Partners across the EU 1.5° Lifestyles project continue to work towards social-ecological transformation across different countries in Europe, including recently promoting "EU 1.5° lifestyles" in the Austrian Parliament and Austrian media.
The EU 1.5° Lifestyles project was recently represented by Halliki Kreinin (RIFS) at two influential events in Austria that brought together thought leaders from academia, business, politics and civil society to discuss pathways to a more sustainable future:
- At the Beyond Growth Conference at the Austrian Parliament, Halliki took part in the opening "How do we shape the ‘Beyond Growth’ society?" panel on May 13th.
- Halliki also represented the project at the televised "Growth happened yesterday. Do we want degrowth?" panel debate at the 4Gamechangers Festival on May 16th.
The events demonstrate the strong civil society and political interest in transformative change across Europe - including rethinking unsustainable economic and social systems that are currently not resilient enough, leading to greater social inequalities and environmental catastrophe.
Beyond Growth Conference Austria
The inaugural Beyond Growth Conference Austria was a landmark event at the Austrian Parliament bringing together policymakers, researchers and civil society for in-depth discussions on the transition to economies in line with planetary boundaries. The conference is part of a series of Beyond Growth conferences taking place in the EU this year, after the hugely successful Beyond Growth 2023 conference in Brussels.
Halliki Kreinin (RIFS) represented the EU 1.5° Lifestyles project at the opening panel: "How do we shape the ‘BeyondGrowth’ society?" The discussion focused on how to move away from GDP as an indicator of economic well-being and societal goal.
The conference was organised by different parliamentary policial parties, GLOBAL 2000, Degrowth Vienna, Doughnut Vienna, Umweltdachverband, as well as Arbeiterkammer Wien, Partners for a New Economy and the Wellbeing Economy Alliance. You can find out more here.
4Gamechangers Festival
At the 4Gamechangers Festival, Halliki participated in a panel discussion titled "Growth Happened Yesterday - Do We Want Degrowth?" alongside Professor Ulrich Brand (University of Vienna), Barbara Schmidt (Österreichs E-Wirtschaft), Elisabeth Zehetner, and Hikmet Ersek. In the debate, Halliki promoted the latest scientific research around the environmental crises, including the IPCC report, to debunk climate delay and techno-optimist narratives, as well as highlighting the EU 1.5° Lifestyles project.
The debate can be watched here.
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Pia Mamut - RIFS