Just Transition and Environmental Justice: Principles, Practice and Implementation Strategies for a Post-Oil Future (Hybrid)

Abstract

The School of Law University of Bradford is a modern law school with a growing research portfolio on various aspects of sustainable development law and policy. We support an active research community which comprises our academics, our students, and external partners, leading on, and collaborating in, world-class research which is academically rigorous, innovative, applicable to real life, can positively influence policy and practice and promote social justice. For this purpose, we collaborate with academic, third sector, professional and industry partners at national and international levels to foster an active research community, social justice and innovative, policy-oriented research. The term ‘just transition’ has recently evolved from a process that seeks to galvanize a change in energy production and consumption practices to one which alludes to a transition from a fossil-fuel dependent economy or development approach to a lowcarbon economy. The just transition discourse takes as its point of departure the recognition that fossilfuel dependent economies were characterised by environmental injustice, inequalities or uneven distribution of environmental resources. Hence, the need to protect vulnerable communities, workers and dependent economic systems so that the adverse impact of the transition to a low-carbon economy will be reduced. It is imperative that a holistic approach be taken in recognising the inequalities which have arisen for various stakeholders within and between countries that bear the cost of decarbonization, including historical concerns and environmental (in)justice. Therefore, implementing just transition requires an overview of social equality; inclusive participation; distributive justice; policy reform and implementation of judicial and non-judicial mechanisms for access to environmental justice. Hence, the conference provided a forum to identify diverse pathways for implementing just transition, explore how inequalities arise from these transitions, and highlight effective legal frameworks for access to environmental justice at the international and national levels.