What is a Just Transition?

What is a Just Transition?

Climate change has multiple social, environmental and economic impacts on society and is already changing the world of work.

As we move away from heavily polluting and high-carbon emitting industries to lower-carbon workplaces and ‘green’ sectors, we need to make sure that the impact on people and communities is fair, and that nobody is left behind. 'Just Transition' is a term that is used to encapsulate this process.

Just Transition is an approach which looks specifically at the impacts and opportunities of moving to a lower-carbon economy within a local area, and brings together the lived experiences and voices of the workers and communities that will be affected, to ensure that our collective action to address the climate crisis is fair, effective and just.  

Everyone has a role to play in decarbonising society. Therefore, you are being invited to take part in a study on Just Transition in the North of Tyne. The research is a collaborative project between the Energy Democracy Project – an organisation that focuses on supporting educational and research activities related to climate change and NTCA. NTCA’s job is to invest in projects that boost growth, create jobs, and enable a more green, inclusive economy across the North of Tyne.

We want you to be a part of the conversation about what a Just Transition looks like and what support is required for the North of Tyne to become a green, low-carbon region.

How can I get involved? 

We would like to hear your views on the opportunities and challenges involved with transitioning to a low-carbon economy, particularly in relation to skills and (re)training, to aid in the future development of policy proposals for an inclusive transition to a low-carbon society in the North of Tyne region for years to come.

A just transition can only happen if we discuss, debate and work together to build a low-carbon future collectively to ensure that no one is left behind – that is why your participation in this survey is so important. Please fill in our short survey to have your say!

Information on how you can be involved in a Just Transition in the North of Tyne can be found here. 

A longer version of this survey for workers involved in ‘high-carbon’ sectors (such as construction, transport, agriculture, manufacturing, energy, industry and utilities) to complete is available here. If any of the themes covered in the short survey interest you, we would really encourage you to check out the longer version – the more we hear from you the better!