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Podcast

Just Transitions: Focusing on South Africa and India

This podcast explores CoP26 agenda and key priorities for a just transition away from coal in two coal dependent emerging economies: India and South Africa
November 2, 2021

This week, Chandra Bhushan with iFOREST and Jesse Burton with the University of Cape Town join Sandeep Pai (CSIS) to look at how key themes of just transitions are important in the context of CoP26 meetings.  They then discuss the key priorities on the ground for a just transition away from coal in the major economies of South Africa and India. 

For more, read Understanding Just Transitions in Coal Dependent Communities: Case Studies from Mpumalanga, South Africa, and Jharkhand, India

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Participants

  • Sandeep Pai: Senior Associate (Non-resident), Energy Security and Climate Change Program
  • Jesse Burton: Senior Associate, E3G; Researcher, Energy Systems Research Group at the University of Cape Town
  • Chandra Bhushan: Chief Executive Officer, International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iFOREST)
  • Lisa Hyland: Associate Director, Energy Education and Public Programming, Energy Security and Climate Change Program, CSIS

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the Climate Investment Funds or Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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Authors

Just Transition Initiative Team

Just Transition Initiative Team This publication was written by the Just Transition Initiative team, a collaborative effort by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Climate Investment Funds.

Related
from the Resource Library

Academic paper/Definitions and Concepts
Sep 2019

Resistance to Coal and the Possibilities of a Just Transition in South Africa

This paper examines anti-coal efforts led by mining-affected communities, environmental organizations, and labor unions and considers how they could become a “counter-power” for driving a transformative, just transition.

Geographic Scope
South Africa
Sectors
Energy
Mining
Detail
Focus Areas
Employment > Job creation and/or equality
Environment and/or pollution > Human health, Nature
Inequality and/or poverty > Gender inequality, Other
Social and/or cultural impacts > Pride or cultural identity
Keywords
transformative resistance
state-owned utility
mine closures
material dependence
water and air pollution
grassroots organizations
environmental justice
By
Jacklyn Cock
Publishing Organization
Development of South Africa Journal
Academic/research institution or journal
Summary

This paper examines coal-related struggles in South Africa, asking whether resistance from mining-affected communities, the labor community, and the environmental justice movement can counteract the state’s agenda and the coal industry to promote an alternative social order. The author argues that, in the process of elite capture, the current concept of just transitions has lost its transformative potential and now represents market-driven change toward a new, privatized renewable energy regime.

The findings of this study are based on exchange workshops with representatives from these three social groups. In many mining-affected communities, dependence on coal creates socially complex, ambiguous patterns of resistance. While there is collective action against coal-related activities, resistance is not directed against coal per se but rather against environmental pollution, migrant laborers, and damage from mine blasts. There seems to be little recognition that coal mine closures are inevitable, and community members often feel that the “just transitions” concept lacks substance or a clear alternative vision to coal. The author describes the narratives and struggles within the labor and environmental justice communities as well.

The author suggests that a “counter-power” is required to build a movement for greater equality, increased sustainability, and alternative development pathways to coal. However, generating this counter-power involves linking different struggles. The author suggests that livelihoods, defined as the immediate needs of poor communities, can be the bridge for shared understanding.

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

Just Transitions: Local Lessons and Global Insights from South Africa

This Energy 360 podcast on just transitions in South Africa provides local lessons and broader global insights from a country that has a long history of engaging with just transitions in the context of high levels of unemployment, inequality, poverty, and a high dependency on coal.

Geographic Scope
South Africa
Sectors
Energy
Mining
Water
Detail
Focus Areas
Economic diversification/restructuring > Economic development plans
Employment > Job creation and/or equality, Skills
Government intervention > Public finance, Regulation
Inequality and/or poverty > Other
Investment > Private finance
Justice
Social and/or cultural impacts > Non-financial loss
Keywords
multilateral development banks
unemployment
coal sector
By
Michael Ward, Neha Sharma, Brenda Martin
Publishing Organization
Center for Strategic and International Studies, Climate Investment Funds (CIF)
Academic/research institution or journal, Development finance institution
Summary

This podcast provides an easily accessible overview of the implications of just transitions in South Africa’s energy transition. The interview format allows a range of issues to be covered drawing on many years of experience within the energy sector, as well as a recent case study on just transitions in South Africa.

Topics covered include the importance of just transitions in a country that has some of the highest levels of inequality, unemployment, and poverty in the world. South Africa is also dependent on coal for the vast majority of its energy, particularly electricity, despite a substantial renewable energy procurement program. It is in this context that issues of sustainable development, social dialogue, financing a just transition, social transformation, geographic disparities, and skills development are discussed.

Report/Policy Tools or Evaluations
Jun 2021

Towards a Just Transition Finance Roadmap for India: Laying the foundations for practical action

The report identifies priority actions for the financial sector in India to address social risks arising from the economic transition, with the help of a just transition framework that assesses the exposure by sector and region.

Geographic Scope
India
Sectors
Energy
General
Industrial
Mining
Transportation
Detail
Focus Areas
Employment > Job creation and/or equality
Government intervention > Other, Public finance, Regulation
Investment > ESG and corporate engagement, Other, Private finance
Keywords
India Just Transition Finance Roadmap (JTFR) project
urbanization
digitalization
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
double materiality
credit rating
green bond regulations
ESG reporting
Central Banks and Supervisors Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS)
freight
cement
green bonds
green loans
Reserve Bank of India
fiscal policy
CSR
By
Suranjali Tandon, Annapurna Mitra, Nick Robins
Publishing Organization
CDC Investment Works
Academic/research institution or journal
Summary

This report, a product of the India Just Transition Finance Roadmap (JTFR) project, identifies some priority actions that financial institutions can take to support climate action that also delivers positive results in terms of livelihoods and sustainable development. It involves a review of existing practices, an assessment of exposure by sector and region, and the identification of some priority actions for the finance sector. The authors describe the just transition agenda as the “connective tissue” that binds climate goals with social outcomes.

The authors highlight how India simultaneously confronts the challenges of multiple economic transitions—urbanization, digitalization, and the shift to zero carbon. They identify the distributional impacts on Indian states in sectors that are expected to be the most impacted, including: coal mining, electricity generation, agriculture, manufacturing and industry, along with transportation. Using the four dimensions of social risk arising from the net zero transition—namely livelihoods, energy access, public finance, and human development, they find that Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Telangana, and Rajasthan will be the most affected by the zero-carbon transition.

The authors suggest that the framework shows a possible mapping of risks to investments, highlighting the role that financial sector players, regulators, and policymakers need to play in ensuring that a just transition is achieved. Furthermore, they highlight how the framework can be used to provide guidance for investors to understand company operations in vulnerable regions, and whether there are any investment strategies capable of mitigating the risks in these regions. It can also provide guidance for investors seeking to align capital allocations with the just transition framework. From their conversations with investors, the authors identify how the just transition is still at an early stage of development in India and needs definition and how it needs to be placed in a core sustainable developmental context. Furthermore, the conversations also reveal that policy action is a crucial catalyst for a just transition and that shareholder engagement on just transitions is increasing.