Climate Change and a Just Transition

The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) has published in November 2024 “Reducing Inequalities in Development Policy and Practice: Climate Change and Just Transition”, as one of its sectoral guidance notes for reducing inequalities.

It discusses the three dimensions of sustainable development and their interlinkages, the links between climate change and inequality, key types of climate policy for mitigation and adaptation, political economy considerations, and key recommendations for influencing climate policy and a just transition. The following is a summary of some of the key points.

Climate change, environmental destruction and biodiversity loss have significant impacts on livelihoods, health and productivity. Climate change magnifies existing inequalities, both within and between countries. Within countries, populations at greater risk of adverse effects include disadvantaged and vulnerable populations, some Indigenous peoples, and local communities dependent on agricultural or coastal livelihoods, whereas regions at higher risk include Arctic ecosystems, dryland regions, small island developing states, and Least Developed Countries. Economic inequalities between the world’s richest and poorest nations have reportedly widened by 25 percent due to global warming.

Climate change mitigation and adaptation offer the possibility to reduce inequalities when policy foregrounds the needs and perspectives of low-income and vulnerable groups and places. Climate change unduly affects vulnerable populations, exacerbating existing social disparities, since extreme weather events, natural disasters and resource scarcity, often hit marginalized communities the hardest.

The concept of just transition, which lies at the heart of equitable climate change policy, acknowledges the potential adverse socio-economic impacts the move away from fossil fuels can have if not well managed. When done well, a just transition can accelerate much needed decarbonization while tackling root causes of injustice and challenging systems of exclusion and discrimination. By pivoting toward green sectors, countries can transition toward sustainable economies that benefit a wider populace, particularly underserved communities.

Inclusive economic development strategies that prioritize access to these emerging sectors, alongside the “greening” of traditional sectors, can bridge socio-economic divisions, thereby reducing inequality. By tackling concentrations of power and wealth, they not only have the potential to diminish the influence of entrenched interests that benefit from the status quo but also to amplify the voices and interests of the marginalized communities who are most affected by climate change.

Climate justice involves envisioning fundamentally different futures rooted in social and solidarity economies which tackle different dimensions of existing injustices and inequalities together, emphasizing principles such as mutual aid, voluntary cooperation and democratic decision making, in contrast to the individualism underlying market economies. These principles find expression in new economic models that are based on the primacy of people and social purpose in the distribution and use of profits.

There is much more on specific policies and recommendations in the full guidance note linked below.

SOURCE: https://cdn.unrisd.org/assets/library/papers/pdf-files/2024/2024-sector…