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CT: During the past few years, the concept of “just transition”, as used in relation to climate change mitigation, has increasingly gained attention. But while there is no shortage of talk and references to just transition, what is this issue really about? What do we mean by just transition? Do all actors in the climate mitigation debate mean the same thing? And what in practical and concrete terms might a just transition look like? This paper seeks to explore and shed light on these questions. This paper argues that there is no “universal blueprint” for a just transition. However, there are some common principles –principles that ultimately relate to basic philosophical ideas of natural justice, human decency and respect, and theories of effective social change– that are likely to be more or less universal across cultural contexts. In this author’s view, these will likely need to form an important part of the governance strategies for climate change mitigation to be both effective, socially acceptable and just.
S: FUNCAS – https://www.funcas.es/articulos/what-does-just-transition-mean-for-climate-change-mitigation-papeles-de-energia/ (last access: 2 February 2024)
N: 1. – just (adj.) late 14c. Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French juste, from Latin justus, from jus right, law; akin to Sanskrit yos welfare.
– transition (n.) mid-15c., transicion, in grammar, from Latin transitionem (nominative transitio) “a going across or over,” noun of action from past-participle stem of transire “go or cross over”.
2. In the fields of Environmental Management and Sociology of Human Relations: A just transition ensures environmental sustainability as well as decent work, social inclusion and poverty eradication.
3. A just transition, broadly defined as ensuring that no one is left behind or pushed behind in the transition to low-carbon and environmentally sustainable economies and societies, can enable more ambitious climate action and provide an impetus to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals. Countries need to develop, through inclusive dialogue, approaches to a just transition that reflect the needs, priorities and realities of their societies and their historical responsibilities for climate change and environmental degradation. The concept of just transition, while arising from concerns for justice at the local and national levels, cannot be separated from the broader issues of global climate justice and common but differentiated responsibilities. A globally just transition requires countries to meet their climate commitments and ensure that in doing so, they do not push poorer countries further behind by creating barriers to trade or excluding them from the opportunities associated with the expansion of new product markets. It also requires policy space for developing countries to develop their productive capacities, new intellectual property frameworks for and the co-development of clean technologies, the expansion of systems for the payment of ecosystem services and scaled-up international cooperation to ensure financing for infrastructure and resilience-building.
4. “Just transition” focuses on the transition out of high-carbon activities and into the green economy, seeking to ensure harm to workers, communities, countries, and regions is avoided while maximizing the benefits of climate action. Initially championed by trade unions, just transition incorporates strong commitment to social dialogue and to rights in the workplace. At international level, just transition is an evolving concept that was affirmed in the 2015 Paris Agreement, and gained significant momentum at the 2021 UN Climate Conference in Glasgow (COP26).
5. Cultural Interrelation: We can mention two books: A Just Transition: Making Energy Poverty History with an Energy Mix (2023) by NJ Ayuk and Just Transitions, Social Justice in the Shift Towards a Low-Carbon World (2020) by Edouard Morena, Dunja Krause and Dimitris Stevis.
S: 1. Etymonline – https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=just+transition (last access: 2 February 2024); MW – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/just (last access: 2 February 2024). 2. TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=just+transition&index=alt&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 2 February 2024). 3. UN – https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/CDP-excerpt-2023-1.pdf (last access: 2 February 2024). 4. IHRB – https://www.ihrb.org/explainers/what-is-just-transition?gclid=CjwKCAiAtt2tBhBDEiwALZuhAIuXrX172FL_LA3Z6_8Yjq4G-RWd4FUnj6zBRB3BrJjVjEFCYG5FyBoCHrsQAvD_BwE (last access: 2 February 2024). 5. PLB – https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745339924/just-transitions/ (last access: 2 February 2024); NJ – https://njayuk.com/nj-ayuk-releases-a-just-transition-making-energy-poverty-history-with-an-energy-mix/ (last access: 2 February 2024).
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CR: blue hydrogen, energy transition, green hydrogen.
