BOLSTER · Bridging Organizations and marginalized communities for Local Sustainablity Transitions in EuRope

No European should be put at a disadvantaged because of the European Green Deal (EGD). BOLSTER will deliver new scientific evidence on decarbonization transition strategies and how they intersect with various dimensions of inequality, such as gender, race, age and class. It will conceptualize the principle of leaving no one behind by developing participatory governance models and transition guidelines based on climate justice and gender equality. BOLSTER will launch action research in ten European regions. Seven of those regions are at high risk of being affected by the EGD, as they have a high concentration of carbon-intensive industries. The other three regions have already undergone an economic transition and will be studied in order to learn from the past. Research shows that transition policies predominantly benefit already privileged citizens and often tend to reproduce social inequalities. Moreover, there is a growing polarization vis-à-vis transition plans. The overall aim of this project is to understand how marginalized communities are affected by EGD-related policies and to see whether involving them in decision-making processes increases the support for transition plans. To achieve this goal, BOLSTER will use novel qualitative research methods with participatory approaches to improve the understanding of the experiences and needs of marginalized communities. Next, it will organize multi-actor forums with key actors in the regions. In order to enable balanced participation from all social groups, special attention will be paid to enhancing the capacities of organizations that represent marginalized groups. Moreover, BOLSTER will actively contribute to addressing procedural justice aspects in the transition process. The goal of the multi-actor forums is to increase support for the transition plans by better accommodating the needs of marginalized groups. We believe that BOLSTER’s activities will foster a more just transition.