“The Socio-Ecological Transformation (SET) is a question of survival for mankind. The reason for this dramatic statement is simple. The capitalist mode of production and the lifestyle it engenders are not sustainable, either socially or ecologically. However, the regions of the world, the people who live there, and the different classes are unequally and unevenly affected. As the OECD noted in a recent report on Southeast Asia, China, and India, the former is among the regions of the world most strongly impacted by climate change. At the same time, the high economic growth in Asia is accompanied by a steadily rising (fossil) energy demand. The effects on ecosystems are well known – but nevertheless not commensurately taken into account, either in daily life or in political decision-making.” - Elmar Altvater

We, authors, scholars, and political actors from Asian countries and the Rosa- Luxemburg-Stiftung (RLS) Office Hanoi, RLS Office Beijing, RLS Office New Delhi, and its colleagues in Berlin, are very proud and glad to be able to present here, finally, this booklet titled “Social-Ecological Transformation – Perspectives from Asia and Europe”, which includes six articles comprising cases from Southeast Asia, China, and India, as well as one article from Germany comparing two political concepts.

The case study from Vietnam by Lam Thi Thu Suu and Liliane Danso-Dahmen, contextualizes a local-level example within the wider SET approach. The example focuses on a Vietnamese non-governmental organization’s effort to support communities affected by hydropower dam developments in the country. It is vital for RLS SEA and its partners in Vietnam to give communities the space to raise their concerns with authorities and to help locally based alternatives to function in their specific context.