New funding announced for international research projects into "just transitions" to decarbonisation in the Asia-Pacific

The British Academy has announced funding for seven new international research projects exploring just transitions in the Asia-Pacific region.

The "Just Transitions to Decarbonisation in the Asia-Pacific" programme provides UK and internationally based researchers at any career stage, and active in the humanities and social sciences, with funding to pursue research into just decarbonisation transitions in the Asia-Pacific.

Funded through the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), each award is worth up to £100,000 and will last for up to five months in duration. In total, the Academy has awarded over £500,000 to research teams based at universities in the UK, India, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Japan and China.

Professor Simon Goldhill FBA, Foreign Secretary of the British Academy, said:

“Ensuring just transitions while tackling climate change and biodiversity loss is key to supporting inclusive economies and societies in the future. These exciting research projects will shed light on the action required in the Asia-Pacific to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, they will identify the potential challenges and opportunities associated with decarbonising economies and societies, and they will help to forge new pathways for communities, workers, businesses, policymakers and the wider public. We are delighted to fund such talented and international teams and we look forward to seeing their results.”

The full list of awards is:

• "All Change: Equitably Decarbonising India's Transportation Sector" – Professor Subhes C Bhattacharyya, De Montfort University; Dr Sukanya Das, TERI School of Advanced Studies; Dr Andrew Mitchell, De Montfort University; Dr Gopal K Sarangi, TERI School of Advanced Studies;
• "Just Transitions in Australia: Moving Towards Low Carbon Lives Across Policy, Industry and Practice" – Professor Peter Adey, Royal Holloway, University of London; Professor Sarah Pink, Monash University; Professor Rob Raven, Monash University;
• "A Just Transition Away from Coal in Australia" – Dr Gareth Edwards, University of East Anglia; Dr Robert McNeil, University of Sydney; Professor Susan Park, University of Sydney
• "Asia-Pacific ClimateScapes: Exploring Opportunities, Challenges and Trade-offs Toward Just Transitions for Decarbonisation" – Dr Peter Howson, Northumbria University; Dr Rini Astuti, Australian National University; Dr Oliver Hesengerth, Northumbria University; Professor Sara Kindon, Victoria University of Wellington
• "Facilitating a Just, Fair, and Affordable Energy Transition in the Asia-Pacific" – Dr Clare Richardson-Barlow, University of Leeds; Dr James Van Alstine, University of Leeds; Dr Donal Brown, University of Sussex; Dr Nofri Yenita Dahlan, Universiti Teknologi MARA
• "Just Transitions to a Net-Zero Sustainable Society in Japan" – Dr Leslie Mabon, Open University; Dr Andrew Chapman, Kyushu University; Professor Benjamin McLellen, Kyoto University
• "Just Transitions on the Ground: Ecological Civilization in Urban China?" – Dr Ping Huang, University of Sheffield; Dr Xiaohui Hu, Nanjing Normal University; Professor David Tyfield, Lancaster University; Dr Linda Westman, University of Sheffield.