Just Transition: Bringing Equity to the Clean Energy Conversation

Just Transition is typically defined as a set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy. Just Transition strategies were first forged by labor unions and environmental justice groups that were rooted in low-income communities of color. Specifically, they saw the need to: 1) phase out the industries that were harming workers, community health, and the environment; and 2) provide just pathways for workers to transition to other jobs. 

As Mandy Rambharos shares in this article, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) just released a report titled titled Just Transition and Safeguards Framework that is intended to make a meaningful and mindful contribution to the body of knowledge on Just Transition. This framework is structured to provide guidelines for developing strategies, plans, measures, and metrics that will ensure a fair and equitable transition towards cleaner energy sources. Further, the framework seeks to provide guidance on how to measure whether activities uphold decarbonization benefits, environmental rights, and the interests of impacted stakeholders, including indigenous peoples.

The framework is built on four key principles: procedural justice, distributive justice, recognitional justice and restorative justice, emphasizing inclusivity, fairness and respect for diverse needs during the energy transition. It details safeguards, as well as unique elements and measures, to track progress towards just energy transition objectives. While the focus is on the energy sector, this framework can be adapted for application to other sectors of the economy.

For more information, please read the source article and the EDF report.