From Vision to Action: Citizen Commitment to the European Green Deal

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 1316

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, 3000-995 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: participatory and deliberative methodologies; EGD pathway; farm-to-fork strategy; sustainable agriculture; human-nature relationship; social learning

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, 3000-995 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: collaborative learning communities; education; youth engagement; sustainable development; environmental stewardship

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The European Green Deal (EGD) outlines Europe's strategic plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This endeavor presents a significant challenge, necessitating shifts in individual behaviors and societal norms, all aligned with public policy initiatives. Additionally, achieving a comprehensive vision of sustainability calls for the in-depth examination of human and non-human interactions, gender dynamics, and the inclusion of vulnerable communities to ensure a just transition. PHOENIX, an H2020 project, delves into the lessons learned from participatory budgeting, citizens' assemblies, public debates, and forums addressing public policies. It analyzes how these practices can be adapted for discussions about the energy transition, circular economy, farm-to-fork initiatives, and ecosystem restoration to support the EGD's objectives.

This Special Issue covers various topics on how participatory and deliberative practices can be tailored to discuss the EGD’s pathway. These topics include, but are not limited to, theoretical discussions and empirical evidence addressing the following: good practices of participatory and/or deliberative processes dealing with EGD-related topics; discussions on how well-known participatory and/or deliberative practices may be adapted to deal with the challenges posed by the discussion of environmental topics, such as multilevel governance, the extended timeframe for implementation, the inclusion of different stakeholders and deniers, increasing mutual trust, discussing complex topics, and favoring behavior change in everyday life; interactions between humans and nature, and people’s behavior towards nature protection as well as restoration; and readiness to change towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

For consideration in this journal, please submit your abstracts and any questions to the Special Issue Guest Editors <>, <>, or the link https://www.mdpi.com/journal/socsci/special_issues/SNTV58IZN8/abstract by 31 December 2024. Notification of acceptance will be provided by 31 January 2025. Final papers are due on 30 April 2025 for peer review.

Dr. Sheila Holz
Dr. Denise Esteves
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • European Green Deal (EGD)
  • participatory and deliberative methodologies
  • sustainability
  • climate change
  • human–nature relationship

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 334 KiB  
Article
Nature at the Heart of Ecological Transition: Five Ideas to Allow a Plural, Reflexive, Intercultural, Transnational, Ecological, and Dynamic Citizenship
by Fátima Alves, Diogo Guedes Vidal, Giovanni Allegretti, Edmundo Gallo, Hermano Albuquerque de Castro and Helena Freitas
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(12), 697; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13120697 - 20 Dec 2024
Viewed by 774
Abstract
To change the course of traditional citizen participation towards ecological transition (ET) and to promote a sustainable transformation of social systems, it is necessary to implement a transformative policy that is based on a deep understanding of the territories in their biophysical, socioeconomic, [...] Read more.
To change the course of traditional citizen participation towards ecological transition (ET) and to promote a sustainable transformation of social systems, it is necessary to implement a transformative policy that is based on a deep understanding of the territories in their biophysical, socioeconomic, and cultural dimensions. This policy should incorporate and articulate a plurality of knowledge, technologies, powers, and local positions. In this paper, we propose five ideas inspired by initiatives and examples from around the world to promote plural, reflexive, intercultural, transnational, ecological, and dynamic citizenship, which may foster a fair and inclusive ET. This scenario aims to envision alternative modes of social organization to anticipate ecologically and globally equitable futures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Vision to Action: Citizen Commitment to the European Green Deal)
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