US continue, another equally sinister force is currently under construction: the Environmental Goods Act (EGA). Both are conducted in secret, and we should not allow the controversy of the former to distract us too much from the great greenwash of the latter.

In a time of ecological uncertainty in a swiftly changing society, it is important that as Greens, we lend an ear to the public mood. However, change cannot be brought about if we ourselves also do not change – from a negative tone, to a positive one…

Have the Greens lost their connections to political movements? Did they become just another political party like all others?

On Sunday, June 16th, 2013, between the hours of 2:00 and 3:00 p.m., the price of electricity in Italy (the PUN or Single National Price) hit zero for the first time in history. In other words, electricity demand was fully covered by renewables. For the Italian energy sector and consumers this was an historic moment and an historic date.

The professional NGO world is unable to reverse the major global trends. It can, however, prevent projects and policies by forging powerful alliances – and build alternatives.