It’s time for a Just Transition, moving to a modern zero-carbon economy in ways which protect workers’ livelihoods, create a new industrial base and deliver a fairer deliver a fairer Scotland. Action is urgently needed to avert the climate crisis and to re-balance the economy to one which provides decent jobs making things in clean ways.
Plans for this transition so far have not been ambitious enough and progress has been slow. There has been little planning to ensure the protection of the people most affected, in particular those who work in sectors reliant on fossil fuels. Workers should be able to redeploy to new sectors and opportunities for retraining must be expanded.
Action to stop greenhouse gas emissions can create good jobs and improve everyone’s lives. But, done wrongly, it could instead entrench trends towards precarious work and economic inequality, while risking a backlash against climate action. Justice has to be built in – a just transition is essential.
The Just Transition Challenge in Scotland
We need urgent action and intervention by the Scottish and UK Governments, whose role it is to set the pace for change, and create a clear and consistent policy framework to deliver it.
Publicly-owned institutions will have to lead the way and their capacity has to be backed up with the investment to deliver just transition priorities.
Scottish Government and Just Transition
Principles in legislation, a Commission of advisers and a new Minister – Just Transition features prominently across Scottish Government messaging.
However, beneath the surface there is too little being delivered for workers, communities or climate. We push for more transformative action across policy.
Recent documents
- The Just Transition Challenge in Scotland
- The Just Transition Partnership Manifesto 2021
- Joint Statement on Just Transition