In this webinar, CAT lecturer Scott Leatham and CAT student Tanya Hawkes explore the theory and practice of the just transition movement in the UK. 

The recording was made 7 July 2021 at the time of the live webinar.

A just transition

Just transition is a principle and a practice, recognising the complexity of a) creating a low carbon society to protect future generations around the world and b) protecting workers and communities from the impacts of economic changes. These complexities are often viewed as being in tension with each other, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

In this webinar, Scott explores the actors and contexts of a just transition, focusing on what the injustices are and where they are felt. He asks whether just transitions can truly be transformational, or whether they are at risk of being more empty rhetoric. Scott will use the example of the Just Transition Commission in Scotland to look at what is happening already in the UK, and what lessons we can learn from it. 

Focusing on her MSc research, Tanya explores the work of the just transition movement and present case studies of practical just transition work in the UK. She outlines how these projects aim to protect workers, restore and enhance biodiversity and create new and sustainable jobs that address the triple bottom line of environmental, social and economic solutions.

Meet the Speaker

Tanya Hawkes has a DipHE in Environmental Policy, and is a current CAT student, researching a just transition in the context of land use for her MSc in Sustainability and Adaptation. She has worked in the environmental world for nearly 20years on climate change and human rights issues, and currently works in CAT’s membership department.

Scott Leatham has a PhD in Global Political Ecology and is a Senior Lecturer at CAT’s Graduate School of the Environment. Scott’s teaching focuses on issues of human-nature relations in different political, socioeconomic and cultural contexts, and through themes like justice, representation and exclusion.

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