Description
The IPCC report 2022 states the need for lifestyle changes which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions reductions of up to 70% in specific areas. A prerequisite for these lifestyle changes to happen on a massive scale is that the right systemic framework conditions are given, and that the right to have a choice to life sustainably is given for all people. The risk in this is that policies in Europe right now do not take into account this need for radical lifestyle changes hand in hand with systemic change. This coincides with growing political apathy amongst citizens. Policies such as the European Green Deal would need to focus on transformative social innovation, acknowledging that people matter when it comes to coining place-based policies, harnessing the agency of citizens and communities. Community-led initiatives already now show that a positive handprint on the planet is possible as the Time for Collective Action Manifesto shows. How can policies strengthen community-building, collective action and social change towards strong sustainability? How can they strengthen social imagination, meaningful participation and lively democracies? What are concrete political demands integrated within the Liège Declaration on Adaptation?