An energy transition that leaves no one behind
A successful energy transition will not be possible unless social factors are taken into account.
The energy transition is leading to profound changes. On the one hand, jobs are changing worldwide. In certain areas of work, such as in the coal industry, jobs are disappearing, while in other areas, such as in the production of photovoltaic modules, new jobs are emerging.
Raw materials such as lithium and cobalt, which are needed for restructuring energy and transport systems, are today often still extracted under conditions that are harmful to the environment and to our health. People extracting these raw materials are also affected by changing conditions.
This disparity is therefore playing an ever-greater role both within countries and internationally.
The goal is to shape an energy transition that brings benefits to all people: a ‘Just Transition’. People affected by the energy transition are taken into account by decision-makers.
Just Transition – discover the topic from different perspectives
Putting a just energy transition into practice means bringing benefits to everyone. To this end, we have to understand and reconcile the different actors’ perspectives in order to shape the just transition together. Get to know the perspectives.
Choose a perspective and then switch between the different texts.
"We achieve climate protection, participation and co-determination through renewable energy in the hands of citizens."
Christoph Rinke
BürgerEnergie Berlin
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"My vision is to ensure that every household has access to energy."
Hamzat Lawal
Connected Development (CODE)
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"We need to ensure that future generations can enjoy the same environmental benefits that we enjoy today."
Isabella Villanueva
Conference of Youth (COY) 15
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"A just energy tranistion means intergenerational justice."
Sara Engström
European Energy Utility Company
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"We need strong social programmes to be able to support those that are unwilling or unable to make the transition."
Scott Spencer
formerly with Northwest Territories Power Corporation
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"The European Union can be a real change maker for a just energy transition if it acts with a single voice."
Anna Colucci
VOLT Italy
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"The energy transition is a global issue that requires exchanges and the sharing of knowledge and technologies."
Antoine Chapon
German-French Office for the Energy Transition
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"Energy is in the heart of every economy."
Hala Zawati
Jordan Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources
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"Humanity and society depend on energy, thus we cannot longer base our energy system on non-renewable resources."
Nina Scheer
SPD Parliamentary Group
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"Climate change adaptation needs to go hand-in-hand with a sustainable energy supply."
Sherwin Gatchalian
Senate of the Philippines
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"Everyone in South Africa wants a just energy transition. This means different things to different people."
Avena Jacklin
groundWork
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"The recognition of the cultural, legal and religious context is crucial to promote renewable energy development."
Hou Yuhan
Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technology
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"The reduction in carbon emissions and digitization of businesses go hand in hand."
Jonquil Hackenberg
Infosys
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"We need to make scientific information available to empower people in decision making."
Alejandra Molina
Explorador Solar Projekt
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"Political level commitment is needed for the global energy transition."
Bill Hare
Climate Analytics
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"How do new energy technologies impact local economies, local people and job creation?"
Dr. John Parkins
University of Alberta
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"In future, India's energy system will definitely run without carbon."
Kanika Chawla
Council on Energy, Environment and Water
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"The government needs to involve the population in the energy transition process."
Kostyantyn Krynytsky
EcoAction
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Just Transition is a concept that originated in the North American labour movement and was designed by trade unions and environmental justice organisations.
Restructuring our energy and economic systems offers many opportunities: opportunities for new jobs with good working conditions, for example in the field of renewable energy, opportunities for the sustainable modernisation of entire regions, and opportunities for a global climate policy based on solidarity, which protects the poorest and weakest countries and supports them in their efforts to adapt to climate change in order to achieve justice for the generations of today and the future.
A Just Transition emphasises these opportunities in order to improve the working and living conditions of people affected by the energy transition:
What main actors from the renewables industry, the environmental sector or from politics are key drivers of the energy transition and take decisions about how it is implemented?
Which groups of people and what regions are affected by the structural change, and to what extent? How can these actors be involved in the restructuring processes? Are all affected parties represented?
Which actors require support so that they can also benefit from the global energy transition?
Listen to the thoughts and experiences of actors worldwide who are shaping the energy transition and are affected by it.
To this end, actors from society, politics, business and the science community must work together to constantly renegotiate answers to the above questions.
Media library
Would you like to learn more about the energy transition – around the world and in your local community?
Click through the articles, studies and video clips in the online library.
