#rC3 - Current news of Bits&Trees (Bits & Bäume)

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Rainer: Hello, welcome. I hope it's not
strange that the introduction was actually

in German, although the talks will be held
in English, but I think this was announced

that way in the schedule. OK, so welcome
to the Bits&Bäume movement for

digitalization, sustainability, the
current news of Bits&Trees. Just to make

the pun complete, I changed the
translation of Bits&Bäume to Bits&Trees.

So what are we talking about today? First,
I want to introduce myself, then I want to

talk about some of the topics we are
dealing with in Bits&Bäume, and then I

will describe the initial conference in
2018, then the demands that came out of

this conference. And then I will describe
the movement that grew out of the

conference, and then I will outline some
ways to act, which then hopefully guides

perfectly into the discussion. So first to
myself, I'm Rainer Rehak, I have a

background in computer science and
philosophy, I work at the Weizenbaum

Institute for the Networked Society as a
researcher, and I'm active in the forum

Computer Professionals for Peace and
Social Responsibility. And I was co-

initiating the Bits&Bäume conference. Just
one word in advance regarding the framing

of and for environmentalism,
sustainability. I'm not so much in favor

of the framing that we have to protect
nature, because the Earth does not really

care about the human beings. So, of
course, once the humans are gone, it just

needs a certain hundred thousands of years
and then everything is OK again. So I

think it's really important to say what
we're talking about, what we're protecting

is also our livelihoods. So we all live in
symbiosis. And you could, in a technical

way, say that nature provides services
we need to live. So you

can see nature as its own value, of
course, but we're actually just fighting

for survival. So this is just to make this
clear. So, the topics. So what is the

whole thing with digitalization and
sustainability about? Well, first, I would

consider digitalization somehow the
computerization, algorithmization and

datafication that takes place all across
the world. A computerization means really

Hardware put everywhere, IoT and such
things. Algorithmization and datafication,

I think, are pretty clear terms here. In
terms of sustainability, I want to talk

about the ecological, economical, social
and maybe informational sustainability

here. So you could say, sustainability
means a stable condition somehow with a

good life, that provides a good life for
everyone. But first, I start with the

ecological sustainability. Maybe some data
on the material footprint of the digital

systems we're using: one percent of the
global emissions are online videos. That's

80 percent of all data traffic. If you add
hardware and everything, you are maybe

around a few percent energy use for those
systems. Maybe one gigabyte in transfer

traffic needs around .06 kWh. So that's
kind of one hour of Netflix. It's a half

an hour, 30 watt light bulb, plus minus.
However, if we take the example of

Netflix, they try to be CO2 neutral by
themselves. But of course, there are

intermediaries which cannot be controlled.
So we see it's not that easy just to say,

you know, I try to be neutral. Some people
say Google uses the same amount of energy

as the city of San Francisco. At one
point, Google says they have 40 percent

energy saving applied right now. However,
the rebound effect kicks in. If you say

that maybe one hundred new data centers
are being built. So it's really, really

not so easy to count those numbers.
In Germany, there are data centers

that last year took the energy of four
medium sized coal fired power plants,

according to Bitkom and that's maybe 10
percent of the electricity generation in

Germany for Internet related things. So
what I'm trying to say here is that all

those numbers, you can always, it's not so
easy to put a clear number on consumption

if we take energy production into account.
If it's all renewably created, wo where is

the problem? But still we have the
hardware. Where does it come from? And so

all those questions are quite, quite
complex. On the other hand, you could also

say increasing online usage, of course,
online banking is increasing. But on the

other hand, you may need less branch
offices, but maybe the back office is the

same. The same question applies with
physical meetings or video conferences,

which we have right now the topic. Of
course, people are maybe then more in home

office, less traveling, less office use.
But on the other hand, and it's not a very

small point, you have heating costs and
electricity generation on another place

and another spot maybe with different
kinds of hardware because of digitization,

new behaviors emerge. So you can't really
say, you know, it's not so easy to say if

this gets less, this gets more. So those
are complicated aspects. And so what I'm

trying to say here is it's not so easy if
we look at certain small aspects to see if

it's good or not. But we have to
put the target. We have to put a goal

in the terms of ecological sustainability
this is, right now we have emissions and

there's the 66 percent chance for 1.5
degrees with a certain budget right now.

That means this budget, if we take
business as usual, we have around eight

years time globally and then we have to
cut to zero to stay within this limits.

And you can also, if you like, not
factually argument, but politically argue

to stay within the Paris agreement, which
limits the emissions. And so this is the

goal. The goal is not: How can we save it
a little bit here, a little bit there. But

we have to look at those indicators. But
of course, the other aspect of

sustainability, and this is where it gets
really interesting. It gets really

interesting, for our movement or for the
idea, because we have the informational

world connected to economic and social and
informational sustainability. So as I said

before, we shifting our lives into
technical dependency somehow. We need

digital infrastructures that are
independent from individual use. We have

data information on knowledge, that's
being reflected within all those digital

infrastructures. So how do we deal with
this? What does sustainability mean in

this aspect? Concerning also the software
we use and also concerning political

processes that are maybe enabled by
technology and also what technology has to

be made more part of democratic
negotiation processes. You could also look

at, for example, Internet and advertising,
where right now the ad industry is just

used for increased consumption. So you see
a very clear connection here between

sustainability and digitalization. And
this also part of us always constantly

using new devices if the old ones break or
if they're not usable anymore. So resource

consumption as a whole, which is a problem
and which is directly at the corner of

digitization and sustainability. But we
can also look at the digital rights

management - is repairing allowed, sharing
allowed, and we look at the economic parts

of Monopoly's privacy and surveillance.
What does it mean when there's a lot of

power over societies and individuals? How
does it influence democratic processes?

This is also directly in the middle of
those two topics. So you could also say

there is a representative crisis in
democracy, since many people support a

shift to sustainability, but somehow it
doesn't reflect in policies. So that's a

big problem. And we also come to
problematic questions like if free

software was everywhere, but we should
have a look at how this free software is

being created. If this is a hobby project
of a person, then there's little

reliability. But this is, of course, not a
problem of free software. But how could we

create an environment where free software
is the norm and where the people who work

there are not close to burnout all the
time. So how to create stable communities?

This is also something to learn from the
sustainability folks. Yeah, other aspects

are maybe electricity and transport grids
that needs to be updated and changed

according to sustainability goals. A lot
of IT is needed there. And if we take,

let's say the IT people into those
discussions which are already there, of

course. But that doesn't make it so easy
for the sustainability people to fall for

the usual blockchain and AI scam. As a
last interesting topic is maybe trade

agreements. Where usually more and more
there is IT policy included. And those are

questions of sovereignty and control,
especially for the countries in the global

south. So we see there's a lot connected
here, if we open this box, yeah, this box.

So interestingly, we somehow know what to
do. But the climb... so we need to limit

global warming by limiting emissions.
Maybe some people suggest CO2 budgets or

caps, we need to abolish subsidies, roll
out renewable energies. We need more

sustainable mobility concepts, maybe
vegetarian food, regional, seasonal, down

to changing the whole economic system. And
in all those aspects, we see

digitalization plays a crucial role there.
How do we internalize externalities, how

do we break up monopolies? I mean, we see
that right now with Facebook, with Google,

with all of those big companies. Is it a
problem with tech or is it problem with

monopolies or is it a combination of both?
And we also should ask with the

application of technology, is the use
case, does it really help with

sustainability? We all know the paperless
office, which now has more paper than

before. So obviously computers did not
help in this aspect. But those are the

points where we need to take a closer look
at what technological solutions actually

provide. On the social level that we have
to stop exploitation, check about fair

distribution of benefits of productivity.
And finally, informational, we have to

take data protection seriously. Maybe you
think about Commons based peer production

and software, but then also other digital
goods and think about free knowledge, open

knowledge and free cultural products,
saying that free always doesn't mean it

doesn't have to, doesn't mean that it
doesn't have to cost anything. But it's

not restricting. So as you might see now,
this is very, very complex. This was a

very, very complex bunch of questions. And
so at one point, a group of people decided

to make a conference in 2018, maybe a
small view backwards. So a group of

organizations found each other, I could
say, I don't want to read all of them

right now, but the idea was to bring
together environmental folks, the hackers

and techies and the development folks to
talk exactly about those topics, so that

everyone could bring in their abilities
and their knowledge and then to get in

contact with each other and connect the
communities. With the goal of common,

livable future for all and to work for
all. Of course, that includes a clean

atmosphere and that also needs a clean
data atmosphere. OK. So.

OK. So the idea

was then the reflection on the relation of
digitalization and sustainability, but

also sustainability strategies for
projects and also to bring in ideas like

convivial technology. Especially
interesting I found the discussion about

the means and purpose relationship. You
could say digitalization is a means and

sustainability maybe is a purpose. So like
growth, which is not an end in itself, but

it should help. But if it doesn't help, we
should stop it. And the same question you

could make for digitalization in certain
aspects. Because right now, how we

digitally do this, this kind of
digitization, it's just putting oil to the

fire. But of course, the question is not
yes, no, but what do we do and how do we

do it? Do we use centralized systems or
decentralized systems and all of those

questions. Yes, and as a result of this
conference, there were some concrete

demands that came out, I don't want to go
into details of all of them, you can check

them out on the website. But the first
point was social-ecological objectives and

the design of digitalization. So social,
environmental and development policy as

well as peace objectives should be part of
the direction where we're going to talk

about technology, so we can shape it as we
need it. And it should also foster human

rights, climate protection goals, as well
as the end of hunger and poverty, because

this is the ultimate goal. And all the
other demands, you can check out

yourself later. As you see, it goes from
data protection, monopoly's, democracy,

education. So all the questions somehow
I've been addressing before, we try to put

it in a shape that's easy to understand.
So it's a small leaflet, actually, and

it's supported by, at least in Germany,
major organizations from the Hacker area

and the tech area and also the
sustainability and ecological area. So I'm

not going into those details right now.
But the question was then, OK, we can't

control and we don't want to control this
thing. So that's why we said: Everyone can

use the Bits&Bäume label as they please,
if they adhere to some of our rules, you

have to work in the direction of the
digitalization of sustainability. You have

to concentrate on activist science and civil
society as we know that companies and

especially politicians have their
platforms already. So we want to give a

voice to the less heard and in our view,
more competent actors. Most of the time,

if you support the demands and you live
the motto, so you organize those events

according to those principles, anyone can
use Bits&Bäume label as they want. We have

the local material under free licenses.
You can ask for help

under [e-mail]
if you liked, and the result

was overwhelming. We have branches, pun

intended, in Dreseden, in Berlin, in
Hannover, in Dortmund, Osnabrück, Köln.

And you have, they come from different
areas: Some are closer to the chaos

family. Some are closer to the Open
Knowledge foundation family. Some are

coming just from university backgrounds.
Some come from all kinds of backgrounds.

We have mailing lists, a forum, a matrix
chat, there's even an assembly here at

rC3. You can check it out if you find it.
It's always part of the game. And today at

nine, there will also be a Matrix chat.
You can find all this on the website. You

can check out the videos of the conference
that have been taking place and yeah, so

that's s kind of the whole movement,
that's why it got decentralized and it's a

really good idea, as it turned out. So
finally, we get to the last point, the way

to act. Well, of course, individual action
is good. You know, if you say I want to be

streaming with less resolution, that's
totally fine. But it's always clear to

state that there's a structural problem
here. We have a total asymmetry, with a

lot of subsidies, making the cheapest and
the most easy option for everything from

food to electronics, the actually most
dangerous one for climate, for avoiding a

global warming. And so this is something
that really needs to stop and needs to be

changed in policy. But that shouldn't stop
us from also starting with small

experimental projects, with lab
projects, with software projects, shape

local groups, go to regular tables what we
should organize somehow. And you can come,

of course, to Bits&Bäume in those
different cities if you want, or connect

to the online events. And sometimes maybe
it's OK to just switch off the computer

and go outside, but I want to finish with
a quote from Joseph Weizenbaum: "The

question is not how digitalization changes
society, but how society uses

digitalization." And we try to suggest one
way of making it usable globally for a

good life for all. And I hope that was not
too much and too fast. But now I'm happy

to get feedback and questions if there are
any. Thanks a lot.

Herald: Hi, I hope you can hear me,
Rainer. Thank you very much for your talk.

Right now, asking again on the chats and
on social media to post questions about

your talk, maybe we can begin. So did you
expect this to become some kind of a

distributed movement, something that
started from one from event, really?

Rainer: We have actually not planned this,
but later on, we found out that it's

impossible to, first, to contain it, which
we also don't want. But it's also not

possible to coordinate this because some
of us are volunteers, especially in the

tech area. So this is just not possible.
And I mean, decentralization is always a

good thing, and it's why we put up those
principles. But from the beginning on,

that was not the idea. But somehow it got
to life. And it turns out it was a good

idea because at least in the German
speaking area, this label has become

something like an indicator for certain
discourse, if we think, for example, Silke

Helfrich, she organized a project 10 years
ago - jeans, fights and emissions - that

always already tried this, but then they
came different names and different

discourses. So it was hard to trace that
back. But maybe it works that this kind of

open label also helps that people who work
on those same issues also find each other

better somehow.
Herald: So we got a question on the chat:

Jian is asking: Does this mean that there
are no big Bits&Bäume conferences in the

near future?
Rainer: No, that does not mean that. It's,

uh, let's say, there might certainly be a
big conference in the future. But this

should not keep anyone from organizing
small ones or other big ones, but let's

say, some seeds might be already planted
and let's see what's happening.

Herald: That's good. We have another
question coming up right now, and I seem

to have lost it - no. Are there any
distributed online events or meetups, one

could join, I think, you went into this a
bit in the end. But maybe you could repeat

that where people who are more interested
in this can actually meet others.

Rainer: Yes, definitely. Not only because
of the pandemic situation right now, but

there are meet ups planned also for 2021-
but of course not that long anymore. And

you could check out on the website. And
it's on the website up there, there is the

connection to the forum and to the Matrix
chat, and there we will - not we, I'm also

not that connected, but I know it will
take place - there you can find the

connection to those local tables and the
plan for 2021 is to have one, a bigger

exchange that goes just across the cities.
And I think this is the place to go to

check it. But this is definitely in plan
and this is some good idea.

Herald: So, I mean, you did this talking
English right now, despite this being

something that originated in Germany here,
what's basically the internationalization

idea you have in mind?
Rainer: Exactly. So the idea was somehow

that a lot of the work we've been doing
and coordinating, I see that it's

necessary to distribute this to somehow
say, hey, people have been thinking about

this already. And for example, in the
conference 2018 already, the talks, all of

the talks have been translated to English
as well. So if you check, also at

media.ccc.de, you can always choose the
language track English. And but I just or

we just noticed that this was nice for the
people who have been there. But it has not

gained broad attention, so this is just an
idea to maybe find others who've been

working into this, in this direction to see
that there are other initiatives working

and that to join powers and somehow try to
steer the ship into a more sunny direction

again.
Background Noise

Rainer: I can't hear you talking right
now.

Herald: Sorry, I didn't want to. OK, I'll
just say again, I wanted to say there's

another question coming in. Coolish is
asking: Where can I see some of the

projects that took place in the past two
years since conference? I guess the

answer, again, is your website, maybe.
Rainer: Yes, it's partly, but it's partly

a bit distributed. At first, the website
is a good start. But, let me see, there

have been conferences in Dresden, for
example, which you can access via the

website - dresden.bits-und-baeume.org -
you can find the documentation there. Um,

but I think the forum would be a good idea
to ask there if you can't find all those

other things. And also smaller events like
on the Internet Governance Forum 2019,

where we were present in Jena on the Great
Transformation Conference or the Forum,

which takes place every three months,
which is a discussion format in Berlin,

always to certain topics, and we try to
somehow announce it on the website to get

this together. But as I said, if people
would like to join, we're happy if you're

a visionary and bring in your ideas and
your content, that's really great. But

with all projects, it's also nice if you
say, well, I actually think it's

interesting what's happening there. I
don't have the big vision, but I'm happy

with tracing what has been happening and
putting it in our history log in the

calendar, which we already have in a very
basic structure, this is also greatly

helped so that other people don't have to
do this work twice. So that's why we will

find some of them on the website, but not
all of it. But we're happy if it was

archived in a more structured way.
Herald: Yeah, that's also always very

important with community work to put in
the hours and actually do the archiving

work so that it's preserved for anything
that comes up later.

Rainer: Yes. Just as a comment, this is a
classic example as well of sustainability.

Like how do you create a sustainable
project or a sustainable community? Of

course, if new people come in, where do
they start? You need some kind of memory

for this in an organizational way. And so
this is a very interesting instance of

what sustainability also can mean. It
doesn't always have to be some crazy new

ideas. But if we think about the digital
archiving and all those questions, this is

all part of it, of getting a livable
digital environment.

Herald: Thank you so much, Rainer. I think
that's all the questions we have from the

audience tonight. Sorry again for doing
the introduction in German. I was just in

my mind coming from that. But anybody in
the audience, if you can't find

Bits&Bäume, because you don't know how to
spell it in German, you can try to get it,

if you find Wikipaka, that's our name on
Twitter. And we have a new website we just

built today, wikipaka.wtf. Basically just
click on anything you'll be linked through

to our Fahrplan, to our digital schedule,
where you will find information about this

talk and all the links that Rainer
provided. So this will get you the

information you need.
Rainer: And go to the assembly in the rC3

world. So we are there as well.
Herald: Oh, yes. Yeah. So please come and

find the Bits&Bäume assembly in the rC3
world if you have a ticket. Thank you so much.

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