Knowledge Tree
just transition
Also known as: just transition interventions, just transition
Facts (50)
Sources
Realist Review on Just Transition Towards Low Emission, Climate ... link.springer.com Jan 5, 2026 42 facts
claimHard enablers for just transition interventions include robust financing and funding models, technical expertise, knowledge, and data.
claimContinued competition from dominant systems, macro environmental factors, and the high costs associated with new systems and technologies are identified as barriers to just transition interventions.
procedureThe research team mapped and analyzed evidence of just transition interventions influencing climate or social equity and social gains outcomes to demonstrate the contribution of these approaches in specific sectors.
claimSuccessful just transition interventions require delivery by a critical mass of beneficiaries who broadly accept that the transition is beneficial for firms, households, and communities.
measurementIn the realist review of just transition interventions, 64 interventions had no identified climate outcomes, and 58 interventions had no identified social equity or social gains outcomes.
procedureThe research team developed sector-level theories of change for energy, food and agriculture, and ecosystem services, as well as a multi-sector theory of change for food/agriculture and ecosystem services combined, to map causal pathways for just transition interventions in non-Annex I countries.
accountThe research team, the Green Climate Fund Independent Evaluation Unit (GCF-IEU), and the International Labour Organization (ILO) co-developed an overarching working theory of change for just transition interventions in non-Annex I countries, based on existing literature, government documents, and international organization reports.
measurementGeographic mapping of just transition interventions shows that Africa had the highest number of agriculture/food interventions, while Asia had the highest number of energy interventions.
measurementResearchers identified eight types of activities that incorporate climate and social equity considerations across 99 analyzed just transition interventions.
claimThe 'Realist Review on Just Transition Towards Low Emission, Climate Resilient Development' formulated overarching and sector-level theories of change based on the enablers, barriers, inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes of just transition interventions identified in non-Annex I countries.
perspectiveFuture just transition interventions and programmes designed by policymakers, funders, and international organizations should understand enablers and barriers and include activities to address them or seek linkages to other interventions that can.
referenceThe realist review identified common barriers to successful just transition interventions across all sectors, specifically bureaucratic and legal barriers, exclusion, and the unequal distribution of benefits.
claimThe research team behind the 'Realist Review on Just Transition Towards Low Emission, Climate Resilient Development' refrained from conducting statistical or econometric analysis because the nature of the available data on just transition interventions was not suitable for these methods.
referenceThe inputs required for just transition interventions include funding from international and domestic public and private actors, materials and technology, human resource inputs (institutional capacity, leadership programs, work hours), consultations and engagement (including informed consent for gender-responsive strategies), and existing data and research.
measurementThe researchers identified 31 just transition interventions in the agriculture/food sector, of which 15 focused exclusively on agriculture/food, while the remaining 16 included agriculture/food combined with other sectors.
claimLocal context, including religion and culture, serves as a place-based enabler for just transition interventions. For example, a community forestry initiative in Cambodia achieved high levels of success because the region's predominantly Buddhist population attributes significant spiritual value to forests.
perspectiveJust transition interventions in the agricultural sector will be complicated and face many potential trade-offs, given the high dependency on food systems for human survival and livelihoods, according to Atteridge (2023).
claimInputs are resources or actions used to fill gaps in enablers and to unblock, minimize, or reduce barriers to successful just transition interventions.
referenceSocial equity and social gains outputs for just transition interventions include enhanced local economic benefits (job creation, income, health co-benefits), workforce skill development, protection of vulnerable workers and communities, respect for human rights and gender equity, and the achievement of broad stakeholder consensus.
claimVery few just transition interventions focus on minimizing and addressing negative employment impacts, with the exception of some interventions within the energy sector.
claimSoft enablers for just transition interventions include high-level political ownership, robust government coordination, and strong alignment with national and subnational development policies.
measurementThe 99 interventions included in the review occurred at various scales, ranging from individuals, households, and communities to district, regional, and country-level interventions, with most interventions covering multiple scales.
perspectiveThe reported outcomes of just transition interventions might be skewed by a focus on mitigation in the results frameworks developed to monitor and evaluate their progress and performance.
claimBarriers to successful just transition interventions include a lack of certainty regarding political commitments, buy-in and ownership, bureaucracy, legal issues, and unfulfilled expectations of policy reform.
procedureThe research team conducted a realist review of just transition interventions in non-Annex I countries by mapping academic literature and grey material through an iterative search process that utilized bibliometric methods and pre-determined, transparent selection criteria for relevance and quality.
claimThe mapping of just transition interventions found a low incidence of prevented or reduced negative social outcomes within social groups or across society, potentially due to ecosystem services operating in the informal economy where data recording is less developed.
claimJust transition interventions often feature mechanisms for coherence across programmes and investments, as well as ex ante assessments of the employment and social impacts of those interventions.
claimThe analysis of just transition interventions in the study excludes infrastructure interventions because the research identified a very limited number of studies on that topic.
claimLimited stakeholder engagement and a lack of clarity regarding the benefits of just transition interventions can create distrust and undermine the success of these interventions.
referenceClimate-related outputs for just transition interventions include the increased adoption of low-emission or resilient production practices, the increased supply of affordable low-emission technologies (such as renewable energy and water harvesting), and changes in consumption patterns toward low-emission behaviors.
claimSome just transition interventions focus on the upskilling of workers in new and emerging industries, such as renewable energy technologies and transmission systems.
claimCreating an enabling environment for just transition interventions in the agriculture and food sector requires developing policy, legal, institutional, and financial frameworks, rather than focusing solely on farm equipment and climate-smart technology.
claimMost just transition interventions have failed to focus on minimizing or addressing negative employment impacts, with the exception of some interventions within the energy sector.
referenceThe theory of change for just transition interventions in the combined agriculture, food, and ecosystem services sectors is presented in Figure 18 of the source document.
procedureIdentifying enablers and barriers for just transition interventions requires assessing the accessibility of strong financing, the level of commitment from public authorities and stakeholders, the degree of alignment with existing policies, the amount of technical expertise or support, and the extent of clear governance and engagement necessary to establish trust.
claimThe updated theory of change for just transition interventions is based on the plans or intentions of the interventions and the contextual factors identified as likely to enable or obstruct progress, rather than the actual results of existing interventions.
claimNo evidence was found of dedicated activities supporting systems for ensuring human rights, including labour rights, within the just transition interventions studied.
claimThe exclusion of specific groups, such as women and Indigenous communities, from national policy reform dialogues acts as a barrier to successful just transition interventions.
referenceA realist review of global evidence on just transition interventions in developing countries identified common enablers across most sectors, including robust funding and financing mechanisms, strong alignment with needs and priorities, political will and ownership, and social dialogue and stakeholder engagement.
claimThe overarching theory of change for just transition interventions in non-Annex I countries was refined based on research findings to produce an updated theory of change that synthesizes how interventions are intended to contribute to a just transition.
claimSectoral theories of change provide greater specificity regarding activities, outputs, and outcomes compared to overarching theories of change, while also detailing inputs for key enablers and barriers in just transition interventions.
claimMany just transition interventions aim to increase living standards in areas with limited income and service access, yet there is little local experience in managing the dislocations caused by transitioning away from carbon-intensive energy, infrastructure, and food systems.
Energy Transition Literature - PSU Center for Energy Law and Policy celp.psu.edu May 20, 2024 7 facts
perspectiveThe government holds the responsibility of implementing just transitions, and planning to mitigate community harm is necessary to achieve a just transition.
referenceB. F. Snyder (2018) authored 'Vulnerability to Decarbonization in Hydrocarbon-intensive Counties in the United States: A Just Transition to Avoid Post-industrial Decay' in Energy Research & Social Science.
referenceSandeep Pai, Kathryn Harrison, and Hadi Zerriffi apply the 'JUST' framework to literature regarding a just transition for fossil fuel workers, finding that existing literature predominantly focuses on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and coal workers, while reflecting 17 key strategies that vary by type of justice, spatial scale, and timeframe.
claimThe author of the paper on socioeconomic vulnerability argues that policymakers should mitigate the socioeconomic impacts of decarbonization by taking a spatially targeted approach to aid the United States in implementing a just transition to a low-carbon economy.
claimLe Billon and Kristoffersen (2020) concluded that supply cuts in the coal, oil, and gas sectors can offer purposeful spaces of intervention to work towards a just transition away from fossil fuels.
perspectiveGreg Muttitt and Sivan Kartha argue that a just transition must respect the rights of extraction workers and pollution-affected communities, and they propose five principles for the equitable curbing of fossil fuel extraction: (1) phase out global extraction at a pace consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C; (2) enable a just transition for workers and communities; (3) curb extraction consistent with environmental justice; (4) reduce extraction fastest where doing so will have the least social costs; and (5) share transition costs fairly according to the ability to bear those costs.
claimA study on energy transition in Portugal identified four distinct visions: Modernization and Techno-Economic Development, Green Economy, Energy Citizenship, and Just Transition.
Sustainable Energy Transition for Renewable and Low Carbon Grid ... frontiersin.org Mar 23, 2022 1 fact
claimJust transition considerations must be addressed at both macro and micro levels from the beginning to create structures that allow parties dependent on fossil fuel dynamics to participate effectively in the benefits of the energy transition.