What does it mean in principle and practice to say transition to a low carbon society should be ‘socially just’? What principles of justice should govern the transition? What institutional arrangements might best realise those principles?
Justice sits at the heart of the JUST Centre’s mission to support fair and inclusive transformations to low-carbon living. While ideas of a just transition first emerged in the 1980s to protect workers in carbon-intensive industries, the concept has since expanded. This broader view highlights how transitions can worsen existing inequalities unless we pay attention to how the benefits and burdens of change are shared, how decisions are made, and whose voices and knowledge is recognised.
The Principles of Justice theme explores what justice should mean in practice as societies move toward low-carbon futures. Existing frameworks identify important dimensions—such as distributional, procedural and reparative justice—but do not offer clear principles to guide real-world decisions. Our work asks: What principles of justice should shape low-carbon transitions, and how can they be applied in specific places and contexts? To answer this, the theme will map existing principles used in research, policy and practice; critically evaluate alternative theories of justice; and consider how a place-based approach shapes what “just” means in the North of England today. A key output will be the development of a Just Sustainability Impact Assessment tool to help policymakers, practitioners and communities assess whether proposed actions genuinely promote justice in the transition to low-carbon living.