What does “just transition” mean for climate change mitigation?
Fecha: junio 2019
Oliver Sartor
Transición energética justa, Cambio climático, Política del medio ambiente, Ajuste estructural
Papeles de Energía, N.º 7 (junio 2019)
During the past few years, the concept of “Just Transition”, as used in relation to climate change mitigation, has increasingly gained attention. But while there is no shortage of talk and references to just transition, what is this issue really about? What do we mean by just transition? Do all actors in the climate mitigation debate mean the same thing? And what in practical and concrete terms might a just transition look like? This paper seeks to explore and shed light on these questions. This paper argues that there is no “universal blueprint” for a just transition. However, there are some common principles –principles that ultimately relate to basic philosophical ideas of natural justice, human decency and respect, and theories of effective social change– that are likely to be more or less universal across cultural contexts. In this author’s view, these will likely need to form an important part of the governance strategies for climate change mitigation to be both effective, socially acceptable and just.