Just Transitions to Decarbonisation in the Asia-Pacific region

Climate change is the existential challenge of our time. Ensuring Just Transitions whilst tackling climate change and biodiversity loss is key to supporting inclusive economies and societies in the future. The need to engage with communities, workers, businesses, policymakers and the wider public in order to identify the potential disruptions of and opportunities for decarbonising economies and societies is key to the challenges faced by policymakers.

As referenced in the COP26 Just Transitions Declaration, the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Guidelines for a Just Transition, to be negotiated between governments, employers, and their organisations, as well as workers and their Trade Unions, established a global understanding for the term “Just Transitions”, which is described as a process “towards an environmentally sustainable economy, which needs to be well managed and contribute to the goals of decent work for all, social inclusion and the eradication of poverty”.

Evidence from the SHAPE disciplines is critical in order to broaden our understanding of the term “Just Transitions” so that it includes the complex human and social dimensions to environmental challenges, and their solutions. These disciplines also expand our understanding of the term across geographical, cultural, economic, and social contexts by examining the challenges of decarbonising economies and societies, help develop lessons learnt and set out guidelines for transitions that are just.