UNITE FOR A JUST ENERGY TRANSITION: A CALL TO ACTION,RESILIENCE, EQUALITY AND INCLUSION – Front commun pour la transition énergétique

(we do work mainly in French, but we try to be more inclusive and we hope to get better at it. Thank you for your indulgence)

Hello,
This letter is to invite you to take part in an important initiative, as you are someone with vital knowledge in your field who would greatly contribute to this undertaking. We know that your days are already full, but even a small contribution can make a big difference. Your presence will allow us to gather the tools we need to collectively co-create a just energy transition.

Since September 30, 2019, the Front Commun pour un Transition Énergetique (FCTÉ) (Common Front for an Energy Transition) launched the Québec zéro émission nette (“ZéN) (“Net Zero Québec”)) initiative and proposed their initial version of a road map towards a “Quebec ZéN” (English version here!)(Net Zero Québec). By naming our desire for a more just and resilient future, and by outlining the paths we commit to take and the roadblocks we will avoid, we aim to nourish a constructive dialogue to collectively envision a Net Zero Québec. We will be in an intensive phase of collective visioning until next Spring. We hope for these exchanges to bear fruit in the form of a roadmap that will achieve a broad consensus among all who inhabit this land.

If you are interested in this project, we ask you to:

Invite your organisation to take ownership of the proposed road map. We invite you to note what excites you, what you would like to change, what you would like to know more about, and anything you would like to propose. Your organization can send any and all suggestions through this page or by email to info@pourlatransitionenergetique.org before March 15 2020 (we are open to other methods of sending feedback, if needed!).
Fill out this contact form in order to stay connected to future conversations and actions around a just future (we commit to minimal emails).

If you are even more interested, you can also:

Send this message to other organizations who you believe could contribute to this initiative
Send us your suggestions of other organizations who could contribute to this initiative
Organize a session (or sessions!) to discuss the Net Zero Québec initiative, or any other themes from the roadmap that resonate with you
Write to info@pourlatransitationenergetique.org if a theme particularly resonates with you in order to get in touch with the coordinator of that subject
Join the platform Passerelles and notify the FCTÉ (info@pourlatransitionénergetique.org) in order to be invited to future conversations related to this initiative
Join the Front commun pour la transition énergétique
Propose collaborations between the Quebec ZéN initiative and your own related initiatives
Endorse the updated roadmap that will be published on April 22 2020 (50th edition of Earth Day). Filling out the contact form will ensure that you receive information on this at the appropriate time.
Gather regional and movement power in order to mobilize around the roadmap (bring the initiative to existing organizations, create working groups, etc. according to your context)

This step undoubtedly requires a lot of work. But if this exercise allows us to identify meaningful ways to face the challenges before us, our collective progress will be worth the effort. If we are able to better understand the challenges that remain difficult to untangle, all the better. If we are able to create inclusive spaces to reinforce our collective resilience, we will have created exciting new avenues towards meaningful action and structural change.

The impacts of climate change become more visible each day, and the science clearly demonstrates that we must collectively move towards carbon neutrality as soon as possible. The Front commun pour la transition énergétique (FCTÉ) believes that the energy transition must not only aim to reduce greenhouse gases, but must equally serve as an opportunity to create a more resilient, egalitarian and sustainable society on an ecological level. Given the depth of the transformation that must happen, the challenge of creating a truly inclusive process, and the limited time to address these questions, only a participatory approach will allow us to find the consensus we need to achieve our goals.

We are excited to continue on these paths towards an energy transition with you!