Our Future is Public Energy Democracy Movements Declaration

5 September 2023

15 minutes read

The Energy Democracy Declaration is a result of a two-day Energy sector meeting as part of the international Our Future is Public conference in Santiago, Chile, that involved Indigenous representatives, trade unions, ecofeminists, climate justice organisations, solidarity collectives and NGOs. It outlines six dimensions that can jointly pave the way forward to ensure clean, affordable energy for all.

Our Future is Public: Energy Democracy Movements Declaration (PDF, 4.03 MB)

Average time to read: 15 minutes

Publication type: Declaration

Introduction

It has never been clearer: profit-driven energy corporations have influenced governments, international institutions and UN environmental conventions in support of policy decisions that favour greed and capital accumulation. As such, these policies are failing to prioritise ecological and human needs. There are severe and deep cracks in the blind faith in neoliberal market economics, founded upon decades of privatisation, extraction and exploitation.

As billions across the world face energy poverty and record high energy bills, this is a crucial moment to transition towards a public energy system rooted in justice, solidarity and democracy. It is time to unite globally to put the care of people and our planet before profit.

As we rise up against injustice, we work together for energy democracy. We see the fight for energy democracy as part of the wider struggle towards climate justice that acknowledges the intersections between racism, classism, capitalism, economic injustice, gender exploitation, and environmental harm. We need to make the necessary systemic changes to realign our economies with our natural systems. From local collectives to regional, national and international transformations: we have solutions. There are social and technological challenges ahead of us. There are also false solutions to the climate crisis which replicate colonial capitalist patterns. Yet groups fighting for energy democracy at all levels of society are leading resistance and remedies towards a better future.

We stand at a turning point at the intersection of multiple crises. How do we end energy poverty without further fossil fuel extraction? What does it look like to decolonise and dismantle exploitative energy policies at local and international levels? How do we actualise reparations with and for global South countries on the frontlines of the climate crisis so that they can decarbonise? How do we develop participatory planning and ensure equity in new energy models?

Ultimately, we have the choice of two energy transitions: green colonial imperialism or energy democracy underpinned by equitable public ownership. The latter ignites a fundamental shift in how we understand, value, consume and manage energy beyond economic cost.

It is time to

Decarbonise - Democratise - Deprivatise - Decolonise

Depatriarchalize - Demarketise - Decommodify - Degrow

our global, regional, national and local energy systems!

Support the global movement to reclaim our energy systems

Support the declaration

Editors

The Energy Democracy Movement Declaration is co-published by:

RLS – Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Brussels Office; TNI – Transnational Institute; CASA – Centro de Analisis Socio Ambiental; Comuna, Droit à l’énérgie; Enginyeria sense Fronteres; Gender CC – Women for Climate Justice Southern Africa; Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights; GTCCJ – Grupo de Trabajo Cambio Climatico y Justicia; La Sandia Digital – Comunicamos los mundos que soñamos; OEP – Observatorio de ecología política de Venezuela; PLATFORM; Red Transición Energética Popular; UMSS – CESU Universidad Mayor De San Simón,Centro De Estudios Superiores Universitarios; UNTyPP;
Working Group for Energy Democracy.

Design, illus, pictos, graphs, production HDMH sprl

This movement declaration was a collective effort and the fruit of a joint learning and building process.

We want to thank in particular Alejandra Lozano, Andrea Vides de Dios, Ilyes Benammar, Karen González, Mónica Montalvo, Martha Myers, Romain Descottes and Rowan Mataram for their precious contributions.