Climate Investment Funds (CIF) – Just Transition Initiative

What is "Just Transition"?

Podcast/Guidelines, Strategies and Recommendations

Nov 2021

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.

Geographic Scope
Sectors: Energy; General; Mining
By: Sandeep Pai, Chandra Bhushan, Jesse Burton
Publishing Organization: Climate Investment Funds (CIF), Center for Strategic and International Studies
Academic/research institution or journal, Development finance institution
Summary: 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.

Podcast/Guidelines, Strategies and Recommendations

Nov 2021

Just Transitions: Economic Diversification for Coal Dependent regions

This podcast looks at various opportunities and challenges for coal dependent regions in India and South Africa to create just and sustainable pathways to diversify their economies.

Geographic Scope
Sectors: Energy; Mining
Focus Areas: Economic diversification/restructuring > Economic development plans, Infrastructure investment; Employment > (Re)Training and/or educational programs, Skills; Environment and/or pollution > Human health; Government intervention > Public finance, Regulation
By: Sandeep Pai, Gaylor Montmasson-Clair, Srestha Banerjee
Publishing Organization: Climate Investment Funds (CIF), Center for Strategic and International Studies
Academic/research institution or journal, Development finance institution
Summary: Gaylor Montmasson-Clair with Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) and Srestha Banerjee with iForest join Sandeep Pai (CSIS) to explore the opportunities and challenges for coal dependent regions in India and South Africa to create just and sustainable pathways to diversify their economies.

Podcast/Guidelines, Strategies and Recommendations

Jun 2021

Just Transitions: A Just Green Recovery from Covid-19

This podcast explores how governments can promote economic spending packages that promote an inclusive and fair green recovery.

Geographic Scope
Sectors: General
Focus Areas: COVID-19; Government intervention > Public finance
By: Ben Cahill, Brian O’Callaghan, Jesse Burton
Publishing Organization: Climate Investment Funds (CIF), Center for Strategic and International Studies
Academic/research institution or journal, Development finance institution
Summary: Ben Cahill (CSIS) is joined by Brian O’Callaghan and Jesse Burton to discuss how Covid-19 recovery can be more just, equitable and green. Brian is Lead Researcher and Project Manager of the Oxford University Economic Recovery Project, and Jesse is with the University of Cape Town and a Senior Associate with E3G, where she provides analysis and policy advice on coal transitions in South Africa and globally. Together, they look at how governments can ensure that their economic spending packages can accelerate a green recovery while also being inclusive and fair for all communities.

Podcast/Guidelines, Strategies and Recommendations

Mar 2021

Just Transitions: India’s Path Forward

This podcast discusses the importance of a just transition in the context of climate change policies and investments and explores the impact of Covid-19 on just transitions.

Geographic Scope
Sectors: Energy
Focus Areas: Employment; Government intervention > Other, Regulation
By: Neha Sharma, Ajay Mathur, Srestha Banerjee, Mike Ward
Publishing Organization: Center for Strategic and International Studies, Climate Investment Funds (CIF)
Academic/research institution or journal, Development finance institution
Summary: As the energy transition in India accelerates, how do decisionmakers ensure that the transition is a just and equitable transition? Neha Sharma, Ajay Mathur, Srestha Banerjee, and Mike Ward look at the underlying drivers of India’s energy transitions, and key considerations for creating a just transition, including the need for fairness and equity, geographic disparities, lack of social mobility, labor policy, and energy access.

Commentary/Guidelines, Strategies and Recommendations

Aug 2021

COP26: The Perfect Opportunity for Latin America and the Caribbean to Champion a Just Transition to Net Zero

This commentary narrates the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic and extreme weather events on the Latin America and Caribbean region and highlights the urgent need for a just and equitable transition to net zero.

Geographic Scope
Sectors: Energy
Focus Areas: COVID-19; Economic diversification/restructuring > Infrastructure investment; Employment > Job creation and/or equality; Government intervention > Public finance, Regulation
Keywords: COP26; net-zero; energy efficiency
By: Leonardo Beltran
Publishing Organization: Center for Strategic and International Studies, Climate Investment Funds (CIF)
Academic/research institution or journal, Development finance institution
Summary: The disproportionate impacts of the pandemic and extreme weather events on the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region highlight the urgent need for a just and equitable transition to net zero in LAC. The region has a unique opportunity to step up at the upcoming COP26 by incorporating just transition priorities into two foundational energy initiatives. The Renewable Energy for Latin America and the Caribbean (RELAC) Initiative along with the implementation of the Observatory of Energy Management Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, supported by sources of climate finance, have the potential to help deliver on the region’s energy and climate goals while also generating the new economic and employment opportunities needed for a new green economy that works for all.

Commentary

Jun 2021

Worker’s Voice and Investing in a Just Transition: The Fonds de Solidarité FTQ

Investors are embedded in society, and the Solidarity Fund of Québec shows one example of direct engagement by investors to help workers and communities to prepare for an energy transition.

Geographic Scope
Sectors: General
Focus Areas: Economic diversification/restructuring > Infrastructure investment; Employment > Skills; Investment > ESG and corporate engagement, Private finance
Keywords: investors; multi-sector dialogue; labor movement
By: David Wood, Andre Almeida Santos
Publishing Organization: Center for Strategic and International Studies, Climate Investment Funds (CIF)
Academic/research institution or journal, Development finance institution

Commentary/Guidelines, Strategies and Recommendations

Aug 2021

Climate finance shaped by the people, for the people: Why the next wave of climate funding needs a human touch

Concessional finance could prove critical for just transitions in developing countries. Multilateral climate funds, with their range of tried and tested financial tools, could help drive a new wave of investments that put people at the center of a net-zero economy.

Geographic Scope
Sectors: General
Focus Areas: Government intervention > Public finance; Investment > Other
Keywords: EU's Just Transition Fund; concessional finance; TA facility; just transition pilots
By: Hugh Searight, Mike Ward, Neha Sharma
Publishing Organization: Climate Investment Funds (CIF)
Development finance institution

Brief/Guidelines, Strategies and Recommendations

May 2021

A Just Green Recovery from COVID-19

This paper highlights how the Covid-19 recovery window offers a rare opportunity for accelerating the green transition and examines recovery measures through the lens of a just transition.

Geographic Scope
Sectors: General
Focus Areas: COVID-19; Employment > Job creation and/or equality, Skills, Social protections; Government intervention > Other
Keywords: informal sector; just transition framework; covid recovery packages; health and unemployment insurance; pipeline projects; labor rights
By: Ben Cahill, Hugh Searight, Mary Margaret Allen, Rahul Madhusudanan
Publishing Organization: Climate Investment Funds (CIF), Center for Strategic and International Studies
Academic/research institution or journal, Development finance institution
Summary: This paper highlights how the Covid-19 recovery window offers a rare opportunity for transforming economies and accelerating the green transition. There is renewed openness to large-scale public investments, as governments seek to restore their economic health, boost long-term growth potential, and accelerate decarbonization. But the inequality, exposed by the Covid-19 crisis, also demonstrates the need for policies that can advance equity and justice.

The paper examines green recovery measures through the lens of a just transition. The authors use three key dimensions of a just transition—distributional impacts, social inclusion, and transformative intent—to assess green recovery interventions around the world. They highlight promising examples of just and green recovery measures in various countries and suggest policy insights, with principles and best practices for future action.

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
Sectors: Energy; Mining; Water
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.

Podcast/Definitions and Concepts; Guidelines, Strategies and Recommendations

Sep 2020

Just Transitions: Assessing Gender Dimensions

This podcast discusses the gender dimensions of just transitions and offers recommendations for policy planning and implementation.

Geographic Scope
Sectors: General
Focus Areas: Employment > Other; Inequality and/or poverty > Gender inequality, Other; Social and/or cultural impacts > Non-financial loss
Keywords: political economy; distributional impacts; gender responsive approach; land rights; social inclusion; care work; covid-19
By: Sarah Ladislaw, May Thazin Aung, Adrienne Cruz
Publishing Organization: Center for Strategic and International Studies, Climate Investment Funds (CIF)
Academic/research institution or journal, Development finance institution
Summary: This podcast focuses on the gender and social dimensions of just transitions. Adrienne Cruz with the International Labor Organization and May Thazin Aung with the Stockholm Environment Institute join Sarah Ladislaw from CSIS’s Energy Security and Climate Change Program to explore gender dimensions and strategies to support gender equitable outcomes and processes.

They discuss lessons from past experiences, as well as the need for gender responsive policies that address women’s unique challenges and needs and that promote their involvement in decision-making processes.