How Just Transition can help deliver climate action
Climate action to a net-zero future is key to unlocking the global climate goals. However, if not managed well, the required socioeconomic transformation could further increasing social inequality, exclusion and unemployment. Increasingly, countries are acknowledging these risks and in turn are taking action to integrate a just transition approach into their short- and long-term climate action strategies and legislation.
This event explores how those just transition strategies are becoming powerful mechanisms towards increasing climate ambition. In some cases, like Spain, such strategies have already given positive result, after four years of action and new jobs are created in just transition territories while coal consumption to produce electricity has declined drastically, from 14,3% in 2018 to 2,8% in 2022. In other cases, like Australia or Colombia the just transition path has recently started. In the first case, recently, the Net Zero Authority was created to “ensure the workers, industries and communities that have powered Australia for generations can seize the opportunities of Australia’s net zero transformation”. In the second case, Colombia is working on a new strategy to “advancing a fair and sustainable energy transition that seeks to ensure the country’s energy sovereignty, democratic access to energy and clear actions to confront climate change”.
The panel will also share the views on this agenda of civil society organizations including trade unions and how the rapid transition to a renewable energy system that is imperative if the world is to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, should incorporate a just transition approach, where no one is left behind. In this sense, training and education to meet anticipated needs that brings the enhanced climate ambition scenario, as well as a greater workforce diversity, and the participation of women, ethnic minorities and youth, are not only ethical imperatives but also necessary to this end.
Moderator
Coltrane Morley-Williams / Climate Strategies
Speakers
- Julián Martínez / Just Energy Transition / Government of Spain
- Steven Brine / Just Transition / Australian Delegation
- Diana Junquera / Just Transition Center
- Moustapha Kamal Gueye / Heal of Just Transition / ILO
- Sebastian Camilo Carranza / Climate change and risk management Department Director / Ministry of Environment of Colombia