News / University of Bristol
Climate transition in Bristol is ‘exclusionary’
A research paper published by Bristol University Press has labelled the processes around the energy and climate transition in Bristol as “exclusionary”, particularly towards women and ethnic minorities.
The two most relevant findings included the need to diversify the climate policy spaces as well as the lack of a universal definition of what ‘just transition’ means.
According to Greenpeace, ‘just transition’ means “moving to a more sustainable economy in a way that’s fair to everyone – including people working in polluting industries”.
is needed now More than ever
https://twitter.com/alixdietzel/status/1624086770852716544?s=20
With a call to revise the decision-making procedures around climate policy, the paper, ‘Politics, voice and just transition: who has a say in climate change decision making, and who does not’, was written by academics George Boss, Alix Dietzel, Dan Godshaw, and Alice Venn.
The study focused on how ‘just transition’ is unfolding in the city, chosen by the researchers due to its innovative nature, and the existence of ‘radical spaces’ in terms of climate change.
“Bristol presents a fitting case to demonstrate the role cities can play in just transition, because it is widely known for being one of the most radical spaces for climate change in action in the UK,” an excerpt from the paper reads.
The research was conducted in three levels: Public sector, private sector, and civil society.
It included six actors engaged in climate policy in Bristol, focusing on four categories: Procedural climate justice, just transition, the One City Climate Strategy, and emerging narratives.
Dietzel said that concrete policies are needed to diversify climate spaces in Bristol: “Some examples include ensuring that job adverts are written in any inclusive manner in the sector, that meetings are conducted in a way that allows for critical reflection and diverse input, and training chairs on holding inclusive meetings.”
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Dietzel and the researchers did not expect to find the holistic view Bristol has on ‘just transition’ and were shocked by those particular findings.
She added: “We did not expect to find that just transition is understood in such a nuanced manner.
“Traditionally just transition has been thought of as being about jobs, but in Bristol decision-makers are taking a much more holistic view and thinking about responsibility, fairness, and inclusion.”
With much work to do in the city towards a more inclusive transition, with voices from different backgrounds, the most challenging task ahead, according to Dietzel is “to include the input from every sector in society when deciding how Bristol should transition”.
This piece of independent journalism is supported by NatWest and the Bristol24/7 public and business membership
Main photo: Rob Browne
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