Just Transitions is often associated with a move away from fossil fuels. This comes at a time when the world is witnessing the warmest years on record with extreme weather events, such as fires, floods and hurricanes, happening worldwide. This shows the urgency to take action which will take a structural, system-wide transition to a post carbon society.
The distributional, procedural and relation considerations that come with the shift to a post carbon society all fall under the umbrella of Just Transitions, which is a cluster of processes that take into account intersectoral elements and intergenerational effects of a transition from one set of economic relationships to another.
Justice
This is an key aspect of sustainability for a number of reasons:
1) The movement toward decarbonization should not replicate or exacerbate existing structural inequalities
2) Transitioning to a post-carbon society is a disruptive, complex change that involves overhauling the infrastructural, institutional, and cultural status quo, and may work differently in different places around the globe
The shift from low-cost energy, which has underpinned much of our economic growth in the past two centuries, means any disruption will be felt throughout the economy. Addressing vulnerabilities exacerbated by transition processes is therefore important in moving toward an equitable post-carbon society.
3) Failing to account for the equity and justice dimensions of decarbonization may provide fodder for criticism and attack, so any transition process must consider justice and equity as its central elements
History
The just transition concept emerged from labor and trade unions’ concerns about jobs during industrial disruptions
To view a timeline of the emergence of Just Transitions, click here.