ROMA – According to the Inequality and Diversity Forum the climate crisis and the policies to combat it are generating new social risks that especially expose the most vulnerable population. Presented at the conference “Local energy welfare. A new frontier of social and environmental justice in the face of the climate crisis”which was held in Rome a few days ago, a series of concrete proposals to make existing or soon-to-be introduced measures better able to respond to people’s needs.
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Local energy welfare. After a year of climate disasters and the general increase in temperatures, while a tangle of interests emerges at the COP29 in Baku that portend a dangerous failure, the Inequality and Diversity Forum proposes an analysis that goes beyond just the technical issues necessary for the decarbonization process and focuses its attention on a less debated topic: the climate crisis and the policies to combat it are generating new social risks that especially expose the most vulnerable population. The proposal is to design a renewed welfare system capable of providing responses to these new risks. A energy welfare locale (Wel), built by putting living places at the centre, understood as spaces of possibility for making an energy transition capable of responding to people’s needs.
Solutions imagined based on various experiences. In short, an imagined welfare, on the one hand starting from what emerged from two years of research at a local level with the project local energy welfarecreated together with Basso Foundation and, on the other, gathering the expertise in the social and environmental field of some organizations – Caritas, CittadinanzAttiva, Cnca, Ecco, Coop. ènostra, Messina Foundation, Legambiente, Kyoto Club, New Regenerations – who broadened their gaze to national and European politics and contributed to the drafting of the document.
The climate crisis is moving faster than anyone predicted. The context from which the reflection starts is one in which the climate crisis is progressing faster than any prediction, as demonstrated by the data released by Copernicus Climate Change Service of the EU which recorded that in 2024 the safety limit of 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average was exceeded for the first time for the whole year; in which the equally rapid decarbonisation process needed can produce new social and territorial inequalities. A context in which the climate skepticism of the new US President Donald Trump and his fervent support for the world of fossil fuels ask Europe, and Italy, to find its own far-sighted identity profile in facing today’s great challenges, to which adds the safety of people, businesses, territories and cities in the face of the climate crisis and adaptation and contrast policies.
Access to energy as a new social risk. The function of welfare must therefore be reread from an eco-social perspective, with particular attention to the question of access to energy which, after the advent, at the end of the 20th century, of privatizations and the birth of the free market, contextual to the worsening of the environmental crisis appears as a new social risk. With an additional awareness: for the success of the energy transition the source from which energy is produced is no longer indifferent as is the efficiency with which it is consumed.
Energy efficiency as a right. The objective is to arrive at the definition of an energy welfare that recognizes access to renewable energy and energy efficiency of consumption as a right of citizenship and the protagonism of people in the transition as a social right and instance of democratic participation. Energy welfare therefore represents the first piece of a more general climate welfare which affects many other areas affected by the climate crisis such as mobility, health, work, the securing of the territory always in the belief that environmental policies, if they do not incorporate the social dimension, can have unfair impacts that increase inequalities.
The analysis of policies and proposals on three major areas. Which are: income, technical solutions and social infrastructure. In addition to the analysis, the work of ForumDD and the organizations that collaborated in drafting the document, focuses on a series of concrete proposals and observations that could make a series of measures in force or about to be introduced in Italy, in many cases implementing European directives, better able to respond to new social and environmental risks.
The measures put forward in the document refer to three main areas:
1) – those of income support so that people have the economic opportunity to make choices in the energy field;
2) – those that put incentives for technical and technological solutions on the table;
3) – those that favor the creation of social infrastructures.
In the first category. For example, the first category includes the proposals put forward to “correct” the social bonus for electricity and gas for which, among other things, a clear and targeted information campaign, the extension of automatic also for physical discomfort, the introduction of the climatic characteristics of the territories among the criteria for the assignment and of greater protection mechanisms in the context of the free market.
In the second area: it includes, for example, the so-called Green Homes directive which Italy will have to implement by the end of 2025 by establishing a National Plan to build which the government will have many flexibility tools at its disposal to include measures aimed at facilitating access to vulnerable families . Hence the proposals to provide for the transfer of credit for those who do not have sufficient fiscal capacity to absorb the incentivized amount; the integration of building policies with community and neighborhood scale interventions; the concentration of resources on public residential construction, also restructuring the tools already in place, such as the Thermal Account (for which it is proposed, for example, to increase reimbursements to 100% for some categories such as public building stock).
The third area. It is the focus on strengthening social infrastructure. Going in this direction, among others: the analysis of the provisions relating to renewable energy communities, to be integrated to move in the direction of a conscious involvement of fragile social actors and the construction of bonds of solidarity that go beyond a purely utilitarian dimension.
A greater role for mayors. The proposal to give a greater role to mayors and organized civil society within the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change, which is fundamental for dealing with extreme events such as floods, in the awareness, currently totally absent from the Plan, of the function of social and the qualification of proximity relationships that increase a community’s ability to prepare and be able to respond to current and future climate impacts.
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Guest 2: Exactly! Viewing energy welfare through an eco-social lens encourages integration between environmental and social justice issues. It highlights the importance of renewable energy access and its role in reducing poverty and promoting community resilience. Unlike traditional welfare approaches that might provide temporary relief, an eco-social perspective aims for long-term solutions by ensuring that energy policies foster both ecological integrity and social well-being, ensuring that vulnerable populations are prioritized in the fight against climate change.
Great, let’s start then. Can you tell me about your background and experience in the field of climate policy and welfare?
Guest 1: Sure! My name is Pietro, and I have been working in the field of climate policy for several years. I am particularly interested in how climate change impacts society, specifically looking at how social and economic inequalities are exacerbated by climate policies. I believe that it’s crucial to consider these factors when designing climate policies to ensure they are just and equitable.
Guest 2: Hi, I’m Maria. I am an energy expert with a background in environmental science and social work. I have been focusing on the intersection between energy policy and social welfare for the past few years. I believe that access to clean, affordable energy is a fundamental human right, and we need to ensure that our policies reflect this.
Let’s begin by discussing the context in which the interview is taking place. The article mentions that the climate crisis is progressing faster than expected, and that privatization of energy has created new social risks. Could you please expand on these points?
Guest 1: Absolutely. The privatization of energy systems has led to an increased focus on profit rather than on human needs. This has resulted in inadequate infrastructure in vulnerable communities, making them more susceptible to power outages during extreme weather events. Additionally, privatization has led to higher energy prices for many households, especially those living in poverty. These factors have exacerbated social inequalities and exposed the fragility of our current energy systems.
Guest 2: I completely agree. Privatization has also resulted in a lack of investment in renewable energy, which has led to a continued reliance on fossil fuels. This has contributed to the climate crisis, which is now having a disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities. We need to ensure that our energy policies prioritize access to clean and affordable energy for all, regardless of socio-economic status.
The article proposes that energy welfare should be viewed through an eco-social lens. Can you explain what this means and how it differs from traditional welfare models?
Guest 1: An eco-social lens means considering the environmental impact of our
