The MSc student Gabriele Ferrari attended the 10th International Degrowth Conference that took place in Pontevedra, Spain, from 18 to 21 June. Hosted by the University of Vigo, this year the conference consisted of a joint conference of the international degrowth research networks and the European Society for Ecological Economics. This joint conference was part of the “Pontevedra ESEE-Degrowth 2024” activities, which will establish Pontevedra as the European capital of degrowth in 2024.
The conference featured a diverse range of sessions, including academic lectures, expert panels, and artistic workshops. Around 1000 attendees, including academics and activists, attended the conference with the aims to bring together a wide range of perspectives and international expertise on ecological economics and degrowth.
The conference was organized in alignment with the core values and principles of both ecological economics and degrowth, with a strong focus on advancing human and environmental wellbeing, promoting cooperation, democracy, inclusiveness, transparency, and solidarity.
Gabriele Ferrari presented the outputs from T4 of the project a “Joint management of habitat conservation and electricity generation in a small hydropower plant”. The work illustrates how the operation of a small hydropower plant is altered by the introduction of environmental constraints, and how hydropower plant’s operation can be optimized in order to match with the new environmental challenges the world will need to face while maintaining their original purpose of electricity production.
