In 2025, Europe Must Initiate Its Systemic Revolution

In 2025 Europe must launch a Systemic Revolution that reindustrializes EU nations, revitalizes local economies, and accelerates the ecological transition

Is this a Utopia? No.

As David Djaïz and Xavier Desjardins explain in their excellent book The Compulsory Revolution, EU countries’ survival hinges on their ability to lead this systemic revolution.

The book’s core thesis is that America and China have already begun a “clean industrial revolution” which aims to:

• generate clean energy (hydrogen, solar, biomass) in huge quantities
• develop “ecological” products and services (electric cars, H2 electrolyzer, CO2 capture and reuse)

Once these new skills are mastered and these products are marketed on national soil, China and America will — by 2030 — massively export their products, services, and know-how throughout the world and seek to dominate international markets.

China aims to create an “ecological civilization” and will rely on a “green totalitarianism” governance model to become the “world’s ecological factory”

America, on the other hand, is driven by a “productive messianism” with the government teaming up with the private sector to finance colossal projects to reindustrialize America’s hinterland, creating millions of jobs. The goal is to stem the rise of “Green” China.

Caught in an ideological vice between hyperliberal American “green” capitalism and Chinese communism that embraces “green totalitarianism,” Europe must embody a third way in ecological transformation based on humanism and solidarity.

This book outlines a new virtuous and flexible socio-ecological model that European countries can implement to lead their “systemic transition”

Indeed, it is a systemic transition that incorporates six dimensions: industrial, ecological, social, economic, digital, and (above all) democratic.

It is more frugal to finance a systemic transition project that integrates these 6 dimensions in a synergistic manner rather than investing in multiple “silo” projects that manage these 6 components independently.

And the ideal geographical scale (unit) to lead a systemic transition is that of the TERRITORY (REGION)

“The ecological transformation of the Old Continent must be territorialized and differentiated, as Europe is characterized by its diversity,” note the authors.

The city of Loos-de-Gohelle in Northern France has successfully led a systemic transition. Read my case study.

The real revolution advocated by this book is in the art of GOVERNING.

“Today, the purpose of government is no longer just to ensure safety, or even social and material security, but to contribute to the ecological sustainability of our societies.”

EU countries need political leaders who are not “messianic saviors” but who empower territories to emancipate and regenerate themselves by each leading their own systemic revolution in an autonomous and responsible manner.