Climate Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Decarbonization in Latin America presents social, economic and territorial challenges, which can only be addressed by building an energy model driven by citizens. Our project aims to empower citizens in energy decision-making, to promote policies that allow citizens to actively participate in the transition to renewables. We seek to facilitate access to knowledge, involve and educate citizens, and articulate organizations both in Chile and Latin America for the elaboration of policies that promote citizen energy and influence each government. 
Our advocacy project began in Chile in 2021 by participating in the hearings for the Chilean new Constitution process. It continued in 2022 when, in collaboration with the NGO Chile Sustentable, we established the Grupo de Acción por la Energía Ciudadana (GAPEC). The first annual meeting was held in January 2023, during which result was a a proposal document for modifying the Law for the Promotion of Renewable Energies was drafted. These proposals were centered on setting a target for residential distributed generation, promoting public information, among other regulatory modifications. Currently, we are conducting a Study for the development of public policies to promote Citizen Energy in Chile. This study is funded by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and aims to provide to GAPEC with technical inputs for proposing effective policies and strategies for promoting community energy projects. Our goal for the upcoming year is to advocate for a Community Energy Law in Chile.

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Replaces/avoids GHGs (e.g., projects that replace sources of GHGs, such as the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat, transport, or other energy uses)

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Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

Given our extractivist economies, Energy Transition in Latin America presents complex challenges of workforce restructuring and socio-environmental justice. Moreover, it is necessary to advance in the construction of a model that approaches energy poverty, social inequalities lead the poorest population to spend a considerable percentage of their income to meet their energy needs. Despite the fact that considerable progress has been made in the introduction of renewable energies in the energy matrix, this has not had an impact on the local economies or on improving the population quality of life, especially for the most vulnerable.
Our project empowers the population traditionally unrepresented in the climate movement through two actions: Firstly, convening organizations to participate in GAPEC, such as groups such as women leaders, worker unions such as fishermen, rural drinking water associations, environmental organizations affected by the impacts of industrialization in their territories, among others. 
Secondly, through this fund, we will seek to expand our sensitization and awareness actions, through the communication campaign and training actions within GAPEC, such as holding workshops, seminars and talks.
We believe there is an opportunity in Chile for the traditionally underrepresented groups to participate in the energy transition. For instance, the only participation indicator that presents a gap favorable to women is that they participate 15.7% more than men in neighborhood committees. Therefore, programs and public policies could be directly focused on these groups in order to promote women's participation in local energy projects.

Mission Statement:

Energia Colectiva is a non-profit organization whose goal is to promote citizen energy transition in Chile and Latin America. Founded in 2021, those of us who make up Energia Colectiva have a vast track record in promoting the citizen energy transition, from activism, academia, public institutions and participation in energy cooperatives.
Since 2016 we have participated in different instances both nationally and internationally, which has allowed us to build networks in Brazil, Colombia and Argentina, with organizations such as Institute IDEAL and DGRV (Brasil), CENSAT (Colombia) and Energy and Sustainability Observatory (Argentina)Through this project, we seek to expand our scope of action on these countries, inviting these organizations to participate in actions to exchange experiences and knowledge around the development of public policy proposals that seek to promote citizen energy in each country. Our medium-term objective is to establish a Latin American platform that represents citizen energy demands.

Link: Facebook:

@ONGEnergiaColectiva

Link: Instagram:

http://energia.colectiva

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