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Conference: Beyond Aviation, Tourism and Capitalism

For a Just Mobility for All.

Time to strategise! Join our conference!

From July 3 – 6 2025, social movements and people engaged in countering air traffic’s and tourism’s negative impacts will meet for a big conference. What can we do to win the battle against the escalating ecological and social crises?

We’ll have time to evaluate, discuss our strategies, and build relationships to empower, support and learn from each other.
The conference will work without a flight taken. It will take place in person in Barcelona, with possibilities for online participation for parts of the program, and local hubs in India and Mexico.

Sheila speaking at Degrowth of Avation Conference 2019, @Christine Tyler / Stay Grounded

Program & Registration

The conference in Barcelona starts on Thursday, July 3, around 2pm CEST. It will end on Sunday, July 6, around 3pm CEST followed a joint action.
We will make parts of the program available for online participation from all over the world. Check out our preliminary program here.
To join in Barcelona, book your public transport soon to avoid rising prices – but be aware that we have a no flight policy. We try to support with travel costs if this would hinder you from coming.
The conference is planned with interpretation in English, Spanish/Catalan and French where possible.
We will ask for a registration fee to cover food, venue and travel costs, based on your financial possibilities.

Why this Conference?

Thanks to the tireless work of people across the world, we’ve seen rising awareness about the impact of aviation on the climate. We’ve also seen increasing outrage about the destruction that mass tourism brings to communities, something that is strongly connected to the growth of aviation. At the same time, flights, emissions and mass tourism are on the rise, as are fascist and climate-denying forces. We are losing the battles against climate breakdown, gentrification and expulsion in favor of a wealthy minority.

Looking at this, we think it’s time to gather, pause, and think. It is time to connect different perspectives and movements, join forces and plan together what we will do in the next years. We want to prepare emotionally and strategically for the intensifying polycrisis we live in. And we want to gather inspiration and knowledge to fight and overcome it.

Picture of participant in Degrowth Conference 2019 studying the programme
Ads against Barcelona Airport Expansion

Tourism and Aviation – why we want to bring this together

The aviation and tourism industries are closely linked with global capitalism, its growth imperative, unequal wealth distribution and continued exploitation. A system serving corporate interests and the luxury of a global minority constantly undermines the basic needs and rights of the many such as food, affordable housing, or daily mobility. Instead, it drives processes such as land grabbing for fuel extraction (incl. e-fuels/biofuels) and mega-infrastructures, touristification and rising housing costs.

We therefore see it as absolutely necessary to build pressure for a reduction of aviation not in an isolated environment but together with people and movements that organise against those negative effects, fighting for their rights and understanding where the roots of the problem come from. Together, we can understand how our struggles are connected, how we can learn from, how we can avoid falling for false solutions that only shift the problem elsewhere, and how to support each other and become stronger together.

What has social justice to do with a conference on aviation and tourism?

We recognise that the fight against aviation’s climate impact is inseparable from struggles for social justice, equity, and inclusion. Historically, much of the Stay Grounded organising team within Europe and the broader movement have been disproportionately white, middle-class, academic, and non-disabled. We acknowledge this reality openly and commit to actively addressing these imbalances.

The conference aims to create a space that is welcoming and accessible to people from diverse backgrounds and communities, especially those who have been marginalised or underrepresented in environmental and climate justice movements. This includes actively working to reduce barriers related to race, class, gender, ability, and other intersections of identity and experience.

Our anti-oppression efforts include:

  • Centering and uplifting the voices and leadership of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPoC), working-class, disabled, queer, and other marginalized communities within the movement
  • Creating accessible programming, physical spaces, and communication channels
  • Embedding anti-oppression principles into the conference’s planning, facilitation, and follow-up
  • Recognizing that climate justice and social justice are deeply connected and that the harms of aviation disproportionately affect frontline and vulnerable communities

 

We invite all participants to engage with these commitments in good faith and to contribute to building a stronger, more inclusive movement for climate and social justice.

Picture of participant in Degrowth Conference 2019 studying the programme
Ads against Barcelona Airport Expansion

Why Anti-Oppression Matters to Aviation and Climate Justice

The aviation industry is a significant driver of climate change, but its impacts are not felt equally. Communities who contribute least to aviation emissions, often Indigenous peoples, communities of color, and economically marginalized groups, suffer the greatest consequences from environmental degradation, health impacts, and displacement. Addressing aviation’s climate impact requires dismantling systemic inequalities that sustain environmental injustice. We believe that meaningful climate action must also confront racism, ableism, classism, and other forms of oppression that intersect with ecological harm.

Please see below for more about our accessibility measures.

Conference Formats

The program will offer a mix of in-depth strategy discussions in parallel working groups on central topics (see below); workshops on aviation, tourism and movement strategy; panels and keynotes; interactive formats to get to know each other as well as arts and cultural events.

Thematic Groups

Dedicated discussion groups on focus topics that have longer slots at the conference to discuss:

  • What’s happening at the moment?
  • What do we want to do next?
  • What actions, activities or positions are important for our work in the coming years?
  • How can we build alliances and trust among our movements?

 

The working groups will already have preparatory meetings before the conference and/or ask groups from the movement to submit strategic proposals or comments that can inform the discussion. If you are interested in joining one of the working groups beforehand please get in touch with the contact person.

Ads against Barcelona Airport Expansion
Aviation, Tourism and Housing

The aviation and tourism industries are inextricably linked and are enemies of housing rights and the common space we all share.
New and bigger airports bring more tourists to cities and regions where the housing “market” rapidly adapts to accommodate this increased demand. Real estate speculation, in turn, leads to houses standing empty while prompting tourism growth and demanding airport expansion.

From Barcelona to Oaxaca, we have seen these dynamics becoming out of control and making life impossible for those who live in touristified places.

Social movements have responded by organizing protests for accessible housing for all and reclaiming the right to the cities and regions they live in. At the same time climate justice groups and airport neighbors have been mobilising to stop airport expansions and demand a steep reduction of aviation to avoid climate collapse. But this campaigning has rarely been in coordination with anti-tourism campaigns.

Both movements have rarely experienced significant wins. On the contrary, the situation is worsening on all fronts, we have far less access to decent and dignified housing, residents’ are seeing their access to public spaces for leisure decrease, and the climate crisis is raging.

That’s why, we want to ask ourselves:
… Why have these two different social movements been generally disconnected?
… What could we achieve if anti-touristification, housing rights’ and climate justice movements organise together?
… How can we make that happen at a local and international level?

At the strategy conference, the thematic group on Aviation, Tourism and Housing seeks to:

  • analyse and map out the intersection between the aviation and tourism industries and their impact on housing rights
  • look at potential joint demands and actions
  • create plans for a common strategy.

Do you want to contribute to the preparation of this working group? Please reach out to [email protected]

Red Lines for Airports

In this moment, it is completely irresponsible to expand airports. Nevertheless, worldwide and in Europe, many construction and expansion projects are back on the table. Not only do they take us a step further towards climate breakdown. They also lead to tangible conflicts: they threaten neighborhoods and evict communities, lead to pollution, noise and health hazards as well as destroying farmland and biodiversity.

Right wing governments might lead to setbacks on the political level. However, this makes it even more important to engage in such local conflicts, fight for healthier and solidary communities, broaden our movement, and politicize neighbors. We will aim for effective wins. We want – and need – to stop expansion, cap airport capacity, ban night flights and other bullshit flights (like private jets & short haul), and shut down small airports that are dependent on taxpayer’s money.

In this thematic group, we want to kick-start a broad umbrella campaign called “Red Lines for Airports”, consisting of many local and internationally connected airport struggles, building pressure together to achieve local and European wins.
We will learn from experiences of local struggles, discuss potential political and legal windows of opportunity, work on joint narratives and political positions, identify key support structures that local initiatives could find useful, and decide on steps for joint mobilisations and actions. The facilitation team will bring a campaign proposal, building on previous debates in the Stay Grounded network, in order to discuss the concrete shape of the campaign with the participants to be creative together.

If you want to help preparing this thematic group, please get in touch with lounes[at]stay-grounded.org.

Imagining a grounded future

For our struggle against the destructive tourism and aviation industry, it is vital to have a positive idea of what the future could hold in order to bring people on board and to have a compass to follow. But sometimes the visions we are pointing to seem very far away from the reality we live in. We think that laying the tracks towards a new economy and society beyond capitalism is an act of constant co-creation one that needs to start now and needs to be part of all our actions and organising. While there are many paths available, there are three broad qualities that it should include: wellbeing and living within the ecological limits of our planet.

In this thematic group we want to look at the vision and image we have of a grounded future, one without touristification where there is fair access to mobility and leisure for everyone within the ecological and social limits of our planet. We want to look at what lies between now and this end vision, what are the very concrete systems, institutions and infrastructure we need to build to get towards this future.

The questions we are posing are:

  • How are our cities and areas organised to serve the needs of the people who live there?

  • What are the flights that are still necessary and how are they distributed in a fair and accessible way?
  • Why are technical developments (e.g. so-called SAF and efficiency gains) just a smokescreen that don’t provide a real solution to the problem?

  • How can we discuss alternatives that do not just replace one way of transport or form of tourism with another without actually changing the system that lies behind it?

  • What are the practices, actions and demands that point towards a world beyond the current system but that, at the same time, are not completely detached from the capabilities we currently hold?

If you want to help preparing this working group, please get in touch with anne[at]stay-grounded.org

Movement Skills for the Crisis
With the climate, ecological and social crisis worsening, fascist and authoritarian governments gaining power in many parts of the world, and rising uncertainty over whether we can still avoid brutal climate tipping points, it is critical that we prepare. There are communities with longstanding experience within crisis situations. How can we learn from them and make our movements and communities resilient? Which skills are currently underrepresented?
As more and more essentials, such as clean water or democratic rights, erode: how can we ensure we continue being active and acting in solidarity with each other? How do we – already now – make sure that the people most affected are not left out but actively included?

In this thematic group, we want to prepare ourselves and our movement for a more disruptive world. We want to take a look at how we can get ready to use certain disruptions to create (rather than hinder) positive change. We want to learn how to organise our groups and movements in a way that they can still function and hold us in increasingly difficult times.

We will create space to share emotions, brainstorm, and hear from experienced groups and people, for example on community organising practices, on horizontal escalation (broadening our movement and becoming more inclusive), trauma-informed perspectives, intersectional strategy, anti-repression, anti-oppression and empowerment practices. It will involve grieving and healing work and we will also learn how joy and celebration should and will still be essential in our struggles.
At the end we want to look at how those skills can help us in our current organising against touristification and airports, and how we can make sure we give space in our daily work and in our structures to learn and integrate those skills.
If you want to help preparing this thematic group, please get in touch with magdalena[at]stay-grounded.org

Workshops

The workshops slots will cover a wide range of topics mediating knowledge of aviation and tourism, and skills in action-organising, campaigning, movement strategy and more.

People discussing at the Degrowth of Aviation Conference
Sheila speaking at Degrowth of Avation Conference 2019

Panels & Keynotes

We bring together people from across the movements in several panels, keynotes and interactive sessions to set the ground for strategic discussions. The joint panels will also be the space where we connect the conference in Barcelona with the local hubs in India and Mexico. On Sunday we will weave the threads together and look ahead to what we take from this conference for our alliances, our strategies and our activities in the years to come.

Interactive formats

We will create space to get to know each other, meet new people, and exchange on our struggles. There will be more informal spaces to meet and connect beyond the structured program.
Degrowth of Aviation Conference Arkana Opening Performance
Degrowth of Aviation Conference Opening Performance

Culture

To win, we need to connect to people’s emotions. We are looking for dancing, theater, exhibitions and other forms of emotionally connecting with each other and our fights.

Location and Travel

Venue and Accommodation

For the Mexican and Indian hubs, see below. The Barcelona conference will take place in Bloc4 (disctrict Sans). The venue is wheelchair accessible.
Address:

Carrer Constitució, 19
Recinte Can Batlló – Bloc 4
08014 – Barcelona

It might make sense that you already look for a cheap accommodation. As Airbnb represents a major problem of overtourism, we’d prefer hostels and will provide you with some suggestions. We also aim at organizing some private solidarity accommodation. In the registration form you can indicate if you need support with accommodation.

Languages & Interpretation
We will provide English, French, Spanish and Catalan interpretation for as many sessions as possible.
Travel

Check out the beginning and ending times of the conference above. You might want to spare some time before or after to help setting up and cleaning the space. There might also still be a small action on Sunday afternoon.
This is a non-flight conference. If you need help booking your trains, check out the information below, as well as our hints for best booking systems.

It might also be nice to travel together and already have time for connecting. So if you already know when you will take which train or bus, feel free to share it with us so that we can include this information here. Enjoy the journey!

How to get to Barcelona from abroad by:

Day Train:

  • In the summer, there are two daily connections from Paris to Barcelona run by SNCF. They often sell out so it is advisable to book in advance. The train stops in Valence, Nimes, Montpellier, Beziers, Narbonne, Perpignan.
    There is one daily connection (afternoon) from Lyon to Barcelona run by Renfe (Spanish railway company). The train also stops in Valence, Nimes, Montpellier, Narbonne, Perpignan.
  • There is one daily connection (morning) on high-speed train from Marseille to Barcelona run by Renfe (Spanish railway company). It also stops in Aix en Provence, Avignon, Nimes, Montpellier, Narbonne, Perpignan.
  • Usually Renfe is cheaper than SNCF, which is why it is advisable to look for the trains and book tickets from the Renfe website (sometimes they do not appear on third party search engines). If you are travelling from Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland or Germany, it is advisable to check connections separately if you want to get on a renfe train.
  • In all of the above trains you will need a reservation if you are travelling on an interrail pass.
  • All high-speed trains arrive to the main station: Sants Estació. From there, there are metro, train and bus connections to anywhere in the city.

Night train:

  • The night train stops at the French border, with the need to change to a local train. If you have an interrail pass you will need a reservation for the night train. There are two options (but they do not run everyday, so make sure to check the dates before booking).
  • Paris- Cèrbere by intercité de nuit run by SNCF + local TER Cèrbere – Portbou + local renfe Portbou – Barcelona. Please note that the local trains cannot be booked it advance but have a fixed price and tickets should be bought at the station. For interrailers, local trains do not need reservation.
  • Paris – Latour de Carol by intercité de nuit run by SNCF + local Renfe train Latour de Carol – Barcelona. Tickets for the local train should be bought onboard of the train. No need of reservation with an interrail for the local train.

Bus:
Usually cheaper than the train but also longer. Flixbus is the main operator of buses to France and Italy, but there are even connections to Belgium and Germany during the summer months. Ouibus also offers some connections to France. All buses stop at Barcelona Nord, which is the main bus stop in the centre of the city. It is well connected by public transport to other parts of the city.

If you are travelling from another part of Spain:

  • Ferries from Balearic Islands are run by Trasmed or Baleria
  • High-speed trains are run by Renfe, Iryo or Ouigo
  • All regional trains are run by Renfe
  • The main bus company is Alsa, although there is also Flixbus
Food
We aim at providing catering at the conference venue for lunch and dinner based on donations.
Accessibility

Stay Grounded is committed to making this conference as accessible and inclusive as possible. We are taking concrete steps to support the participation of people with diverse needs, including:

  • Offering interpretation and translation services
  • Providing accessibility accommodations for mobility, sensory, and neurodivergent needs
  • Establishing safe and supportive spaces, including BIPoC and Queer connection opportunities
  • Offering childcare with activities for children
  • Structuring facilitation to encourage diverse participation and shared leadership
  • Offering the conference subsidised or free for all participants, with options for travel bursaries and hosted accommodation for those who would otherwise be unable to attend
  • Setting up a designated team to navigate access, accountability and inclusion during the conference

We acknowledge this is an ongoing process and welcome feedback to continue improving our practices. If you already want to communicate certain needs, feel free to contact us: [email protected]

The venue is Bloc4 is located in the Can Batlló area (black star on the map). It is wheelchair accessible (door at ground level and ramp to access the 1st floor). It can be accessed from the entrance on the crossroads of Carrer Amadeu Oller with Carrer Constitució . If you are coming by private vehicle, you can drive all the way to the aforementioned corner (See red arrow in the attached image), and form there follow the green line by foot / bike /wheelchair. It is not possible to drive a car inside the precinct.

Degrowth of Aviation Conference Workshop @Christine Tyler / Stay Grounded
Degrowth of Aviation Conference Interpretation

Local hub in India

Local hub in Mexico

Join online for the hybrid program

We will make parts of the program available for online participation from all over the world. More info to come soon!

Support Us!

We will need support for a lot of things such as tech-support, interpretation, facilitation, the awareness team, preparation of rooms, cleaning, and child care.
Due to the lack of funding for conferences like ours, we are very happy if you volunteer. We however also aim at providing a pot of money, so that those of you who would not be able to volunteer could get support. We would definitely aim at supporting with travel and accommodation costs.
Please contact [email protected] in case you can imagine helping make this conference happen!

We are also grateful for financial support. If you can imagine donating to the conference, please do so here and indicate the purpose “strategy conference”:

Smiling participants at Degrowth Conference

This conference is organised by

Cooperation partners