A just transition must stand on the common good

May 21, 2025

Democratic governments rule through popular consent. They can only expect to obtain that consent for tackling the climate crisis decisively if they demonstrate that their actions will be fair – a concept captured in Paris 2015 as “Just Transition”. The nature of that transition, as Peter Sainsbury notes, is more than simply finding new jobs for displaced workers, and will vary according to each democracy’s needs. These may encompass distributive justice, procedural justice, or restorative justice.

To make the progress we now need to secure our liveable environment, we must work together: the whole must become greater than the sum of its parts. We must see again the spirit of give and take; accepting that no-one gets all that they want. We must eschew machismo and brinkmanship, step back from “success” and “failure” in negotiations, restore mutual trust and goodwill. The underlying principle of the Just Transition must be a restoration of the primacy of the common good.

Australia incorporated reference to Just Transition in our Nationally Determined Contributions — the national climate action plans submitted to the UNFCC — in June 2022. We have publicly committed to make this transition. Now we must deliver it.