WISIONS last Newsletter for 2021 – End of Year Reflection

In WISIONS’ last newsletter of the year we recap our work in 2021 as an initiative that empowers individuals and communities to transform the production and use of energy so that it effectively enables sustainable development. It presents a selection of our highlights of the last twelve months and concludes with an end-of-year reflection, in which we look back on what kept WISIONS, our partners and the energy access sphere worldwide busy this year.

The highlights of this edition are:

• WISIONS goes to COP26 – our side event at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow that we co-organised with ACCESS Coalition. Under the motto “Making the Last Mile the First Mile!” we asked practitioners working towards advancing just energy transitions how to best involve people as “co-creators of future energy systems”. In the context of putting people in the centre of efforts to deliver universal access to energy in the Global South the panel discussed their lessons learned and practical challenges ahead. The discussion established the crucial role of CSOs, who can act as a “missing link” connecting governments and communities. The panel concluded that just energy transitions are possible, if local needs and local knowledge are taken into account.
• Our work in the Let Communities Lead initiative that advocates for increased empowerment, local ownership and self-governance in order to let communities take the lead transforming their energy futures. After kicking the initiative off with an online event, the first report launched and WISIONS is proud to present our case study of a collaborative learning approach in the context of biodigesters for family farmers in Costa Rica. Family farms were used as learning spaces, where farmers interested in implementing biodigesters could get in touch with those who have successfully done so and learn from them. Read all about our costa rican story!
• The 30th anniversary of the Wuppertal Institute was celebrated with a scientific conference in Wuppertal. Under the motto “ZUKUNFTSWISSEN: shaping the future in an innovative, transformative and crisis-proof way”, it aimed to open a new chapter in transformation research and took a close look at the challenges ahead in moving towards a socially and ecologically just world. Opportunities of transformation were discussed in the arenas of mobility, industry, energy, resources, urban living, nutrition, prosperity and consumption. Have a look!
• WISIONS end-of-year reflection where we confirmed the main objective of our work: implementing holistic approaches to transform energy systems, particularly the productive use of energy. This year also highlighted the importance of local energy practitioner networks for fulfilling SDG7 by providing the framework for peer-to-peer knowledge exchanges, which is a very effective way of climbing the learning curve. When being on site is not possible, having strong local networks is essential for the continuity of projects. WISIONS will continue to work closely with our network partners.

You can find the last Newsletter of 2021 here! If you want to receive our Newsletter in the future, you can subscribe through the sidebar on the right of WISIONS homepage.

We are looking forward to a great new year 2022!