Luca Bergamaschi, There Is No Green Deal without a Just Transition, IAI Commentaries, 20:1, IAI, January 2020.
Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015 – whose preamble explicitly refers to the just transition – an important debate has started on how to manage the ecological transition in a fair and orderly way. The concept of “just transition” is not new. Its essence has always been at the centre of the great industrial revolutions of the past and one of the driving forces behind the birth of modern welfare systems. Without guaranteeing the conditions for social stability – through rights, sustainable working conditions and social protection – it is impossible to maintain the economic and political stability of a state. Faced with the great transformations of our times, from technology to the need to respond to climate change, it is therefore essential to put the issue of a just transition at centre stage when designing a “Green New Deal”. This is a key necessity to protect and offer a credible alternative to those most affected by change.
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