As early as the signing of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the connection between climate change and the impacts of the measures taken in response to it were acknowledged by signatory countries in its preamble. By acknowledging that climate change is a common concern of humankind, signatories were requested, when taking action to address it, to respect, promote and consider their respective obligations on human rights, the right to health, the rights of local communities, children, persons with disabilities and people in vulnerable situations and the right to development, as well as gender equality, empowerment of women and intergenerational equity. A just transition is a key tool to ensure that the road to a climate-neutral economy is equitable and does not leave anyone behind. Just transition plans also show the way on how to best address social, economic and environmental challenges, with a specific focus on:
- workers directly affected by the transition, who need to be supported through requalification and/or by a facilitated access to job opportunities in new sectors;
- people and society at large, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable, who need facilitated access to new services, like energy efficiency for buildings, measures to fight energy poverty, and to clean and affordable energy;
- business active in high-emitting industries or sectors who will need to be supported through actions easing the switch to green technologies and leading to an economy based on climate-resilient jobs and investments, also by spurring the setting up of new companies and investing in research and innovation;
- States and regions heavily dependent on fossil fuels and on high-emitting industries. .
Business plays a central role in economy decarbonization since much of the CO2 emissions causing climate change comes from business-driven economic activity. It acts as an enabler of innovation and solutions to prevent, mitigate and adapt to climate change and its adverse impacts on nature and people. The role of the energy sector in transitioning away from a fossil-fuel based economy is crucial. Producers will need to scale up their contribution in terms of development of green technologies, grid infrastructure will need to be strengthened and digitalized to enable electrification and an efficient use of energy, and consumers will have to change their behaviors, playing an active role in electrification of uses and contributing to optimization of energy utilization.
Innovation and circular economy will be vital to limit the use of newly extracted material thus reducing pressure on the supply side and mitigating human rights risks.
Finally, inclusive approaches will be key to manage the impacts of the major changes green technologies will bring and make sure that the transitions will benefit the broader society, without leaving anyone behind. A well-managed transition may help addressing the human and economic impacts of a changing climate and also foster growth, generate net new jobs and reduce inequality.