Just Transition on agenda at COP28

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

A workshop before the official start of this week’s COP28 climate summit in Dubai was devoted to Just Transition pathways.

More than 130 parties and observers took part in the workshop.

The work programme on Just Transition pathways, which was established at COP27 last year, is meant to assess, design and scale up pathways to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement in a way that is just and equitable for all, and leaves no one behind.

The workshop was a key opportunity for parties and non-party stakeholders to better understand each other’s views on the work programme.  It also served to help parties make progress towards a decision at COP28 on how to operationalise the work programme, a UN media statement said.

Tairāwhiti governance group Rau Tipu Rau Ora has requested a Just Transition process for this region.

A petition has also made this call, with 12,450 signatures. More recently the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use report made recommendations around a Just Transition process.

Just Transition is a community- led change incorporating the needs of now and the needs of the future. “When talking about Just Transitions it is often in the light of a low carbon future, however the Just Transition process can be used in response to any change,” minutes from a recent Gisborne District Council workshop on the topic said.

“It is about communities leading their own transition where opportunities and benefits are shared more evenly, addressing impacts that are already there and a process which is both equitable and inclusive. Just Transition is also about taking the people who are most impacted by change and bringing them to the centre and making space for their voice and if possible, making space for their leadership. That leadership is already under way in many communities.”