Coal
A 2022 toolbox which is largely based on a set of toolkits that the Wuppertal Institute has developed in collaboration with a broad range of
stakeholders for the EU Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition. It thus showcases learnings from coal regions in Europe to a large extent. For this toolbox, the aim was to scale up the extensive knowledge gained from the Initiative’s work to a global perspective, including experiences and knowledge from countries outside the EU.
[Originally posted at https://epub.wupperinst.org/frontdoor/deliver/index/docId/7990/file/7990_Transition_Toolbox.pdf]
A 2022 report which came after the Green Finance and Development Center at FISF Fudan University, the Center for Sustainable Finance at SOAS, University of London and the Boston University Global Development Policy Center co-hosted a workshop in March 2022 to explore potentials and strategies for the early retirement of coal plants. The workshop assessed the potential for early coal plant retirement, with a focus on China’s role in enabling this transition overseas. The workshop featured presentations on current practices and challenges of early retirement of coal-fired power plants. The workshop also featured a panel discussion on how such early retirement mechanisms could be applied, especially for China’s overseas investments.
[Originally posted at https://www.bu.edu/gdp/files/2022/06/GCI_PB_014_FIN.pdf]
A 2020 book which has six chapters, each of which offers an assessment of proposals to reform the financial system. Every
chapter starts with a table that briefly summarizes the proposals that will be discussed, their proponents or examples of where they are being
implemented, their potential impact, achievability and any associated drawbacks. Six core recommendations (one per chapter) emerge as
priorities, but these are not the only proposals that merit being taken forward. Indeed, all of the measures discussed herein could contribute to
building a financial system that would be part of the solution to climate chaos, rather than part of the problem. Uprooting the monoculture of
financial capitalism and replacing it with a balanced financial ecosystem that sticks to planetary boundaries and respects social justice requires far more than uprooting a single tree.
[Originally posted at https://www.tni.org/en/changefinance]
A 2022 study which uses South Africa as a reference case study to deconstruct the Just Transition Transaction (JTT) and develops a framework of necessary and conducive features for its application to other countries. The authors then use this framework to evaluate the JTT’s suitability for supporting a green transition in key South-East Asian countries, specifically Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
[Originally posted at https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/skbi/20/]
A 2020 report which suggests that only an ambitious rollout of renewables creates the foundation for a 'just transition' that enhances the local environmental and health benefits of phasing out coal-fired power.
[Originally posted at https://www.boell.de/en/2021/01/05/debt-climate-opportunities-south-africa]
A 2021 ESPON topic paper which summarizes the evidence gathered from recent ESPON studies. It also discusses the consequences of sustainability and climate change in relation to urbanization processes and risks of territorial disparities due to climate policy driving the
restructuring of European regions and cities.
[Originally posted at https://www.espon.eu/sites/default/files/attachments/Topic%20paper%20%235%20-%20The%20energy%20transition%20and%20climate%20change%20resilience%20-%20ESPON%20evidence.pdf]
A 2018 paper which examines the ‘theory’ and practice of ‘just transition’ by first considering the competing interpretations and conceptual understandings of it and second, the challenges of realizing a ‘just transition’ in an Australian coal region where transition is occurring. The paper argues that achieving ‘just transition’ requires more than government provisions and interventions and that unions must perform an
active part in the process through their relations with employers, workers, government, and community. It suggests the lack of clarity within the ‘just transition’ literature may be the concept’s lasting strength.
[Originally posted at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14747731.2018.1454679]
A 2021 report which interrogates the idea of a 'just transition' and place it within its historical context. It addresses a major contradiction at the core of global energy transition debates: the rapid shift to low-carbon energy-systems will require increased extraction of minerals and metals. In doing so, the authors argue that extractive industries are energy and carbon-intensive, and will enlarge and intensify social and ecological injustice.
[Originally posted at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sd.2163]
A 2017 study which argues that Australia’s political and economic institutions help to explain the autonomous decision of Engie to close the plant, the short notice period, and the lack of pre-closure government transition policy.
[Originally posted at https://ccep.crawford.anu.edu.au/files/uploads/ccep_crawford_anu_edu_au/2017-11/wiseman_campbell_green_prospects_for_a_just_transition_away_from_coal-fired_power_generation_in_australia_ccep_wp1708.pdf]
A 2019 book chapter which provides the input data for two different employment development calculation methods: The quantitative analysis, which looks into the overall number of jobs in renewable and fossil fuel industries and the occupational analysis which looks into specific job categories required for the solar and wind sector as well as the oil, gas, and coal industry. Results are given with various figures and tables.
[Originally posted at https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-05843-2_10]
A 2022 report which offers a retrospective analysis of the Obama administration's POWER Initiative to help energy-dependent communities in transition.
[Originally posted at https://www.rff.org/publications/reports/power-for-transition-investment-in-coal-communities-through-the-partnerships-for-opportunity-and-workforce-and-economic-revitalization-power-initiative/]
A 2019 study which reviews Germany’s experiences with structural policy focusing on the Ruhr area (but also experiences from other regions) and identifies the structural policy developments and their positive and negative impacts in regards to energy transition.
[Originally posted at https://regionsbeyondcoal.eu/just-transition-for-regions-and-generations/]
A 2020 report which argues that in order to ensure that the departure from peat is fair and just for all of Ireland’s society, increased efforts should be taken to make contact with workers to determine their needs on an individual basis.
[Originally posted at https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/Poverty/JustTransition/Individuals/IndividualClareProfous.pdf]
Hot Reports
Covid-19 and a Just Transition in India's Coal Mining Sector
The COVID 19 pandemic hit India hard in early 2020, with negative GDP growth and a surge in unemployment. In the energy sector, coal fired power generation was already under pressure from overcapacity, low electricity demand growth, and increasingly competitive renewables.
Considerations for a Just and Equitable Energy Transition
As the energy transition accelerates, it is our responsibility, it is our opportunity, to ensure that in addition to contributing to a healthy planet by replacing fossil fuels with clean energy sources, this is accomplished in a just and equitable manner providing prosperity for all.
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