What does a Just Transition look like
Climate and Environmental Justice Through a Just Transition
Overview
It has been proven that climate change affects us all, but not equally. Despite increasing investments of millions of dollars to address climate change, the year 2023 was the hottest year on average for the planet. If international governments are investing more in trying to address climate change, why does it seem like those efforts are not working?
The fact is that we are not addressing the root causes of climate change: Inequalities perpetuated by a capitalist society.
The following lesson plan includes a series of activities that can be done in a classroom setting or a community space in a more intergenerational manner. Depending on how the activities are facilitated (individually or as part of a larger event such as a workshop), the time could range between 30 minutes to 3 hours. The key is to promote a dialogue and let participants share their experiences and ideas, rather than just sharing information. The main goal is to exercise critical awareness and collective action.
Overview
It has been proven that climate change affects us all, but not equally. Despite increasing investments of millions of dollars to lower fossil fuel emissions, create greener technologies, and protect carbon sinks, that is, forested and other natural areas that absorb carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, the year 2023 was the hottest year on average for the planet. If international governments are investing more in trying to address climate change, why does it seem like those efforts are not working?
The fact is that we are not addressing the root causes of climate change: Inequalities perpetuated by a capitalist society where profit is more important than the lives of people and other living organisms.
Therefore, it is important to consider topics of power and privilege in an intersectional and intergenerational manner, to promote a just transition, one that is not only energetic, but that addresses the enclosure of wealth and power in a few, to foster the creation of a bigger and more inclusive “We” through life-affirming, community-owned, sustainable, and cooperative approaches rooted in deep democracy, where community members have control over the decisions to shape their daily lives.
The following lesson plan includes a series of activities that can be done in a classroom setting or a community space in a more intergenerational manner. Depending on how the activities are facilitated (individually or as part of a larger event such as a workshop), the time could range between 30 minutes to 3 hours. The key is to promote a dialogue and let participants share their experiences and ideas, rather than just sharing information. The main goal is to exercise critical awareness and collective action.
Background information
Frontline communities, those impacted first and worst by climate change, are disproportionately affected by the climate emergency as a result of historic and persistent institutional racism and systemic inequities. In 20 years these inequities will deepen even more.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by the 2050s, temperatures will rise +5.8°F in the Pacific Northwest. This could mean drier summers, extreme storms, melting glaciers, and more extreme wildfires.
The effects of climate change vary per location on the planet but can be more negative due to compounding structural and historical factors that impact how communities face these events. Environmental justice issues and other environmental health disparities can be exacerbated by climate hazards.
For centuries, Indigenous communities around the world have fought against settler colonialism as a way to defend their rights to sovereignty and to conserve traditional practices to connect with nature. In this sense, they have been the leaders of what nowadays (and since the 1970s) we call Environmental Justice (EJ).
EJ is a movement to fight against the disproportionate exposure to different sources of pollution (air, water, soil) that affect Indigenous people, communities of color, and low-income populations. It also considers equal access to the benefits, such as access to nature. For example, access to healthy and fresh food, green spaces, and more biodiverse spaces have a direct influence on the quality of our air, water, and soil.
On the other hand, Climate Justice (CJ) is a movement to address the 1) unequal effects of the climate crisis, often reflected in extreme weather events, and 2) the transition away from the use of fossil fuels due to an extractive economy, and in consequence, from emitting greenhouse gases that accelerate climate change. It takes into account how structural and global inequities result in an unequal distribution of power and resources that affect how communities and countries can mitigate (reduce carbon emissions and other polluting activities to reduce their advance) and adapt to the effects of climate change (improve the level of preparedness to more extreme weather events and other climate hazards that can result in faster recovery times) equitably and inclusively.
Both, EJ and CJ look to address historical and structural inequities rooted in practices of extraction, dispossession, oppression, discrimination, and segregation. This is why both are forms of social justice fights. They both try to address inequities that impact the relations between people, as well as between humans and nature. While EJ encompasses more local and regional issues, CJ has to do with the global phenomenon of climate change.
A Just Transition, as proposed by Front and Centered, Climate Justice Alliance, Movement Generation, and many other grassroots organizations starts by recognizing that the current climate crisis is a consequence of an extractive economy, justified by a racist, hetero-patriarchal, colonial mindset intrinsic in and perpetuated by capitalism and neoliberal policies. Our world functions on a system where colonial legacies of exclusion, domination, and exploitation are still prevalent. In this system, humans and nature are commodified (commercialized or treated as something that can be bought and sold), due to the enclosure of wealth and power. Understanding where we come from, where we stand, and where we want to go is crucial to envisioning a strategic plan to achieve a just transition that promotes deep democracy and socio-environmental wellness.
Some Just Transition ideas and strategies were explored in the 1970s through the labor movement. The fight has expanded and taken different forms in different communities. Still, the vision is the same: Stop the bad and build the new through a deep democracy that allows communities to have more control over the decisions that affect their daily lives.
In this same line, it is important to fight against the so-called “false solutions”, those apparent ideas that do not address the root causes of the current climate crisis: Those actions that continue with extractive practices and the concentration of wealth+power (including technological and market-based schemes promoted by corporations and their political allies to give the appearance of meaningful climate action), that continue to poison, displace, or imprison communities, without addressing environmental health disparities and climate injustices.
Objectives
Understand the connections between environmental, climate, and environmental justice
Collectively explore what a place-based and community-driven just transition could look like
Foster exchange of ideas and experiences in the identification of potential collective just solutions
Concepts
Climate justice: A movement to achieve a fair and equitable distribution of the burdens and benefits of the impacts of climate change
Environmental health disparities: The differential exposure to pollution of air, water, or soil leads to health problems that result from discriminatory policies and structural inequities
Environmental justice: A movement that fights for the equal distribution of environmental burdens and benefits
Frontline communities: Those communities have disproportionately been harmed by pollution, extractivist activities, economic disinvestment, and political disenfranchisement. These legacies of oppression increase their current risk of being impacted by climate hazards
Just transition: A set of ideas, processes, and practices to move away from an extractive system to an inclusive and regenerative one that promotes well-being and community resilience, especially those that have been on the frontlines, are a priority. It promotes the equal participation of all communities in decision-making processes to repair historical damage and promote holistic and clean solutions to deal with climate change while addressing social justice issues
Overburdened community- Those communities, usually BIPOC, Indigenous, or low-income, that due to their geographic location are disproportionately exposed to different environmental pollutants that harm the health of their members, making them more vulnerable.
Materials
Computer and projector to share videos
Some slides can be prepared in advance (not included in this resource)
Large pieces of paper (i.e. butcher paper, easel pad paper, boards, etc)- at least 2 per group
Markers- a set per group
Handouts:
What does a Just Transition Look Like? 1 per group/team
Just Transition Principles 1 per group/team + 1 per group/team cutting each principle individually
8 small envelopes (unless you prefer to fold the principles instead) - per group
Optional: white poster board for last activity- design a poster
Preparation
Print copies of the handouts in advance (for the page with icons in circles, make sure to cut them out and prepare sets) - 1 per group
Print the just transition principles and cut them out individually and either insert each one in a small envelope or fold them so participants cannot read them in advance.
Depending on the number of participants, make sure you have enough material for each group.
You can prepare a small presentation to include some ideas, embed videos, and add instructions described in the next section (Activities).
Activities
A. Connections between environmental and climate justice
This activity serves as an introduction to the topic. Estimated time: 35-80 minutes, depending on the length of the discussions.
Open the activity by asking the participants: “How do you imagine the world, especially your community, 20 years from now?”
This could be done using a pair-and-share model where participants share their ideas in smaller groups for about 5 minutes (depending on the size of the groups)
Invite participants to share some ideas they discussed in the smaller groups.
Explain that climate change and environmental harm impact us wherever we live, work, study, and play. However, they do not impact everyone equally.
Ask participants if they remember the heat dome that impacted the Pacific Northwest in 2021. Invite some of them to share their ideas.
Potential responses: Very hot weather, some news, having trouble breathing
As a way to remember what exactly happened, play the next video, but explain that the 2021 heat dome in the PNW caused the death of hundreds of people in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, Canada, so create space for those in the room for whom this could have an emotional impact:
Heat wave-related news | King 5 Seattle (2:13 minutes)
After watching the video, ask what kind of resources could have helped people stay safe during these life-threatening conditions.
Potential responses: Trying to go to a cold place such as a mall, library, etc; swimming; getting an air conditioning machine, etc.
Explain that not everyone can afford to buy an AC or take time off to go to a place like this. In fact, for some people like farm, construction, or forestry workers their workplace is outdoors; other people might not have a home, and others might not even have access to drinking water. But we can also think about those who live in industrial areas where there are not that many tree canopies that can offer shadows, or in old houses without appropriate ventilation, or those living in areas with high air pollution who might struggle already with asthma or some other health issues related to disproportionate exposure to pollution due to environmental injustices.
Climate hazards such as heat waves, droughts, extreme and more frequent wildfires, sea level rise, as well as extreme storms/weather events, can exacerbate social and environmental health disparities linked to environmental injustices. The effects of climate change vary per location on the planet but can be more negative due to compounding structural and historical factors that impact how communities face these events.
Invite people to explore in teams 4 different stories from overburdened communities in Washington that have been also impacted by some climate hazards in the last years:
Outdoor workers feeling the heat. Article by Becky Kramer published in 2024 in the Washington State Magazine
Cooked salmon: Climate change, dams contribute to lethal habitat. Article written by Dave Nichols in 2020 for The Spokane-Review
Redlining's enduring impact shows up in WA pollution disparity. Article written by Hannah Weinberger in 2022 for Crosscut
Climate hazards are the Duwamish Valley’s top concern, survey finds. Article written by Hannah Weinberger in 2023 for Crosscut
Assign one case per group and invite them to identify environmental, social, economic, and political factors that might be in place. Give them 25 minutes to read the story and identify the factors.
Invite each group to present their findings and create a summary of all factors in a common board, dividing factors into categories.
As a group, discuss which factors were the most common across the stories.
An extension to this activity could include inviting participants to share personal stories or stories they have heard in the news and/or look for other similar stories.
B. Climate change is not a simple carbon problem
Estimated time: 60-90 minutes, depending on the length of the discussions.
Explain that despite the increasing investments of millions of dollars to lower fossil fuel emissions, create greener technologies, and protect carbon sinks (aka, forested, oceans, and other natural areas that absorb carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases), the year 2023 was the hottest year on average for the planet and 2024 might be even warmer.
Ask: If international governments are investing more to address climate change and there are more scientific and technological advances in the area, why does it seem like those efforts are not working?
Answer: Climate change is not a mere carbon problem, it’s a social injustice problem so we need to address these injustices as well, since they are the root causes of the current climate crisis.
We all recognize that a transition to a more sustainable society is needed, but that transition might not be accessible to everyone.
Invite participants to think about their communities as their homes. What improvements would they make to their communities to make them more sustainable, resilient to climate change, welcoming, affordable, and accessible? They could consider their classroom, neighborhood, town, or city.
Give 20 minutes to work in groups using a large piece of paper to draw or write their ideas.
As an alternative, you can draw pieces of a house on a board and give this as the material where groups add or draw their ideas. Once the debrief with the group starts, each group can post their piece on a shared wall and in combination they can form the shape of a house.
After the time has passed, go around the room and let the groups share some of their ideas with the rest.
A way to promote an equitable transition to this more sustainable and fair future is through what many grassroots organizations have defined as a just transition.
For this, we need to start with some shared understanding. Ask participants what ECO means (if participants struggle to come up with a definition, ask about words that begin with ECO and discuss the definitions as a group:
Ecology- The study of the relationship between living and nonliving things in a specific environment
Ecosystem- The connections between living and nonliving things in relation to a specific place)
Before defining Economy, explain that ECO comes from the Greek word oikos or oikonomia which means “the management of home”. This is the real definition, but the current system has made us believe that economy refers just to money.
Explain that in the next exercise, they will work again in groups using a shared handout. The task is to place an icon/figure from the cut circles they receive in the corresponding spaces. They will have 10 minutes to figure out this (let them start discussing a strategy, if you see them struggling you can suggest first dividing those icons that look positive from those that are not. Some people might not know the definition of governance -related to decision-making processes, not only limited to government institutions).
Once the time is over, share that you will play a video that will allow all groups to see if their guesses were correct:
Video: We Live in an Extractive Economy, But Can We Make it Better? | Upworthy (7:45 minutes)
Emphasize that a Just Transition (JT) is not a recipe or a single model. It does not look only into an energetic transition. It is a vision-led, community-owned, and place-based set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy rooted in social+ecological resilience and deep democracy, this is, a system where everyone, especially those who have been historically marginalized and are disproportionately impacted by climate change, can have a chance to actively participate in decision-making processes.
To close this activity, ask participants to divide into smaller groups and create a draw of their communities as they see them in 10 years from no. For this, they can envision how to make them more resilient towards climate change. This is, how to be better prepared for climate impacts, but also how to recover from climate emergencies in an equitable and fair way. You can give them 20 minutes.
Some ideas could include: Better, more affordable, and sustainable public transportation options, more community gardens, and spaces to grow fresh and culturally responsive foods, more community centers with access to air filtration systems or A/C that encompass community murals, community energy projects, rainwater harvesting spaces, etc.
Participants can share their vision with the entire group as a way to share different perspectives and ideas.
C. Just Transition Principles
Estimated time: 50-90 minutes, depending on the length of the discussions.
As a way to learn what the just transition principles are, organize a pictionary game.
Make sure that everyone in the room knows what pictionary is (a game where a person tries to refer to or define a word or concept with drawings while the rest try to guess).
For this game participants will work in groups of 4 people. Each person will receive 2 envelopes with a principle described in each one. The idea is that in their groups they will take turns and each member will read in silence their principle and try to draw something for the rest of the members, who will try to guess what principle it is. Make sure to have a copy of all the principles per table so they can refer to that document. All teams will need to try to define the 8 principles in 15 minutes (or as many as they can). Once the time is over, go around the room and see how many principles each group had a chance to guess.
Invite participants to share if there was one that caught their attention and why.
Now that everyone knows, let’s go back to the drawings about our communities/homes they created with their smaller group. Invite everyone to reflect on all those people who might not been considered initially in the selection of potential solutions and with this in mind, groups can choose at least one JT principle and imagine how it could be adapted or implemented in the community.
Remind participants to try to avoid false solutions, this is, those that reduce environmental and climate issues to a carbon problem and do not emphasize collective and social justice approaches.
To recognize a just versus a false solution, invite participants to ask themselves:
Who holds the agenda? (a few with power or money, or everyone, with special consideration to those who have been historically marginalized).
Who has ownership over the apparent solution? (the government, a tech company, or research institution, or the community)
Does it promote self-determination or does it perpetuate a form of colonialism, extractivism, or exploitation? (does it respect the culture and traditions of the community members or does it impose a way of thinking and a lifestyle?; does it create more dependency or promote social liberation?)
Once the participants have identified the issue, potential solution, and the JT principle associated, ask them to design a poster that could help other members of the community understand what the issue is and how collectively, they could take action to address it through a just transition. Give them 30 minutes to prepare their poster and get ready to present it to the group (they can use the poster board for this).
Celebrate all ideas and invite participants to finish the posters so they can be displayed and shared with other people (if everyone agrees to it).
Acknowledgment
These activities were inspired by Community Education in Action workshops, a program led by Front and Centered, in collaboration with Africans on the Eastside, Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of Yakima, Kitsap Black Student Union, Community Health Worker Coalition for Migrants and Refugees, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Hilltop Urban Gardens, EarthGen, Islandwood, Pacific Education Institute, and Puget Sound Educational Service District.