Gendering Just Transition

Oct 22, 2021 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt
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As policymakers across the world look to shift their power sources away from coal, they must keep in mind the gendered impacts of their energy transitions, Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt writes.

The world is experiencing a fundamental shift in global energy systems, and moving towards a fossil-fuel free, decarbonised future is the hallmark of this transition.

One question that arises within this broad picture is: how can policymakers ensure that communities are not impacted negatively, and are not left behind while economies shift away from coal?

Crucial to this is the concept of ‘just transition’. This involves redistributive justice as regional economies shift away from fossil fuel extraction.

As the process of transition accelerates, concerns about the rights of fossil fuel workers and mining communities that might be left behind have grown. The 2015 Paris Agreement reads, for instance, that ‘taking into account the imperatives of a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs per nationally defined development priorities’, has further legitimised a just transition and its importance in achieving a low carbon economy.