Achieving a Just Transition in the Pursuit of Global Sustainability
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 12461
Special Issue Editors
Interests: input–output economics; environment–economy–energy modeling; sustainable development and just transition; development economics; applied econometrics
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Ideas to build back better economies and societies after a global crisis are not new. After the Great Depression, Keynes dismissed the notion that economies would achieve full employment on their own: “In the long run we are all dead.” This still holds true today. However, recovery choices made post-COVID-19 will define the ability to face future risk of another looming and potentially more damaging climate and biodiversity crisis. A golden opportunity presents itself, which was missed after the financial crisis of 2008 as economies grew back but more polluting and unequal. Many countries across the world are thus discussing green recoveries such as the European Green Deal.
However, not all governments are convinced and wondering what the impact of green recoveries and enhanced climate policies on jobs; economic growth; sectors; skills; gender; income distribution and inequality will be, or what policies and measures are required to make the transition to sustainability fair and inclusive and what type of fiscal, tax, trade, and monetary policies may have a double dividend for economic recovery; jobs and the environment. Other questions include: What type of enterprise and skills training systems work best to make the workforce and enterprises drivers in a green economic restructuring? Which social protection measures and systems, compensation of enterprises, and dialogue mechanisms can enhance resilience against future shocks? In other words, how can Governments make the sustainable transition a just transition?
The objective of the Special Issue is—by analyzing the social, economic, and environmental outcomes and tradeoffs of policy choices in an integrated way—to break the sustainability deadlock, which is caused by the belief that economic growth and environmental sustainability are conflicting goals. By identifying potential winners and losers, policies need to be designed to maximize positive social, economic, and environmental outcomes while protecting and offering solutions to countries, industries, companies, workers, and communities which may be negatively impacted by the restructuring. It will thereby contribute to ensuring that the transition to a green economy is not only environmentally sound and economically viable, but also socially acceptable. We welcome qualitative and quantitative analysis that takes a holistic perspective covering all dimensions of sustainable development.
Dr. Kirsten Svenja Wiebe
Mr. Marek Harsdorff
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- sustainable development goals
- just transition
- green jobs
- decent jobs
- green growth
- economic models, e.g., input–output and other empirical models
