2
9. The Commission have already received detailed submissions on the
fundamentals of climate science, as well as the implications of the 2015 Paris
Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (the Philippines
being signed up to both), so I do not set out this background here.
i)
Just energy transition
10. In this section I set out Oxfam’s analysis of the elements of a just and inclusive
energy transition.
11. If the world does not limit climate change to 1.5 degrees, we risk real and
imminent set-backs to the fight against hunger and poverty. Yet the choices
we make on how to get there are equally important to achieving a world
without hunger and poverty. Energy transition in fact represents an
opportunity to mitigate the impacts of climate change1.
12. This is why Oxfam advocates for a just and inclusive energy transition that
reaches net zero emissions globally, in order to prevent the brutal impacts of
climate change on hunger and poverty, yet does this whilst meeting the
Sustainable Development Goals, and without compromising poor people’s
access to energy, right to develop, or food and land security, and guarantees
workers a say in how to shape the transition.
Just transition
13. Oxfam supports the call for a Just Transition away from fossil fuels, as defined
by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)2 – i.e. the process
needed to ensure workers are treated fairly during the transition to a lowcarbon economy. This could be economy-wide (i.e. led by Governments3), or
at the level of companies, and might typically include measures to retrain
workers, invest in alternative green jobs, responsibly manage closures,
guarantee social protections, or ensure that wider communities (for example
mining communities, or communities in “old” industrial areas) are not
stranded as part of the transition. This should include workers as well as
affected communities impacted within the energy supply chain.
14. Most importantly, these plans must be agreed via social dialogue, where
workers and communities have a seat at the table and a say in how the
transition is managed. These efforts should seek to actively engage female
workers, ensuring their voices are being heard in these spaces, given that
support to women and youth-led climate and energy innovation,
entrepreneurship and job creation is key in addressing women and youth
unemployment and poverty. We believe that by achieving a social consensus
Delina, LL, 2018, Accelerating Energy Transition(s) in Developing Countries: The challenges of sustainable
development and climate change, Routledge
2 https://www.ituc-csi.org/just-transition-where-are-we-now
3 The government of Canada has recently set up a just transition coal taskforce for workers and communities, and
New Zealand is also starting a just transition conversation.
1