Last edited: February 2025
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This section explores the meaning, origins, and evolution of the concept of Just Transitions. It highlights the potential negative impacts of transitions, the objectives of a Just Transition, its guiding principles, and clarifies misconceptions about what it truly entails.
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A Just Transition is an approach for a strategically planned process to ensure that the transition to decarbonisation (of cities, territories and the economy) is also a transition away from practices that are harmful to people and ecosystems and towards models that are more sustainable and equitable for all. Particular attention will be paid to those most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change and to the social and economic changes that the transition will bring.
Source: "People for Trees" initiative, Holden Forests & Gardens. Available at: https://holdenfg.org/make-an-impact/people-for-trees/
The concept of Just Transitions is not new. It emerged from the labour movement in the 1970s and has since been expanded by trade unions allying with environmental and climate justice groups in global environmental negotiations to secure the rights of workers and communities.
It regained momentum in the decade of the 2000s in the context of global efforts to reduce carbon emissions to mitigate climate change. In this context, one of the most influential formulations came from the International Labour Organization (2016) [↗], which focused on equitable and inclusive opportunities for workers and communities through the transition of carbon-intensive industries. This approach has informed the European Green Deal (2020) and related just transition policies, such as the Just Transition Mechanism [↗] for regions heavily dependent on carbon-intensive industries.
Today, the concept of Just Transitions is gradually broadening its scope beyond industrial transitions and their workers to include entire territories and populations. Indeed, as cities and territories accelerate their efforts to decarbonise their systems, changes in ways of living, producing and consuming will have different impacts on different population groups, including negative impacts, which need to be taken into account when planning, testing and implementing policies and projects.
Discussing Just Transitions is challenging due to the topic’s inherent complexity and broad scope. Over the years, the concept has evolved to encompass various principles such as justice, fairness, equity and inclusion. While this flexibility has allowed diverse groups to unite around a common vision, it also complicates efforts to establish a precise definition. This lack of clarity can lead to uncertainty about what a Just Transition really entails, especially in multi-stakeholder policy contexts where different perspectives are at play.