As the winter sets in and the partners working on dust hang up their tools for the holidays, we look to the progress made in our case study regions. DUST's Regional Futures Literacy labs are in full swing and progressing well with all of the participants that have joined our workshops. Our case study work is wrapping up, after many focus groups with least engaged communities, interviews with regional decision makers and deep dives into the regional narratives surrounding sustainability transitions present in media. The work being done in our case study regions is invaluable, to explore the potential of place-based decision making to ensure a just sustainability transition across Europe and beyond.
In the spirit of the holidays, here's a few wintery artworks from our case study regions that continue to inspire us!
A watercolour from Lars Cedergren '' Ödekyrkan från väster'', painted in 1816-1830 depicts a wintery church in Gotland. Gotland's cement industry is one of Europe's largest and is undergoing a transition, supported by the Just Transition Fund.
The painting ''Gezicht op de Halfwegsmolen bij winter, Boterdiep Groningen'' by Geert Jans Kiewiet de Jonge is dated between 1821 and 1881 and shows some of the common winter activites in Groningen at the time. In 2014, it was decided to phase out gas extraction in Groningen and the gas field located there is expected to be closed between 2025 and 2028.
Franz Schreyer's ''Winterabend am Moorbruch'' dated between 1858 and 1936 shows the Lusatian lignite region in its natural winter state of long stretching snowy fields. In 2020 the federal government decided to end lignite extraction and coal-based energy production in Lusatia, a complex transition process impacting many communities.
After a year of strong progress and inspiring interactions with many in our case study regions, we wish everyone connected to DUST a restful winter holiday and look to 2025 to continue our efforts towards democratic policy design and a just sustainability transition.