Author: ericw

Interview with Abbes Kalmes President of TMEnerCoop S.C

• What is an energy co-operative?

It’s a group of people who come together to pursue a social project that produces goods and/or services. In this case, we’re talking about the production, and soon the sharing, of renewable energy.

• What are the advantages of becoming a cooperative as opposed to installing individual solar panels?

You can do both, but investing in a cooperative allows you to make a collective investment that is just as effective but less costly than the sum of individual projects.

• What is the national interest in developing energy co-ops across the country, and what are the obstacles?

The idea is to develop communities of citizens who can meet their own energy needs (production and sharing). In this way, they are contributing to energy independence and democratising the means of production. The main obstacles are the lack of knowledge and the fears of some politicians about the potential benefits of citizen communities.

• Can I become a TM EnerCoop cooperator?

Any individual who applies for membership and shares the values defined in our Articles of Association can become a member. We also have a number of non-profit organisations and a foundation among our members, and will be accepting municipalities in the future.

You can apply for membership via our website www.tmenercoop.lu

Interview by Sébastien Kanarek and Eric Lavillunière

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• Created in September 2013 by 12 founding members

• It now has 239 members

• There are 11 installations in 6 municipalities

• Total output 500 kWp (including 200 kWp in Esch/Alzette)

• Annual production forecast for 2024: ± 450,000kWh, equivalent to the annual consumption of members (± 1875 kWh / person / year)

• Under development: 1 project with an output of 300 kWp

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When we talk about climate change, we quickly conjure up images of drought and flooding in Africa or Asia, with their disastrous consequences for local populations and harvests. But they also exist in our latitudes.

July 2021. The Alzette turned into a fury and floods everything in its path. In Germany and Belgium, the consequences were dramatic, with almost 200 deaths. Hills collapsed, destroying roads, towns and infrastructure. In stark contrast, the following summer was very hot (the 2nd hottest since records began in 1838) and the driest since 1921**.

Whether on the scale of North-South comparison or that of a single Luxembourg municipality, these phenomena highlight the immense problem of climate injustice. Age, gender, state of health or finances, geographic or professional situation mean that there is inequality when it comes to climate change.

The UN’s stance on climate justice as follows: “Equity and human rights are at the heart of decision-making and action on climate change***”.

From this perspective, including citizens in decision-making process is essential, given equal voice to express their needs so that the decisions taken exclude no-one and are location appropriate. Politicians must also understand the urgency of the situation and assume their responsibilities. Finally, raising public awareness is another factor that can ensure climate justice.

The Iroquois had a way of doing things that we could perhaps learn from. In the tribal council, one person had the task of defending the interests of the 7 generations to come in terms of the impact that each decision would potentially have on them. We are talking about active thinking, in the long term and not just in the short term, on the interests of future generations. This is what we are doing in the transition movement, with the participation of citizens.

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* https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/O-9-2021-000056_FR.html

** https://gouvernement.lu/fr/actualites/toutes_actualites/communiques/2022/09-septembre/02-bilan-meteo.html

*** https://climatepromise.undp.org/fr/news-and-stories/le-changement-climatique-est-une-question-de-justice-voici-pourquoi

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The agricultural production sector is one of the main emitters of greenhouse gases. More than ever, it is important to turn to local, planet-friendly agricultural production. Guaranteeing the human right to food, as well as the right of farmers to live in dignity (see international agreements signed by Luxembourg), is also crucial.

In Luxembourg, only 5% of the fruit and vegetables consumed are local (1). In 2023, only 6% of productive land was farmed organically (2).

In Esch-sur-Alzette, the town’s mainly urban and industrial structures have made cultivating land a particularly difficult challenge. There are some interesting local production initiatives, such as urban gardening, honey production and organic market gardening by CIGL Esch. However, access to healthy, local food that respects farmers and the planet remains a major challenge for local policies with regards to adapting to climate change.

Choosing to give priority to organic and local produce when making personal purchases can help to increase demand for these products. However, more ambitious policies on this subject would improve things further still. For example, encouraging and promoting self-production by households, which is already important in the South (3).

For public institutions, encouraging the use of peasant seeds (not to be confused with ancient seeds), co-sponsoring projects to develop a green belt in the south of Luxembourg, and encouraging the development of local grocery shops and groups for the maintenance of peasant agriculture, in order to develop the supply chain.

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• 1 https://men.public.lu/content/dam/men/catalogue-publications/sante-bien-etre/informations-generales/2021-04-restopolis-lokal-ideal.pdf Home. (s. d.). Geoportal. https://www.geoportail.lu/en/
• Mondiale, L. B. (2022, 27 octobre). Tout ce que vous devez savoir sur la sécurité alimentaire et le changement climatique. World Bank.
• 2 https://paperjam.lu/article/agriculture-bio-au-luxembourg-
• 3https://liser.elsevierpure.com/ws/portalfiles/portal/33402197/Rapport_final_Demande_en_produits_alimentaires_locaux_dans_la_Re_gion_Sud.pdf

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Projet Metzeschmelz, © Agora

2023 was the hottest year on record, and at the beginning of 2024 the planet exceeded 1.5°C for the first time in 12 consecutive months (1). Since the main factor in global warming is the accumulation of Greenhouse Gases (GHG), all the climate agreements aim to reduce them drastically and as quickly as possible. An initial deadline has been set for 2030 in Luxembourg, to reduce emissions by 55% compared with 2005.

At municipal level, it’s the “Climate Pact 2.0” (2) tool that guides climate policy, encouraging municipalities to reduce their GHG emissions and make efforts to adapt to climate change. The town of Esch plans to present its adaptation measures at the Second Assises Climat that is being organised this year, at the end of April.

For example, in the future district of Metzeschmelz, the urban design will focus on nature and human needs: recovery and reuse of waste water, creation of large green spaces adapted to the future climate, low-carbon rehabilitation and design of buildings, development of cycle paths and footpaths, good public transport links, etc.

To find out about all the measures planned, an exhibition will be on display from the end of March until the Climate Conference in the Town Hall Square. We invite you to join us at the end of May – during the Citizen Forum – to begin a dialogue with the City of Esch on the impact of all these adaptations on the daily lives of residents and their implementation in all neighbourhoods.

Finally, the Citizen Collective for the Climate will be holding its Festival of Citizens’ Initiatives for Transition in Esch-sur-Alzette at the end of June. It’s a great opportunity to get together, as we like to do at Transition Minett, and demonstrate that citizen action is possible in all areas, as well as to encourage more and more people to join our movement!

1. https://www.copernicus.eu/fr
2. https://pacteclimat.lu/fr/acteur-engage

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The Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 was a historic celebration! It was the first time, in more than thirty years of climate conferences, that the world community managed to agree on an ambitious and above all binding objective: To reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (1).

However, Greenhouse Gas(GHG) emissions have continued to rise since the COP, reaching a new all-time high in 2023. Scientists now believe that this trajectory of growth in GHG’s is unsustainable, and above all that it is no longer possible to limit global warming to 1.5°C (2).

The result is that climate change is accelerating at record speed, and the consequences are being felt more and more: heatwaves, forest fires, droughts, heavy rainfall, floods, loss of biodiversity, reduced agricultural yields, etc.

So we need to prepare for, and above all, adapt to climate change because we won’t be able to stop it. But we’ll always be able to mitigate it, now isn’t the time to bury our heads in the sand!

It will not be enough to blindly trust technological progress or to only consume “green”. To have a real impact, we must strengthen the fight against the causes of climate change and, above all, not be afraid to face reality.

The reality is that we’ll have to adapt and reduce our consumption habits – and it can be done! For example, young people who drive less and less, who eat less and less meat and who wear second-hand clothes, etc.

The reality is that we are also going to have to get rid of fossil and nuclear fuels – and it can be done! For example Austria, who today covers 2/3 of its energy needs with renewable energies (3).

Finally, the reality is that we will also have to give up the linear economy – and it’s doable! Esch-sur-Alzette, for example, and its many actors who’ve been working for years on projects that engage the logic of the circular and sharing economy. On the public side : the City of Esch directly, the SIVEC resource center, etc. And on the civil society side : Transition Minett, CIGL Esch, the Formida Center, FerroForum etc.

Proof that we can adapt without capitulating, for and with people, at all levels of society!

Eric Weirich

with the support of Eric Lavillunière

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1. https://reporterre.net/Limiter-le-rechauffement-a-1-5-oC-Trop-tard-affirment-mille-scientifiques
2. https://theshiftproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Rapport_SYR_AR6_v1.pdf
3. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Renewable_energy_statistics&action=statexp-seat&lang=fr

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“Social protection and the right to food are essential to building successful, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems that leave no one behind. ”

This is how the FAO describes the right to food, but today this right is unfortunately violated in many ways.

Our society has turned this human right from a necessity into a commodity: Indeed, supermarkets are no longer places to buy food, but to sell products according to a capitalist logic, where the goal is to produce as much as possible while spending as little as possible. This opens the door to the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and GMOs, which are sources of pollution for water, land, air and which kill biodiversity.

This logic respects neither human nutritional needs, the rights of the workers producing these goods, nor the environment. We must say it loud and clear: Access to healthy, quality food produced with respect for humans and the environment is a right, like water and air. Food can never be simpely a commodity.

If to eat well, my food must be organic, without pesticides, without chemical fertilizers and without GMOs, then we should not have the right to produce in conditions that do not respect humans and the planet.

We must therefore change our logic and put the right to healthy, quality food back at the heart of our society, in a system that respects humans and the environment.

You will ask, ‘What can we do as citizens to move in this direction?’

• First, demand the right to healthy, quality food, which is recognized as a universal right.
• Make sure that this right is a right and not a privilege, by making this food accessible to the whole population.
• Buy and support organic, local and seasonal food production and producers who respect workers’ rights.

An example of actions along these lines is the organization of food cooperatives, like Mesa in Esch with the cooperative KiloMinett0. It supports a dialogue between consumers and local producers. Mesa also offers a café/restaurant with organic, local, vegetarian and seasonal food at reasonable prices. Finally, it is also a grocery store selling local organic products in bulk.

We believe in an ecological transition that is inclusive, supportive and fair, and we are doing everything possible to make this a reality in Esch, with and for the citizens.

Adriana Cardoso and Yasmin Labidi

Baskets of fresh and dry products, organic, local, in bulk, at reasonable prices, all delivered to your home.

Did you know it was possible? For a few months now, the Km0 Cooperative (MESA) has been testing and developing a project to deliver dry and fresh products directly to individuals or to collective withdrawal points.

After subscribing, it will be possible to receive a weekly assortment of vegetables, dairy products and eggs, all organic and local, including a monthly delivery of dry products, mostly in bulk. Several subscription sizes are being tested for families, 2 people or single individuals.

Have you always dreamed of having easy access to organic, local, bulk products? If you want to join the project, write to adriana@transition-minett.lu. An information and integration meeting for new members will be organized soon.