Place-based just transition: domains, components and costs

The transition from fossil fuels involves the closing down of fossil-fuel based plants and activities, such as coal mines and coal fired power stations. This article outlines the components of a place-based Just Transition in which the management of closures extends spatially, beyond the usual focus on affected workers, to deliver interventions across affected communities with a view to minimising adverse impacts, creating new local opportunities and kindling hope for the future. It positions these interventions as integral to the change process, and not simply a post-hoc compensation for the losers of change. The article identifies six domains for policy action: pre-planning, coordinating change, managing plant closures, redeploying the labour force, redeveloping the local economy, and maintaining social cohesion. For each, specifying goals, targets, indicators and measures helps to reveal the magnitude of the interventions that will be required to achieve a place-based Just Transition. After providing broad estimates of the associated costs, the article concludes that delivering a Just Transition is likely to require re-distributive funding.