Just Transitions’ Meanings: A Systematic Review

Abstract As the world grapples with the issue of climate change, and efforts to decarbonize economies result in a shift from extractive “brown” industries to sustainable “green” ones, there is an increasing recognition of the need for this transition to be a just and equitable one. This systematic review of the Just Transitions literature examines the centrality of justice theory as well as the implications of the relative ambiguity with which governance models and theory have been conceptualized. Situating justice and governance theory in the Just Transitions concept, they are used to describe the “why” (justice) and the “how” (governance of transitions) of Just Transitions, and how these relate to the “what” (worker retraining, early retirement, regional development programmes, and so forth). The relatively poor articulation of the governance component within the Just Transitions concept is an opportunity for future academic examination.