A Sud - Ecologia e Cooperazione APS

A Sud is an independent, radical, horizontal and feminist environmental organisation. Founded in 2003, our history is intertwined with that of environmental justice movements in Italy and around the world. Our origins are political and relational: we were born out of a meeting between activists who, in the early 2000s, travelled through Latin America in solidarity with environmental and social conflicts. Since then, we have never stopped connecting the ecological crisis to its historical and systemic roots: colonialism, patriarchy, capitalism.Our vision is of a just, equitable, decolonial world where no community is sacrificed in the name of development.Our mission is to help build it by providing tools, knowledge, alliances, practices and expertise to those fighting for change.

In over twenty years of activity, we have woven together:

• international projects with communities, research centres, global alliances

• campaigns denouncing multinationals, governments and extractive practices

• educational programmes in Italian schools, neighbourhoods and universities

• legal actions such as Giudizio Universale, which use the tools of law and communication to assert climate responsibility

• alliances with the world of culture to promote mainstream climate leadership

Among the projects currently underway, A Sud is partner in n. 2 Horizon projects:

SystR project (HORIZON-MISS-2024-CLIMA-01-09) proposes an innovative approach to connecting science and public policy, developing solutions that address cross-sectoral risks related to climate change. SystR focuses on nature-based solutions (NBS) to accelerate urban resilience, promote bottom-up governance structures, and strengthen the participation of local communities. A Sud's role in the project is coordinate community involvement and experimentation in the Rome demonstration site, with practices of participation, education, and environmental justice, helping to integrate the social dimensions of adaptation and transfer knowledge between research, institutions, and citizens.

Enforce project (HORIZON-CL6-2023-GOVERNANCE-01) aims to strengthen the role of communities in monitoring and protecting environmental quality in contexts marked by the presence of persistent sources of pollution and critical health and social issues. A Sud's role is carry out activities in one of the project's eight case studies: Valle Galeria, in Rome. Formerly an agricultural hub and now the epicenter of highly harmful industrial activities—including the Malagrotta landfill, waste treatment plants, and petrochemical infrastructure—the area is an emblematic example of environmental and health inequality.