A Word from the Editors

Heya readers,

Welcome to the sixteenth issue of Tver-

gastein which looks towards the future–by necessity an open-ended endeavour. As we celebrate our tenth anniversary amidst uncertainty, turmoil, and a global pandemic, we wanted to embrace just how many alternative associations 'the future' can evoke. When we sent out the call for alternative futures, the responses we got back were insightful and varied. They now fill these pages with a multitude of possibilities that you may, or may not, hope for, predict, or engage with for the very first time.

We start off by tackling the underlying and problematic conditions of the systems we currently exist within. Janne Salovaara and Sophia Hagolani-Albov start us off with an evaluation of the possible paths for breaking away from capitalism within sustainability transformations. Johannes Volden's in-depth discussion of the sustainability of meat and alternative proteins within growth and degrowth paradigms illustrates how such basic and systemic principles determine possible future outcomes. In their response to Julia Cagé’s book, The Price of Democracy, Sanne van den Boom and Hendrik Pröhl look at how political systems, like parliamentary democracies, also have built-in (im)possibilities. Kylie Wrigley shows us the potential for constructive change, that is made within the vein of degrowth, in an analysis that looks at how proponents of degrowth can struggle discursively to define alternatives to our future that match the degrowth narrative. Finally, Matteo Redaelli takes us on an artistic journey of modern landscapes in comparison with those of past eras, juxtaposing our gaze into the future with past nostalgias.

As we move past systemic change, we look at one of the most highlighted issues of the modern, western world: our consumption. Sam Anderson discusses his new company, CarbonGraph, and the possibilities of changing our consumption habits within the current capitalist system. Wouter de Rijk then looks at the historical narratives of energy consumption and production, with an argument intertwining dimensions of the current culture in the Netherlands with its energy transition from the 20th century. Hendrik Pröhl continues the conversation of energy in Europe. He examines the tension produced by Germany's plans to change where their energy is sourced from while leaving the underlying cultural elements of growth and consumption untouched. Finally, Sofie Van Canegem provides

a thoughtful reflection on her own attempts to switch her consumption habits in regards to food waste, and the outside pressures she felt throughout this journey.

Amalie Rugård Jensen provides another artistic break with her imaginative engagement with a fictional fern-talking scientist, to make room for uncredited individuals. She also graciously ushers in the final topic of our visions for the future: resistance. Andrew Poeppel examines our ethical responsibilities for the future, and how activism and resistance, both through action and thought, can be a necessary part of this ethical dilemma. Jean-David Rizo writes in Spanish about his experiences as an urban gardener in Colombia, and the resistance of the Indigenous peoples to former land grabs in the region. Elena Salmansperger then looks at the economic growth paradigm, and resistance to it, through squatting in Leipzig, Germany. She focuses especially on the agency that squatting can have within transformations. Finally, Alejandro Ruelas examines the resistance of activist Roger Hallam, and how fixating on resisting ‘correctly’ might endanger the resistance in itself. Hanee Jang provides an illustration focusing on life for this piece, as well as her own experiences in Norway through her other depiction, ‘Living in Nature’. Each of the following articles is a stand-alone piece that looks at its own facet of one possible path. We hope that in showing some of these possibilities, in giving a glimpse of what we face, how we got here, and what may materialise as a result, we can all come to envision some of the myriad of alternatives that have yet gone unmentioned. We encourage you to peruse the perspectives here and take them on as building blocks in answering the question that has accompanied us for the last year: what is my place in creating an alternative future?

Editorial Board, 2021-2022

A Word from the Editors 4

Contributors 8

Inescapable Path Dependency and Unbreakable Barriers: The Overpowering Presence of Capitalism in Sustainability Transformation 10 by Janne J. Salovaara and Sophia Hagolani-Albov

Can We (De)Grow Meat? Bringing Alternative Protein in Dialogue with Degrowth 23

by Johannes Volden

Rethinking Democracy: a Response to Julia Cagé 36 by Hendrik Pröhl and Sanne van den Boom

Degrowth's Discursive Struggle for Utopia 42

by Kylie Wrigley

Landscape Discovery by Matteo Redaelli

Chasing Carbon: The Story of CarbonGraph 62

by Sam Anderson

57

Alternative Futures in the Past: Dutch Discourses around Natural Gas in the 1960s 69

by Wouter de Rijk

What Makes a Transformation – The German Hydrogen Economy as an Example of Radical Change to Business as Usual 80 by Hendrik Pröhl

Living in Nature by Hanee Jang

93

Climate CHALLENGE by Sofie Van Canegem

94

Arrival of the Ferns by Amalie Rugård Jensen

101

The Vanguard of Climate Ethics: Seeking a Livable Future in an Age of Accelerating Change 106 by Andrew Turner Poeppel

¿Qué significa liberar a la Madre Tierra en las ciudades? Una mirada al proceso de Liberación de la Madre Tierra desde la perspectiva de un huertero urbano en Cali 116 by Jean David Rizo

Creativity, Urban Margins, and Global Transition: The Case of Occupy Leipzig 121 by Elena Salmansperger

Of Many Worlds in Resistance, and Why Roger Hallam is Dead Wrong 135

by Alejandro Ruelas

Editorial Board 147

Sponsors 148