News & Events

We would like to thank the four UIA Experts, Birgit Georgi, Constantinos Cartalis and Maria Sitzoglou for their work on the report. A special thank you goes for the project managers and partners of the RESILIO, GBG_AS2C, IGNITION, OASIS, CARTUJA QANAT and GUARDIAN projects who contributed with their knowledge to the publication and their active participation to the policy-lab.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stressed once more in its latest report the tremendous scale of the impact of human activity on climate change and the need to implement immediate solutions (IPCC, 2022). It is now known that conventional approaches to increasing energy-efficiency and limit climate impact are not sufficient (European Environment Agency, 2019). Green transitions are not an option anymore and need to be on their way.

The process of transitioning from a carbon-based economy to a non-polluting economy implies systemic change which includes all citizens, therefore focusing on those who have been excluded to ensure equitable opportunities for all. In recent years, the growing use of the Just Transitions concept has resulted in more expansive definitions from environmental, human rights and labor organisations so that it includes wider concerns such as poverty, racism, sexism, indigenous rights, food and energy justice, and overall global inequality. We refer to “just transition” in a holistic manner, which encompasses the need to end the extractive economy and create pathways for green, healthy, thriving, and connected local economies.

This report is one of a series of final written outputs focused on the contribution UIA cities are making to jobs, skills, business, and Just Transitions. It is the result of a process that began with a high-level scan of all 86 UIA projects which identified 24 highly relevant city cases . Their challenges, interventions and experiences were then explored through a survey conducted in autumn 2021 followed by a series of city hearings through November and December 2021.