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Event

Stories of Just Transitions from Around the World

This event focused on case studies from different countries in varying stages of just transitions planning and policy.
Last Updated November 30, 2020
Jul
15
2020
This event has already occurred.

CSIS and CIF gathered experts to discuss case studies from various countries where just transitions are advancing. The objective was to share ongoing research and lessons learned and to inform the next phases of the Just Transition Initiative. It featured a presentation on the transition in South Africa, drawing from a recent case study led by the Climate Investment Funds. It also featured a presentation on the just transitions work in Eastern and Central Europe and regional political economy factors in the context of EU initiatives, including the Just Transition Mechanism. The workshop provided a platform to discuss other regions and the need for additional place-based research in different contexts.

Participants

Sarah Ladislaw

Senior Vice President; Director and Senior Fellow, Energy Security and Climate Change Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Ben Cahill

Senior Fellow, Energy Security and Climate Change Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Mafalda Duarte

Mafalda Duarate

CEO, Climate Investment Funds

Mike Ward

Senior Sustainability Consultant, Climate Investment Funds

Felix Heilmann

Felix Heilmann

Researcher, E3G

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This event was made possible by support from the Climate Investment Funds.

Related
from the Resource Library

Report/Case Study; Guidelines, Strategies and Recommendations
Sep 2020

Supporting Just Transitions in South Africa: A Case Study

This case study explores key dimensions of just transitions and draws lessons from the Climate Investment Funds (CIF)’s contributions to the energy transition, the expansion of renewable energy, and the implications for workers and communities in South Africa.

Geographic Scope
South Africa
Sectors
Energy
Mining
Detail
Focus Areas
Employment > Job creation and/or equality, Skills
Government intervention > Regulation
Investment > Other
Justice
Keywords
multilateral development banks
political economy
distributional justice
procedural justice
recognition
conceptual framework
coronavirus
coal sector
project evaluation
concessional finance
By
Michael Ward, Neha Sharma, Hugh Searight
Publishing Organization
Climate Investment Funds (CIF)
Development finance institution
Summary

This case study explores key dimensions of just transition in South Africa, which has a long engagement with the concept and was one of the first countries to include an explicit reference to just transitions in its Nationally Determined Contribution. The case study reflects on the contributions of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), through its partner multilateral development banks, to the energy transition in South Africa.

The document uses the just transitions framework developed by the CIF and the Center for Strategic and International Studies to explore issues of social inclusion and distributional justice in South Africa’s energy transition. It provides a broader review of South Africa’s energy transition implications for national planning, and discusses social inclusion, financing, Covid-19 recovery programs, skills development and geographic disparities.

Report/Policy Tools or Evaluations
Jan 2020

The Political Economy of Energy in Central and Eastern Europe: Supporting the New Zero Transition

This report compares the political economy of the energy transition in Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia to inform policy interventions that will accelerate the energy transition in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

Geographic Scope
Central and Eastern Europe
Sectors
Energy
Mining
Detail
Focus Areas
Environment and/or pollution > Human health
Government intervention > Public finance, Regulation
Investment > Private finance
Keywords
investor confidence
National Energy and Climate Plan (NECPs)
EU Coal Regions in Transition Platform
energy security
energy poverty
energy efficiency
political economy mapping
Just Transition mechanism
public concern for environmental issues
By
Ada Ámon, Rebekka Popp, Felix Heilmann
Publishing Organization
E3G
Academic/research institution or journal
Summary

This report examines the political economy of the energy transition in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), providing country-level insights into Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. The authors use their political economy mapping methodology (PEMM) to examine trends in expanding renewable energy, using coal for energy production, planning for transitions, ensuring energy security, promoting energy efficiency, and responding to public concern for climate action. These insights inform the authors’ recommendations to support the European Green Deal and to accelerate the energy transition in the CEE.

The authors discuss the untapped potential of renewable energy in the CEE, detailing each country’s renewable energy plans and how improvements in energy efficiency could significantly reduce emissions in the region given the current energy-intensive state of their economies. They argue that domestically produced wind and solar energy could not only address air pollution but also help CEE countries achieve greater energy independence from Russia.

The authors discuss each country’s reliance on coal for energy production. While Slovakia, Hungary, and Czechia have recently decided to accelerate the transition away from coal, only Czechia and Slovakia have reportedly laid the foundation for a managed transition and developed transition strategies for their coal regions. The government of Hungary, as well as those of Bulgaria and Poland, has yet to plan for the transition of coal regions.

While public concern over climate change and other environmental issues such as air pollution is reportedly low in the CEE, it seems to be increasing in response to youth protests, extreme weather events, and energy access concerns. That said, the European Union remains the main driver of energy transition policies and funding in the CEE, and there have been recent tensions between the European Union and some CEE member states regarding climate plans. The authors conclude by providing recommendations on how to support sustainable energy, finance the transition, and establish inclusive policymaking processes.

Report/Case Study; Guidelines, Strategies and Recommendations; Policy Tools or Evaluations
Sep 2020

How (Not) to Phase-out Coal: Lessons from Germany for Just and Timely Coal Exits

This paper identifies nine key lessons learned from Germany’s coal phaseout to help guide effective and equitable coal transitions elsewhere in the world.

Geographic Scope
Germany
Sectors
Energy
Mining
Detail
Focus Areas
Economic diversification/restructuring > Economic development plans, Industry and/or sector assistance or plans, Infrastructure investment
Government intervention > Public finance, Regulation
Investment > Stranded assets
Keywords
coal phase-out
compensation for plant operators
German Coal Commission
transparent communication
By
Felix Heilmann, Rebekka Popp
Publishing Organization
E3G
Academic/research institution or journal
Summary

This report examines the positive and negative elements of the coal transition process in Germany. The authors propose nine benchmarks for governing coal phaseouts in Europe and elsewhere. A timely and just coal phaseout requires good leadership, transparency, social inclusion, and the legal flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances, among other aspects.

Looking at the legislation shaping Germany’s coal phaseout, the authors argue that its decision to set a rigid deadline created an unstable transition process and generated conflict. They suggest that the lack of flexibility in the country’s legal framework will result in an unsynchronized coal exit with no room for “future governments to adjust the pathways and end date.” Although a national commission was created to oversee the phaseout, the authors criticize the lack of clarity regarding the implementation of its recommendations. They claim that regional and local stakeholders were not sufficiently involved in the phaseout process and call for aligning just transition measures with climate and sustainable development targets

Report/Definitions and Concepts
Jun 2020

Just Transition Concepts and Relevance for Climate Action

This report explains the origins and evolution of just transitions, and offers a framework to represent the range of definitions as well as underlying ideologies and approaches.

Geographic Scope
Global
Sectors
General
Detail
Focus Areas
Investment > ESG and corporate engagement, Private finance
Justice
Social and/or cultural impacts > Non-financial loss
Keywords
definitions
conceptual framework
social inclusion
procedural justice
distributional justice
recognition
scope
scale
stakeholder perspectives
financing mechanisms
By
Ben Cahill, Mary Margaret Allen, Sarah Ladislaw
Publishing Organization
Center for Strategic and International Studies, Climate Investment Funds (CIF)
Academic/research institution or journal, Development finance institution
Summary

This report outlines the origins of just transitions in the US labor movement, the later adoption of the concept by the environmental and climate justice movements, and its role in international climate negotiations. The authors note that the term “just transitions” evokes a range of responses, from enthusiasm to confusion to outright skepticism, suggesting the need for a clear definition.

The paper presents a framework to capture the range of definitions and interpretations of just transitions. One key dimension is scope, including both distributional impacts—or who and what is affected in transitions—as well as intention (the ideological preference between reforming or transforming existing political and economic systems through just transitions). The other dimension in the framework is social inclusion, or the range of recognition and procedural justice for various groups. The framework does not seek to identify a single “correct” definitions of just transitions, but rather captures a range of ideologies and approaches to the concept.

A final section of the paper suggests that the next stage of just transitions work will be to advance solutions and to apply lessons learned. The authors list several priorities for future research including concrete tools and strategies, more case studies of developing countries, more effective social engagement, and new financing methods.