Tool

The Just Transition Toolbox is centred around five main themes: strategy, governance, energy, industry and employment, and is designed explicitly for practitioners in coal regions – policymakers in regional administrations, people working in or for ministries and other stakeholders who are or want to be involved in a transition process. The toolbox features a broad range of examples of current practices in coal regions, including their strengths and shortfalls, as well as links to further resources and external knowledge.

To implement the global climate targets, a timely phase-out of coal is imperative. Doing so is not only an energy challenge, it is even more a question of how to distribute the burdens and gains of this transition and how to make sure everybody concerned is involved in the process. Against this background, the Wuppertal Institute has developed the Just Transition toolbox for coal regions, a comprehensive compendium of experiences and good practices with references and links to existing handbooks, tools and guidelines. It builds on the previous work of the Secretariat of the Initiative for coal regions in transition (CRIT) and vast knowledge from a diverse range of stakeholders across the globe.

This toolbox is designed to provide support for practitioners in coal regions across the globe – policymakers in regional administrations, people working in or for ministries and other stakeholders in coal regions, who are or want to be involved in a just (energy) transition process. Individual sections of the toolbox might be also useful for policy advisors, representatives of local and regional governments, social partners at all levels, unions, companies in energy or energy-intensive industries, researchers or organisations operating in the area of community organising, citizen participation and reskilling.

Most importantly, it is crucial to note that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Coal regions differ with respect to many characteristics, such as culture, economy, size and governance systems, as well as finance, infrastructure and knowledge. Densely populated urban regions have different potentials for transitioning compared to rural regions. Some regions have already or are on the way to closing some of their mining sites and power plants, while in other regions a large share of the economy still depends on coal.

To minimise the risk of being too generic, we include examples of current practices in coal regions, including their strengths and shortfalls, to help practitioners learn about what their peers are currently doing. We do this to provide inspiration rather than strict recommendations, acknowledging that designing transition measures in coal regions is an ongoing learning journey for all actors across the globe.