Delivering justice in sustainability transitions

A European Environment Agency (EEA) Briefing - published 28 Feb 2024

The EU is committed to a just and inclusive future of living well within planetary boundaries. To reach this sustainable future, society must go through processes of transition that improve the quality of life of current and future generations. Sustainability transitions must lead to wellbeing for both people and other species, while respecting ecological boundaries and addressing existing injustices linked to environmental degradation and climate change. At the same time, there is a need to make sure that the policies enacted to achieve sustainability do not create new inequalities or exacerbate existing ones. This briefing puts forward a conceptual framework to support the development of just and equitable sustainability transition policies.

Key messages

 The EU’s policy framework, which provides a direction for achieving more, just and equitable sustainability transitions, will affect regions, societal systems and groups differently, and in some cases negatively.

Policies to support a just sustainability transition must consider several dimensions of justice, including: distributional justice (allocation of costs and benefits); procedural justice (who participates in decision-making); and recognitional justice (respect for, engagement with and fair consideration of diverse cultures and perspectives).

In the context of climate and environmental action, we must also consider restorative justice, which is a specific type of justice focusing on past and present harm to people, species and ecosystems.

Find the "Delivering Justice in Sustainable Transitions" Page here

Download the Briefing PDF here

Visit the European Environment Agency website here