Agreed. At the same time AI is everywhere and increasingly hard to prevent students from using it. What stance to adopt is something puzzling for me as a teacher...
Posts by Thomas Bauwens
I wrote an accessible introduction to the life and work of the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics - Elinor Ostrom. She showed that are not doomed to fall into the "tragedy of the commons." Collaborative governance is possible.
islandpress.org/books/uncomm...
Together, these map how a democratic, ecologically grounded transition might plausibly unfold — not only in theory, but in practice.
6/6
Four pathways:
🔹 Pooling: local actors voluntarily join forces
🔹 Cession: higher authorities hand real power down
🔹 Disaggregation: actors reclaim authority from centralized structures
🔹 Appropriation: institutions formalize what's already working from below
5/6
We introduce polycentric articulation:
how societies rearrange rights and responsibilities to govern ecological commons while preserving meaningful self-rule.
4/6
Our study takes this head-on.
We argue polycentric governance offers a promising institutional direction: not top-down control, not fragmented localism, but coordination that strengthens community autonomy.
3/6
So what do you do?
Hand everything to distant authorities who "coordinate" on your behalf?
Or stay local and hope global problems solve themselves?
This tension sits at the heart of post-growth politics.
2/6
New publication out in #EcologicalEconomics !
Link to the paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.ec...
You're part of an energy cooperative.
Your community governs its own resources. It feels right.
Then climate breakdown reminds you: the atmosphere doesn't care about municipal borders.
1/6
🚨FoEI condemns the military assault on Palestine’s only national seed bank in Hebron — a direct attack on food sovereignty. We stand in solidarity with Palestinian farmers #FreePalestine #UAWC
“Do you know how to read?”
“No. It is one of the black arts.”
He nodded. “But a useful one,” he said.
Bar chart showing heat-related deaths in several European cities from 23 June to 2 July 2025, distinguishing between numbers due to human-caused climate change and those due to natural variability Milan: 317 from human caused climate change, 182 natural Barcelona: 286, 54 Paris: 235, 138 London: 171, 92 Rome: 164, 118 Madrid: 108, (then some relatively small number not given) Athens: 96, 79 Budapest: 47, 24 Zagreb: 31, 25 Lisbon: 21, 71 Frankfurt: 21 (then some relatively small number not given) Added text says two-thirds of heat deaths in London were attributable to climate change Guardian graphic, source: World Weather Attribution, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London
Yes climate change is already killing people
www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/pub...
New here and not sure who to follow? 👀
We’ve created a starter pack of researchers working on topics related to socio-technical change. It’s a first attempt and will grow over time.
Know someone who should be on it or want to be included yourself? Comment below or send us a DM ✉️
go.bsky.app/7STgwpg
#MembershipMonday 🗺️⚡
Is your #CommunityEnergy project on the map?
Our national map is now bigger, better & part of our easy-to-use data portal. Help us show the impact of UK community energy!
📍 Add your site
💡 Update your info
🌱 sots.communityenergyengland.org
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich: We are destroying everything that remains in Gaza, the world isn't stopping us.
People who are still shouting that Israel is not committing genocide must be clapping their hands over their ears every time an Israeli minister steps onto a podium because
A high-profile 'carbon capture' project doesn't even capture enough co2 to cover it's own pollution, making it a net emitter
Projects like this get plenty of soft media coverage of their promises, none have delivered
There is no silver bullet, climate pollution must be stopped at the source
Did you know that electricity is often taxed more than fossil fuels in the EU?
It’s a policy choice that makes electrification less competitive.
Our @regassistproj.bsky.social report explores how taxes and levies shape this imbalance and what can be done.
www.raponline.org/knowledge-ce...
Unforgivable
📢 EVENT ALERT | MAY 14 – BRUSSELS
The other face of the energy transition 🔋💥
Join us at SoundsResist in Ixelles to hear from two Indigenous women defenders from Argentina exposing the hidden costs of lithium extraction!
👀 www.sounds.brussels/resist
Excited to announce my new project exploring artists experiences of affordable housing in London funded by Bow Arts Trust, more here #affordability #postgrowth #postgrowthplanning
www.sofiagreaves.online/bowarts
Wall Street won’t rewild the planet. Or decarbonize mining. Or defossilize agriculture.
For @phenomenalworld.bsky.social I unpack why chasing investability harms climate goals in sectors beyond energy & transport - & what states can do with derisking failures www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/unb...
⚠️Some corporations claim the energy community label without adhering to the values.
Join us for the webinar "Corporate capture: A threat for a citizen's energy transition in Europe", organised by @foeeurope.bsky.social & @eco-union.bsky.social
📅 14 May - 11H CEST
✏️ us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Co-hosted with @rescoop.eu and @coopseurope.bsky.social as part of the #coops4dev initiative, our session brings together research & practice.
It’s part of the International Year of Cooperatives 🌍
More info: www.energycommunitiesforum.eu/day-2
3/3
We’ll ask: How can energy communities turn circular ambitions into real impact — despite market rules, funding models, and governance constraints?
This blends my two research focuses:
🔋 community energy
♻️ circular economy (beyond tech + recycling) 2/3
Circularity in energy isn’t just about materials. It’s about who controls the system, who benefits, and who sets the rules.
Next month, I’m leading a session at the European Energy Communities Forum in Kraków. 🧵 1/3
#EnergyCommunities #CircularEconomy
🎺 3 weeks to go until our annual Forum!
💫 To mark the International Year of Cooperatives, @thbauwens.bsky.social and @coopseurope.bsky.social will lead a session on circularity and its potential for energy communities.
Find out more 👉 www.energycommunitiesforum.eu/day-2
#EECF25 #IYC2025
The world has warmed more than 1.1C since the first Earth day in 1970, with the fastest warming occurring over land (where we all live!) and in higher latitude regions:
Happy to contribute to this article about how to build lasting power for environmental change:
“One of the best ways to be effective, if you're going to be an activist, is to create community and solidarity and really build down into the local level"
www.sierraclub.org/sierra/earth...
Een minister van "Klimaat en Groene Groei" is de zoveelste brutale oplichtingstruuk van kabinet Wilders.
Fossiele subsidies.
nos.nl/artikel/2564...
New publication on our @degrowthjournal.bsky.social 👇