By Marcel Gascón Barberá
The half of Europe that freed itself from communism in 1989 has until now taken the backseat in the environmentalist movement, which rapidly developed in the continent in recent decades. But now an ambitious civil society project is mobilizing Central and Eastern European activists into joint, cross-border action to put climate change at the center of their countries’ agenda and optimize efforts to achieve greener economies and healthier societies.
This is the aim of the “Community Lab for Climate Changemakers in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)”, launched at the beginning of October. The coalition brings together over 800 innovators from 9 countries, demonstrating that every kind of changemaker plays an important role in our collective effort to combat climate change. Meet five innovators, from a former actress to a physicist-turned-activist, leading the way.
Monika Sadkowska: Representing the climate in court
Poland’s Monika Sadkowska, a former actress now working as a public affairs campaigner with NGO ClientEarth, is committed to putting up a legal fight when it comes to protecting the environment. Last month, ClientEarth initiated a landmark case against Europe’s largest active power plant. In an unprecedented move, the judge gave a favorable recommendation for ClientEarth and established that the protection of the environment is a “common good” and said that the power plant’s management should work with the NGO to accelerate its closure.
Ondráš Pribyla: Computer science for the climate
A theoretical physicist with experience in quantum computing, Czech Republic’s Ondráš Přibyla got is now using his scientific and strategic skills to make evidence accessible for all who need it. That is not just for environmental activists, but also journalists, teachers, politicians or businesses. He does this through the website faktaoklimatu.cz, which he runs with several other volunteers with an IT background. Here they provide hard data on rising temperatures, carbon emissions and the reliance on lignite to produce electricity — all in a clear, compelling way.
Ondráš, who calls his group of programmers “screen activists,” believes his work is crucial to counter climate change skepticism and help journalists and decision-makers understand current environmental challenges. All their work is in Creative Commons license and can be easily translated to other languages. Sharing their experience building the website with changemakers from other countries might lead to similar initiatives developing in the region.
Juraj Melichar: Channeling funds towards clean energy
Also working in energy transformation, Slovakia’s Juraj Melichar is a national campaigner for Bankwatch, previously also working Friends of the Earth Europe in Brussels. His current focus: using EU Funds to secure fair energy transitions in the continents’ regions heavily dependent on fossil fuels. This expertise is much needed in Central and Eastern Europe as the European Commission launches its Green Deal, one of the world’s most ambitious sets of policies and financial incentives to green the economy — and a golden opportunity to revitalize ailing coal belt regions across post-communist Europe.
Madis Vasser: Facing the future with fresh vision
Estonia’s Madis Vasser is “an experimental psychologist and computer scientist turned climate and energy advocacy expert due to the environmental crisis.” He sums up his activism in three words: “adapt, transit, degrow.” Warning that an un-planned Estonian energy transition into fuel-free alternatives could end up a social catastrophe for the most affected communities, he’s searching for multilateral solutions. He is also helping to create a future vision that puts energy descent as a core assumption. “Endless economic growth is not compatible with survival on this planet,” he says.
Ioana Ciuta: Campaigning against coal
The coordinator of policy and campaigns on energy at the CEE Bankwatch, Ioana has measured the impact of coal plants on air quality in the Western Balkans and led several grassroots campaigns to put an end to the abuses associated with coal generation in the region.
Ioana is currently organizing “the lung run,” a race aimed at raising awareness about the effects of air pollution caused by coal power plants. Its first edition will take place on October 25 in Novaci, North Macedonia, a village next to the Bitola power plant. Some runners will be fitted with personal air pollution exposure sensors to measure the toxicity of the air they — and the residents of the town on an everyday basis — inhale.
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Building the collective
The Community Lab is aimed at advancing a larger transformation across the region — which involves rallying the public to become changemakers for the cause.
This is a challenge: academic researchers Tomas Chabada and Jan Krajhanzl from the Masaryk University in Brno who have extensively documented the perceptions about climate change in the Czech society, found that in 2015 there were 29 percent of climate change skeptics within the Czech population. Fortunately, recent surveys are indicating that climate skepticism within the Czech society is slowly fading away.
For the next three and half months, hundreds of innovators will be in constant contact, collaborating to produce several new initiatives and projects that might lead to major transformations in the region. Learn more in Ashoka’s report about climate innovators across the region, and stay tuned!
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The Community Lab for Climate Changemakers in Central and Eastern Europe is an action-oriented network and co-creation lab that brings people together to address climate change challenges in Central and Eastern Europe. Community Lab is funded and created by EIT Climate-KIC and led in a collaborative model with partners: Ashoka, 4CF Strategic Foresight, Centre for Systems Solutions, Cleantech ForEst, Impact Hub,and University of Warsaw.
