Table of contents
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58248/HS121
Overview
While definitions differ, the aim of just transition approaches is to address potential sources of unfairness to provide better outcomes for different groups of people. Justice issues can arise from proactive climate action undertaken to tackle climate change, but also from reactively adapting to the impacts of unpreventable climate change. Action may place unaffordable costs on people and nations who are the most politically, socially and economically marginalised (PN 706).
Due to the low number of contributions to the horizon scan on this subject, and given overlap with other articles in this category, POST has not drafted an article for this topic. Instead, the main opportunities and challenges identified by contributors are briefly summarised below:
- Contributors stated consideration of who benefits from and who pays for different policy measures is needed to ensure climate mitigation and adaptation policies and actions support reducing inequalities. This includes consideration of health, social and economic inequalities.[1][2][3] Some suggested a just transition legislative framework would be required to ensure a fair, balanced, and equitable response to the demands put on citizens, businesses, and charitable organisations, along with funding mechanisms to provide support at the community and local government scale.[4]
- Justice issues also arise for climate mitigation and adaptation at the international scale (PN 706), reflected in climate finance commitments.[5] Some contributors stated the need to address the injustices arising overseas resulting from historic emissions from the UK state or companies,[6] and that exceeding emissions targets is likely to disproportionately affect poorer countries and communities.[7] Socio-economic impacts of reafforestation measures for carbon offsetting may also occur in tropical countries (PN 713).[8]
- The role of energy citizenship and participation in the transition to engage communities and individuals through taking responsibility for energy production and consumption.[9] Municipal approaches were suggested as a means of climate policy engagement at the local level, such as through mayoral policies.
- Intergenerational justice issues were stated as an area of contention. Delaying action on climate change defers the costs of the transition onto future generations as well as being more exposed to impacts. It will also increase costs, as faster future action will be needed to meet global targets (PN 706).[10][11]
- Health benefits of net zero policies such as building retrofits, active transport and changing diets have been identified, but there are uncertainties about how these affect those who are on the lowest incomes or vulnerable people such as the elderly. Poverty of those on the lowest incomes may be alleviated by measures such as funding domestic energy efficiency measures or subsidising public transport.[12][13][14]
- Addressing the tensions and synergies between climate and other environmental transitions. For example, access to green space can provide climate adaptation health benefits such as urban cooling as well as supporting nature recovery.[15][16][17][18][19][20] By contrast, construction of renewable energy infrastructure on peatlands and wetlands in upland areas can damage these habitats by changing their hydrological conditions.[21]
- The challenges of resourcing the energy transition were stated, such as just transition to sustainably energy sources and supply chains, such as minerals value chains (the minerals necessary to construct, produce, distribute and store renewable energy). This relates not just to the impacts arising from mining (PB45), but along the entire value chain from refining and manufacturing to transport and end-of-use recycling.[22] Moving to renewable energy infrastructure may have high initial capital costs, but the materials needed may become in shorter supply and more expensive in future leading international conflicts and further restrictions.[23][24][25]
References
[1] Munro, A., Boyce, T., & Marmot, M. (2020). Sustainable health equity: achieving a net-zero UK. The Lancet Planetary Health, 4(12), e551-e553.
[2] Burlinson, A., Davillas, A., & Giulietti, M. (2023). We’re on the Road to Net Zero? Socioeconomic Inequality in Low-Carbon Technology Adoption. UKERC
[3] Cameron-Smith, A. (2023). We will fail to achieve net zero and reduce our impact on climate change if we don’t address social inequality first. Unlock Net Zero
[4] European Commission. The Just Transition Mechanism: making sure no one is left behind.
[5] United Nations Climate Change. Introduction to Climate Finance.
[6] CarbonBrief (2023). Revealed: How colonial rule radically shifts historical responsibility for climate change
[7] Jackson T. (2021). Zero Carbon Sooner—Revised case for an early zero carbon target for the UK. CUSP Working Paper No 29. Guildford: University of Surrey.
[8] Carton, W. (2021). Undoing Equivalence: Rethinking Carbon Accounting for Just Carbon Removal. Frontiers in Climate, Volume 3
[9] Wahlund, M. et al. (2022). The role of energy democracy and energy citizenship for participatory energy transitions: A comprehensive review. Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 87, 102482
[10] Thiery, W. (2021). Intergenerational inequities in exposure to climate extremes. Science, Vol 374, Issue 6564
[11] United Nations. (2024). United Nations Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Extreme Heat
[12] Sustainable Development Report. United Kingdom
[13] Institute for Community Studies. (2024). Our journey to net zero: Understanding household and community participation in the UK’s transition to a greener future.
[14] Committee on Fuel Poverty. (2024). Understanding the barriers and enablers to supporting fuel poor households achieve net zero. GOV UK
[15] Yang, H., et al. (2021). The old and the climate adaptation: Climate justice, risks, and urban adaptation plan. Sustainable Cities and Society, Volume 67, 102755
[16] Kingsley, M. et al. (2019). Commentary – Climate change, health and green space co-benefits. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, Vol 39, No 4
[17] Newham London. Our Just Transition Plan
[18] Wong, G. et al. (2024). Visiting urban green space as a climate-change adaptation strategy: Exploring push factors in a push–pull framework. Climate Risk Management, Volume 43, 100589
[19] Rigilon, A. et al. (2021). Green Space and Health Equity: A Systematic Review on the Potential of Green Space to Reduce Health Disparities. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 18(5), 2563
[20] Giles-Corti, B. et al. (2022). What next? Expanding our view of city planning and global health, and implementing and monitoring evidence-informed policy. The Lancet Global Health, Volume 10, Issue 6e919-e926
[21] D Gilmour, E Jorat, A Minto, I Tierney (2021) Effectiveness of construction mitigation measures to avoid or minimise impact to groundwater dependent wetlands and to peat hydrology. Scotland’s Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW)
[22] UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals. (2024). Resourcing the energy transition principles to guide critical energy transition minerals towards equity and justice
[23] World Economic Forum. (2023). Global Risks Report 2023
[24] NATO’s Strategic Warfare Development Command. (2024). Resource Scarcity and the Shifting Dynamics of Global Security
[25] Council of the European Union. An EU critical raw materials act for the future of EU supply chains
