The geography of just transitions: a place-based framework

Abstract

Countering the climate urgency requires industrial transitions in emission-intensive industries such as automotive, cement, metalworking, pulp and paper, and (petro)chemical manufacturing. While the ‘just transition’ literature asks how transitions can be made socially just, this article argues that the course and shape of just transitions in industrial regions depend on sources of structural, instrumental and ideological power rooted in place-based factors. This article presents a place-based framework to understand the opportunities and challenges for just transitions in different regions and contributes to advancing regional just transition policies.