Framework for People-Powered Energy Transitions
Key messages
- Transition could leave low- and middle-income countries behind unless it is just. Countries reliant on fossil fuel production or mineral extraction are especially vulnerable.
- There is no one-size-fits all approach to addressing equity in fossil fuel- and mineral-producing countries. Just transitions are built on clearly defined principles, policies, processes and practices that respond to citizens’ needs and address the most vulnerable communities.
- Just transition policies and programs: protect rights; strengthen governance and accountability; deliver development and wellbeing for all; and address international power asymmetries.
- People-powered energy transitions can create a win-win scenario for the Global North and the Global South, leading to transformative agreements that promote justice and well-being.
- To ensure energy transitions are just, development partners should: provide adequate funding; ensure that accountability and monitoring mechanisms are in place; and encourage learning, exchange and adaptation cross-regionally and globally.
The global energy transition has far-reaching repercussions: countries whose economies rely on fossil fuel extraction face the prospect of lower demand, and countries producing minerals needed for clean technologies risk the negative impacts of an unregulated mining boom. This piece draws on transition experiences in Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal and Uganda. It makes the case that only a people-powered and equitable transition can achieve the scale of transformation necessary for a green future. It proposes an operational framework for just transitions that respect universal human rights, address socio-environmental impacts, ensure affected communities and citizens can meaningfully participate in decisions, and put in place strong and accountable governance systems. It shares lessons on context-specific policies for ensuring a fair distribution of both the costs and benefits of planet-saving climate action.
Authors
Ana Carolina González Espinosa
Senior Director for Programs
Juliana Peña Niño
Colombia Country Manager