The environmentalists GOB, celebrating their fiftieth anniversary, now have a board made up of fourteen women. Margalida Ramis has become president, but she makes clear that there is now a new collective structure in which there is no place for leadership.
GOB first really came to the public's attention when they were involved with the protests in 1977 against development on the island of Dragonera. Those protests included an 'occupation' of the island.
Ramis says defence of territory and natural spaces remains a key aspect of their efforts but that there is now a more global vision for a climate change scenario. "The current approach is that of an eco-social transition, calling into question an economic model that consumes resources with an insatiable metabolism and which leads to negative impacts and conflicts."
Aina Cassanyes, one of the board members, argues that unlimited growth contributes to climate change. "We are suffering from rising housing prices and it has been proven that more tourism does not mean better living. Sustainable growth is an oxymoron."
She is critical of the new government. "The environment ministry has been eliminated and the housing decree directly affects urban planning at a municipal level. The government doesn't talk about issues such as tourist limits, climate change, the management of natural spaces or the current law for the welfare of future generations (which was a GOB initiative). They will not be able to ignore it. In Europe there are movements in line with this law."
Cassanyes adds: "Ecological proposals should not be perceived as a threat, but rather as a way to build a hopeful future for the people. Denialism is the easiest message and politics lacks the initiative to fearlessly address issues such as limits, restrictions and degrowth. There is a lack of a global and social vision of the problems we face."
Ramis points to the government's housing emergency decree being an example of this. "Instead of having a global vision, a decree is approved that tries to solve the housing problem through the market, without framing it in a social approach and without counting on the town halls." (Town halls can in fact veto the decree, and some already have.)
Defence of territory has led to a clash with something that GOB believe in, renewable energies, and this is because of the development of large solar parks. "We are totally in favour of renewable energies, but not in the current way. We demand a moratorium on these energy infrastructures while clear planning is developed. If not, planning is being decided by the market. It cannot be that agrarian, fertile and strategic land is occupied by these large photovoltaic parks. These imply an industrialisation of rural land."