Leaders and laggards in the pursuit of an EU just transition

Darren McCauley, Kerry A. Pettigrew, Iain Todd and Christine Milchram

Ecological Economics, 2023, vol. 205, issue C

Abstract: The just transition from coal, oil, and gas to renewable energy sources involves commitment from all EU states. But who is leading, or lagging? We apply an innovative DeePeR framework to identify these states, using open-access quantitative global data from multiple sources, by evaluating the energy and equity dimensions of Distributive, Procedural and Restorative justice. Using rank percentile scores, we assessed EU nations' level of fossil fuel dependency (including both energy and financial dependency) and distributional inequality, their fossil fuel CO2 emissions, climate finance pledges and a calculated procedural justice score, and their commitment to modern renewable electricity output and rankings on fair and renewable jobs. We find that EU states' performances on just transition are distinct across four broad regions; Scandinavia, eastern Europe, western Europe, and the Mediterranean. We discuss the nuances of fossil fuel embeddedness in the EU. This is followed by reflection on the importance of embedding fairness in the deployment of new renewable jobs. Finally, we consider the implications for a better-targeted financial mechanism for just transition alongside a fossil fuel divestment strategy.

Keywords: Just transition; Energy transition; EU climate policy; Fossil fuel divestment; Energy equity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:205:y:2023:i:c:s0921800922003603

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107699

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