Consultation: | FYEG General Assembly 2021 |
---|---|
Agenda item: | 2 New FYEG Political Platform |
Status: | Submitted |
Submitted: | 07/07/2021, 14:15 |
History: | Version 1 |
PP2-IVnew: FYEG Political Platform - The Green Economy
Political Platform text
4. A Green and Feminist Economy
The Federation of Young European Greens identifies the root causes of the social
and environmental crises as lying within the current economic system. We believe
that this capitalist system, based on unrestrained competition, consumerism, the
exploitation of workers, and profit maximisation* is unsustainable and
incompatible with our planet’s limited resources and the goal of an economy that
benefits all. This system deliberately imposes social and environmental costs on
low-income countries, future generations, and other species. It makes all the
reproductive and care work invisible, a work mainly accomplished by women. It
creates extreme inequalities and excludes most people from decision-making
processes concerning how and what is produced and valued in an economy. This is
because it relies on some people owning means of production and living by that,
while others have to work to make a living. This creates injustices within
societies as well as between them: division between rich and poor, global south
and global north all root in capitalism. The crises we are facing are the result
of the patriarchal, racist and neoliberal capitalist system that is disrupting
human well-being and destroying our collective resilience, and which represents
an existential threat to humanity.
FYEG sees an urgent need for a new vision of progress that is fit for the
century ahead of us. In order to bring an end to environmental destruction and
human deprivation, it is crucial to change the way our economies are built and
defined. We need to shift from economic growth* to human and planetary well-
being and thus create a new economic system. We need to go beyond indicators
such as gross domestic product (GDP)* and make issues such as quality of life
and environmental well-being centerpiece. We believe the technological shift to
a zero-waste industry and economy is not enough. The green and feminist economy
we want to build implies a radical change in the democratisation of the economy,
the redistribution of wealth, and a just transition.This economy is also
feminist, implying that a feminist economy takes equally into account all beings
and the environment in its propositions. It makes social protection a priority
and values the care work, accomplished mainly by women, for people and the
environment.
a. Alternative models to unlimited growth
Economics should not prioritise economic growth, profit, and consumption, but
rather human well-being and welfare. The indicators currently used by economists
fail to take social and environmental factors into account. We therefore think
it is time to develop new indicators which factor in environmental degradation
and economic inequality. The genuine progress indicator (GPI)*, for instance,
measures overall quality of life rather than just economic progress, and takes
into account the needs of individuals and their environment.
A market model creates privately owned and monopolised resources while
alternative economic models, such as “doughnut economics”*, degrowth*, and the
Economy for the Common Good*, provide a system which is sustainable, fair, and
just.
We need to look at the economy in a new way, dismantling the myth of unlimited
growth, putting an end to excessive capital accumulation, and prioritising a
redistribution of wealth and production factors. We strive to use the European
Green Deal to recover from the current crisis in a sustainable way: to foster a
circular economy, economic security and certainty, and gender equality, and to
bring about the destruction of the gendered division of labour.
Intergenerational and intragenerational equity are also fundamental social
values for a green and feminist economy.
For governments, economic policies must be guided by the goals of the Paris
Climate Agreement and the UN’s 2030 Agenda* for Sustainable Development, not by
the pursuit of endless economic growth.
b. Economic structures
The current structure of the economy is a source of injustice, inequality, and
environmental destruction. The monopoly some international companies hold
prevents the entrance of new actors onto the market. It is more and more
difficult for states and citizens to hold companies accountable for their
actions. These companies are the gatekeepers for change. FYEG believes that in
order to create a more sustainable and fair approach to the economy, our
economic system has to change. It must serve human, non-humans, and our
ecosystems, not billionaires.
It is time to rethink how we do economics.
Many economic challenges come from large companies who seek profit at all costs.
They undermine workers’ rights and environmental standards as well as small
local businesses and worker cooperatives. They often avoid paying taxes,
compromising the ability of the state to provide public services. We therefore
call for the economy to be structured differently. Companies that are considered
too big to fail* or hold monopolies must be split up. Small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs)* should have more opportunities to run their businesses
without facing the threat of multinational corporations. Enterprises that serve
goals other than maximising profits, who operate simply in order to provide
services or create jobs, are a solution.
We believe workers themselves can take a more active role in shaping the
economy. We demand that businesses be governed by the people that work in them.
One important step towards this goal would be the occupation of at least 50% of
seats on company boards by employees. Another tool is the cooperative business
model* as it helps to democratise the economy and shift the focus to placing
people over profit and building a more inclusive economy. Mechanisms should be
put in place to make it easier for workers to transform their companies into
cooperatives, especially when the original owner is planning to close the
company.
A green and feminist economy rejects the commodification and privatisation of
the commons. Basic human needs and social rights should always be guaranteed and
must never depend on markets. This applies especially in the cases of housing,
health, education, food, and transport. It is particularly important knowing
that the impact of this commodification and privatisation is gender biased.
In order to reduce the impact of the economy on the environment, it is also
important to deal with the negative impacts of globalisation. While we recognise
some of its benefits, it has both social and environmental consequences and
favours major companies over small business. We support, where feasible,
relocalising* the economy, starting with the production of essential goods such
as food and medicine. The goal of economic policy should not be to boost exports
at all costs but rather to improve resilience and reduce imports, dependency on
single actors, and environmental impacts. More transparent and shorter supply
chains that can be more easily surveyed for exploitatitve and destructive
practices should be encouraged. The introduction of not only carbon but also of
social border taxes could be one of the ways to encourage the relocalisation of
the economy.
c. A sustainable economy
Transforming our economy into a green and feminist economy also means reducing
consumption and pollution. The Earth cannot possibly sustain today’s levels of
consumption. Therefore, challenging consumerism should be at the centre of a
just transition.
We want to turn the linear economy*, which is based on a “take-make-waste”
model, into a fully circular economy*. In a circular economy, products and
materials are used over and over again instead of being discarded. We believe we
can shift from a linear economy to a circular economy based on the following
principles: minimising the usage of energy and resources; preserving value in
the economy; preventing waste, toxic materials and pollution; keeping goods and
materials in use and in closed loops; ensuring human health; and encouraging the
prevention of waste.
For consumers to be able to play an active role and change their buying habits,
we defend the right to access more detailed, harmonised, and reliable
information on the social, environmental, and climate impacts of goods and
services over their lifecycle, including durability and repairability*. We also
emphasise the need for change in relation to product-related greenwashing* and
false environmental claims. We call for regulation encouraging producers the use
of non-proprietary standards, designing by the principles of open hardware and a
loss of patents and duty to publicise constructions and building plans when
spare parts are no more produced. In order to ease repairability of goods
producers must ensure the availability of spare parts over the entire lifecycle
of the product.
Today, most items and packaging are meant to be used once and discarded. This
creates vast quantities of pollution and waste materials. As landfills exceed
capacity and micro-plastics pollute the whole planet, there is a substantial
need for change. We support a move towards a zero-waste society, phasing out
single-use plastics and encouraging the development of bulk buying.
Consumption is influenced by an ever more visible advertising presence. We
support regulation in advertising, including a ban on advertising the most
polluting products and behaviours (e.g. car and air travel, meat consumption).
We support a ban on targeted advertisement that uses people’s personal data to
influence their behaviours. We also think the environmental and visual impact of
advertisements should be addressed, for example by limiting the size of
advertising billboards in cities, making sure they are not illuminated at night,
and banning digital advertising screens..
d. Fiscal policy
Taxation is needed to fund public budgets, maintain quality public services and
welfare states, and fund investments needed for a just transition to a zero-
carbon economy. We oppose the austerity policies* that have been put in place
across Europe. Massive investments into social and urban infrastructure, health
systems, education and fighting climate change are needed for the young
generation. Young people need decent jobs, health care, free public transport
and a liveable planet more than they need a balanced state budget . We demand
fair taxation and a stronger fight against fiscal fraud. Taxation can also be a
powerful tool in itself, reducing inequalities, redistributing wealth, and
contributing to changing behaviours.
We defend the introduction of a European common taxation policy in order to
fight tax avoidance* and tax havens*, both inside and outside the EU. A baseline
20% EU corporate tax* should be introduced to reduce the attractiveness of tax
avoidance. Part of that corporate tax should automatically feed into the EU
budget.
Taxation should be used to reduce inequalities. We support progressive income
taxation*, with higher taxation for the richest taxpayers. We also support the
introduction of a wealth tax* on millionaires, possibly at the EU level.
Finally, we believe a higher taxation on inheritance is key to reducing the
transfer of inequalities from one generation to the next.
The Federation of Young European Greens also believes that taxation can help
support positive behaviours and discourage harmful behaviours, and that over
time we should prioritise phasing out taxes on work in favour of taxes on
behaviour and wealth. Behavioural taxes such as a carbon tax, the taxation of
meat products, the taxation of single-use plastic items, and the taxation of
polluting cars, among others, can be powerful tools to encourage change. Those
taxes should be implemented fairly to avoid overburdening citizens already
living in precarious situations. Their revenue should be redistributed globally
and help support a just transition.
e. Financial markets
More than a decade after the global financial crisis, financial markets and
banking systems remain dangerous and flawed. Financial markets continue to cause
systemic instability and social inequality. Investments continue to flow to
unsustainable, carbon-intensive* industries. Banks still ignore the damage their
investments are causing to societies and the environment.
We need to change finance. We cannot make the transition to a fairer, greener
future economy without a global financial system that can allocate capital to
where it is needed, drive sustainable investment, and manage risk equitably. The
financial system must serve the needs of society, not the other way around. To
achieve this, transparency, fairness, and sustainability are key. The taxation
of financial transactions* is an important tool to fight short-term and instant
transactions. We support its introduction at the EU level.
We need a global banking system – and a system of banking regulation* – that
responds to today’s needs and prioritises the public good. It needs to encourage
productive investments in the local green economies of today and tomorrow,
rather than propping up polluting industries or encouraging dangerous
speculation. It needs to address inequality, both globally and locally, rather
than entrenching it. And it needs to be accountable to society, rather than
lawless and deregulated.
f. The digital economy
The digital economy is becoming a central part of the economy. It has the power
to change our society – for the better or for the worse. We need to act quickly
to ensure that the development of the digital economy is not used to attack our
rights and privacy (see chapter 2), or to bypass social regulations as in the
case of platform workers* (see chapter 5). We need to make digitalisation an
opportunity for our society and ensure that regulations are creating a level
playing field* for all actors, as well as improving training on digital jobs.
The size and influence of some of the big digital companies raise legitimate
concerns. We support dismantling tech giants* and de-monopolising* digital
offerings.
Europe’s physical communications infrastructure* must be built, owned, operated,
and maintained on a non-profit basis as a common resource. This allows faster
expansion, with more people gaining access at a lower cost.
While digitalisation can be used to tackle climate change, the biodiversity
crisis, and pollution, we must not forget that digitalisation itself is not a
climate-neutral activity. From web servers, crypto-currencies, and cables to
antennas, phones and computers, digitalisation relies on infrastructure that
consumes large quantities of energy and therefore contributes to greenhouse gas
emissions. It also requires the use of many rare earth elements, the extraction
of which causes serious harm to the environment.
The premature obsolescence of digital products exacerbates this phenomenon, as
well as generating large quantities of electronic waste that is not properly
recycled and therefore contributes to water and soil pollution.
A lot more needs to be done to ensure the sustainable implementation of
digitalisation. We must remember that digitalisation is a tool to achieve our
wider goals and not an end in itself.
g. Preparedness and Civil Defence
FYEG sees the need to prevent runaway climate change. However, we also see the
need to prepare for the impacts of climate change, and what might happen if we
fail to stop it at 1.5 degrees.
To ensure that the consequences we will undoubtedly have to deal with as the
world warms do not hit those who are less well off, while wealthy groups
nationally and internationally can continue to live their lives and consume as
normal, all actors in society need to be engaged in stronger and more equitable
preparedness - institutions and businesses as much as civil society
organisations and individuals. Food and water, healthcare, and general
preparedness are three areas where we believe significantly more work needs to
be done across Europe.
We need to ensure that Europe is agriculturally self-sufficient in order to be
sure that when the crisis comes, food does not become something only the wealthy
can afford. In the climate of the future, we cannot rely on harvests in other
countries to turn out well. Nor is it morally right for a rich country to rely
on imports of vital crops when we know that climate change will lead to food
shortages, especially in poorer countries. To this end, FYEG believes in an
expansion of existing strategic food stockpiles, and an agricultural policy that
focuses not only on environmental and climate aspects but also resilience,
appropriateness, and security of supply.
The same goes for water - there is insufficient knowledge in many European
countries of how much ground reserves they have, and many countries rely heavily
on just one or two major sources for the majority of their drinking water. To
avoid situations where people lose access to drinking water while nearby
industries still use water for their operations, there should be clear
prioritisation plan developed in each locality for use of limited water
supplies, and where feasible backup systems should be developed in case of
contamination or interruption of normal water supplies. As greens we believe in
human security, and there is no need more human than that for water.
Disasters can create supply holdups, and we need to ensure that Europeans can
survive while help is on the way. FYEG believes that national governments should
develop emergency rationing plans to be prepared for if the worst happens, and
require housing associations and households to ensure that they store at least
two weeks worth of these durable, basic foodstuffs. This should be combined with
a requirement that all newly build structures contain emergency shelters,
adapted to local emergency conditions.
In addition, it would be optimistic to assume that COVID will be the last
pandemic our generation sees. FYEG believes that all countries should be
required to hold emergency pandemic and total defence stockpiles, aimed at
providing food, medical and protective equipment, and medicine that a population
might need in a long global emergency. Humans security, rather than military
security, should be our priority.