A just transition can remake Australia if we choose to think bigger |
Australia’s shift to renewable energy is a rare chance to redesign our economy and improve wellbeing, equity and social cohesion. A truly just transition would reshape much more than the energy system.
A “just energy transition"seeks to balance risks and benefits fairly, leaving no one behind. However the focus, in Australia at least, has largely been on mitigating the impacts of the shift to renewables for workers and communities that need to be reshaped as fossil fuels disappear as a source of energy. Little attention has been given to the broader economic, social and environmental transformation that can and should flow from this significant change in the underpinning of the economy.
At the recent COP30 in Brazil the conference decided to establish a ‘Just Transition Mechanism’ to increase international cooperation, technical assistance, capacity-building and knowledge-sharing to facilitate the transition to low emissions economy.
COP subsidiaries have been tasked to prepare a draft to operationalise the mechanism in June 2026 for possible adoption at COP31.
A just transition needs to be much more than upskilling and reskilling workers in green jobs, or phasing out fossil fuel subsidies. It can also be about repairing historical inequities, such as unequal pollution burdens. It can mean ensuring social benefits, such as clean transportation or new workforce opportunities, are available for all. And it can involve prioritising social welfare as a key indicator of national progress. As energy is such a critical input into the broader economy it makes sense to broaden the scope of impacts and opportunities and use the energy transition as a lever for a broader societal transformation.
There are many dimensions to the transition: A just........