COP28 - 5 December2023
Energy, Industry & A Just Transition

Up for discussion today at COP28 are the related topics of energy, industry and a just transition.

It is recognised that we need a revolution in the energy sector; moving away from coal and gas fired power stations. For countries of the Global North this is a relatively easy change (though it’s still happening way too slowly) but for the Global South, with less capital for investment and less technology, it is easy to become trapped by a dependency on fossil fuels; and in the same way, trapped by a dependency on their low-tech, high-carbon industrial base, for example construction, mining.

Justice in this context means that some countries and communities will need help to make a transition to sustainable technology and economies. Justice at the individual level means that workers should not simply lose their jobs because they happen to work in high-carbon industries.

There should be just and managed transitions. As COP28 puts it:

Rapid decarbonization, job growth, and economic opportunity and just transition across the full energy and industrial value chains
Taking a holistic view of the just transition and socio-economic considerations across all sectors

A short prayer

Creator God, will you teach us your justice? May our eyes see what you see and our ears hear what you hear. May our voices speak for our disadvantaged neighbours and may our hands do your just works. May we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with you

From Prayer For COP27, a Just Transition

A longer prayer

Creator God, worldwide we see the impacts of climate change on the lives of individuals, communities and countries, and some of us have experienced the impacts first hand. We know that as a global community we must drastically reduce our carbon emissions but we also know that to do this will severely interrupt the financial systems of many countries and impact the livelihoods of some of our most vulnerable neighbours.

As these issues are discussed today at COP28, we ask that just and viable solutions will be found to support the vulnerable whilst we transition to cleaner economies. We ask that frameworks will be established to provide new jobs and re-skilling where required, that disadvantaged communities will be given access to affordable and secure energy and energy-efficient housing. And we ask that robust financial and technical assistance will be found for developing countries that are highly dependent on fossil fuels or highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change

From Prayer For COP27, a Just Transition

From the Bible

Ecclesiastes 2:22-26

What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labour under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

James 5:1-6

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

Issues

The Just Transition Declaration, adopted at COP26 in Glasgow recognizes that the effects of climate change and of decarbonizing the economy will fall disproportionately on those in poverty or insecure work, those in carbon-intensive industries, and those in fossil-fuel dependent countries, and that it risks exacerbating gender, racial, age and other inequalities. It aims to ensure that no one is left behind as the world transitions to a climate-friendly economy. The principles of the Declaration are:

Support for workers in the transition to new jobs
Support and promotion of social dialogue and stakeholder engagement
Economic strategies leading to sustainable development, including support for fossil-fuel dependent countries to diversify their economies
The creation of local, inclusive, and decent work, so that new green jobs are not outsourced
Just Transition principles must be applied throughout the supply chain, using recognized due diligence standards

Hope

The COP28 Presidential Action Agenda includes:

Countries pledge to reach a global tripling of renewables capacity and doubling of the average global rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030
Country and industry pledges to decarbonize the Oil and Gas industry’s own emissions while investing in clean energy solutions, by committing to more than halving scope 1 and 2 emissions and eliminating methane emissions by 2030, to reach net zero by 2050 or earlier

(Taken from Message From President Designate P. 7-8).

At COP26 the US, UK, France, Germany and EU launched an $8.5bn fund under the Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) model to help fund an “equitable, inclusive energy transition” in South Africa.

Prime minister Boris Johnson wrote: "The Partnership is expected to prevent up to 1-1.5 gigatonnes of emissions over the next 20 years and support South Africa to move away from coal and to accelerate its transition to a low emission, climate resilient economy".

Similar partnerships have been in development since then with programs for India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Senegal.

The EU recently declared itself “well on the way to climate neutrality by 2050” under the EU Green Deal

COP28 discussions

Today COP28 will host the following conversations:

Heavy-emitting industries sector-specific dialogues: decarbonising, construction, steel, aluminium
Hydrogen: launch of declaration of intent.
Energy access : clean cooking
Power generation using nuclear & small modular reactors (SMRs)

Find out more

Just energy Transition Partnership
There are plenty of energy stories on the EDIE site
Industrial-Union’s article on the Just Transition Declaration, Glasgow, COP26
Two neat videos describing a “Just Transition”
EU Green Deal
Total Energy, oil company’s East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline is a shocking example of a new proposed project which is not transition and certainly not just. You can learn about it on this (45-min) video

COP28 - 5 December2023Energy, Industry & A Just Transition