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Global efforts to mitigate climate change are ramping up, with a rising numbers of countries, companies and financiers taking action to tackle climate change. At the same time, climate changes, such as temperature and weather changes, are increasing, with dramatic impacts on populations. These are having material impacts on the economy and society. In the short term, dealing with this transition has materialised primarily in a focus on the decarbonisation of the energy systems. In the medium to long term, this will extend to virtually all sectors and segments of society.

In this context, the just transition agenda has taken centre stage. It aims to lower the risks faced by the most affected and vulnerable stakeholders, such as working people, small businesses and low-income communities, while providing an opportunity to maximise the development of new opportunities and redress historical injustices.

Establishing a credible fact base is paramount for designing and implementing an evidence-based just transition. To allow easy access to a growing body of work on just transition, TIPS has curated relevant content into an open knowledge portal. This provides short summaries as well as key findings and recommendations from a diversity of reports, strategies, videos and podcasts. The knowledge portal focuses on South Africa but will be extended to other areas in the future.

TIPS is updating the Just Transition Portal!

As an implementing partner of the multi-year program Just Transition to a Decarbonised Economy for South Africa (JUST SA), we are planning to migrate the portal to the JUST SA website when it is up and running. Until then, please feel free to contact info@tips.org.za should you be interested in suggesting additional resources that we can upload to the portal in its current form.

More on JUST SA: The Just Transition to a Decarbonised Economy for South Africa (JUST SA) aims to support the implementation of pathways towards a just transition towards an environmentally sustainable, climate change resilient, low-carbon economy and just society. The project is funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI). Implementing partner organisations include GIZ, GreenCape, NBI, Yes4Youth, WWF, and TIPS. The program’s main political partner is the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE).

Featured material

Just transitions and the green economy - navigating the fault lines

SUMMARY: The paper frames the Just Transition from a moral and business perspective. It assesses how much responsibility companies and organisations should have for the impact their clients have on

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National employment vulnerability assessment: analysis of potential climate change-related impacts and vulnerable groups

SUMMARY: The report provides a detailed analysis of the capacity of vulnerable communities, workers and businesses to adjust to climate change-related impacts in the coal, metals, transport-based petroleum, agricultural value

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Down to zero: The politics of Just Transition

SUMMARY: This book looks at the anticipated impact of climate change and the experiences of millions of people who are facing a climate disaster, focusing on Southern and South Africa.

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Unlocking a just energy transition for SA

SUMMARY: Professor Mark Swilling discusses the global renewable energy revolution, the public sector’s role in investment in renewables and how renewable energy has the potential to change social politics and

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Estimating the cost of a Just Transition in South Africa’s coal sector: protecting workers, stimulating regional development and accelerating a low-carbon transition

  • Institution / Author: Centre for Complex Systems in Transition, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa [Cruywagen, M., Davies M., and Swilling, M.
  • Year: 2020
  • Sectoral focus: Coal, Energy
  • Thematic focus: Finance, Policy interventions / recommendations, Risk / vulnerability assessment, Skills development
  • Type of analysis: Desktop research, Primary research / data, Stakeholder engagement
  • Type of document: Research report

SUMMARY: The research looks at the economic costs of transition from coal. The authors use secondary data and conduct surveys on coal companies to calculate costs related to the transition over a period of 20 years.

KEY FINDING / RECOMMENDATIONS: The paper estimates the cost of coal worker protection over 20 years in two scenarios. In scenario 1, an 82% attrition rate is calculated, with 6 600 coal workers needing retraining and re-employment over 20 years. In the second scenario, about 75% of electricity will be decommissioned by 2043 and 32 920 (1 646 per year) workers will need retraining. The estimated cost of a Just Transition for coal workers over 20 years is R6 billion: salaried compensation costs up to R1.2 billion, retraining at R621 million, relocation costs of R100 million, and regional development and rehabilitation costs of R4 billion.

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