A Green and Fair Future: For a Just Transition to a Low Carbon ...

Key Concepts and Ideas from “A Green and Fair Future:
For a Just Transition to a Low Carbon Economy”
In the ‘Green and Fair Future’ paper published by the Trades Union Congress, the case is
made for making a ‘just transition’ to a low carbon economy in the United Kingdom.
The concept of Just Transition
The concept of Just Transition acknowledges that support for environmental policies is
conditional upon the fair distribution of the costs and benefits of environmental policies across
the economy, and on the creation of opportunities for actively engaging those affected by the
policies.
Just Transition recognizes that ensuring social justice throughout the transition to a low
carbon economy will not come from the market alone. A basic precondition is government
involvement in the form of planning and proactive policies to take full economic advantage of
the transition.
Arguments in favor of Just Transition
• Social Justice and Employment
If environmental reforms are to benefit society as a whole, the costs of these reforms
should be spread equally across all social groups. The major concern about environmental
transition is that it will have a negative impact on employment as a whole. While the
transition will result in job losses in some areas, there is significant potential for creating
jobs. Examples include: the Spanish Building Technical Code which requires solar thermal
energy resources in all new and refurbished buildings. The code is expected to create 5,000
jobs by 2010. In a 2000 study, the Worldwatch Institute estimated that wind power could
employ 1.7 million people globally by 2020.
Significant concerns exist over ‘job churn’, changes in employment patterns due to the
transition. First, newly created jobs may not always go to the individuals whose jobs are
threatened as a result of the transition. Second, concerns have been expressed about the
effectiveness of skill and job-training programs. Third, new jobs may be of a poorer quality
than the jobs they replace. Fourth, many energy-intensive industries are located in small
geographical areas, which could lead to a disproportionate effect on some communities.
• Untapped Potential and the Need for Support from Workers
“Working people aren’t going to commit economic suicide in order to advance the
enhancement of the environment. It’s not the type of choice one should be given”.
Resistance to environmental transition tends to come from those who fear that the

transition will damage their livelihoods. Resistance can be removed by involving the
individuals most affected in negotiations and the decision-making process. The support of
workers for environmental transition is key. Substantial evidence exists that environmental
transitions happen fastest and most efficiently when workers are involved in the transition.
• Economic Return and the Benefits of Long-Term Planning
The paper cites the GI Bill as the closest historical precedent to a Just Transition.
Though many critics labeled the program as too expensive, a 1998 congressional study
found that for every dollar invested in the GI Bill, the government and the economy reaped
a minimum of $6.90 in economic growth and taxes.
The groundwork for a Just Transition should include an audit of the skills base
required in a low carbon economy, and the establishment of a Stakeholder Advisory Group
to provide strategic guidance and advice on the skill requirements for the new economy.
The findings of the audit would increase the effectiveness of education programs by
incorporating the results into long-term training and staff development programs and
improve the content of apprenticeships to better equip workers for the expected changes
to their industry.
The long-term planning at the core of the Just Transition approach would allow
government to make strategic investments in green industries. A key example is the
German Federal Environment Ministry’s adoption of innovation-based environmental policy
centered around a ‘New Deal’ for the economy. Under this approach, the number of jobs in
Germany’s renewable energy sector increased by nearly 50% between 2004 and 2006 and is
expected to reach 400,000 jobs by 2020.
A second example of a major transition is the Danish wind power industry, which has
recently become Denmark’s third largest exporter. The industry has generated $4 billion
Euros of economic activity, created 20,000 jobs, and supplies 16.7% of the country’s energy.
For the Just Transition in the UK, it is proposed that the model be based on five key
principles and seven key provisions:
Just Transition Principles
1. Environmental transition and sustainable development.
2. Representation and employee/trade union involvement.
3. Stable employment and long-term planning.
4. Social Justice and a fair distribution of costs.
5. Government backing and a united purpose.
Just Transition Provisions

1. A national framework or mechanism to ensure long-term planning and representative
decision-making on environmental transition.
2. Education and training to aid sustainable employment.
3. Decent jobs.
4. Flexible transition packages for workers.
5. Support for communities.
6. Funding.
7. Monitoring and further research.
Case studies for further consideration
Just Transitions undertaken in Spain, Canada, and Argentina.