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The Green Transition will be just – Or it won't succeed

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The European Commission defines the Green Transition as the transformation set out in the European Green Deal. Ensuring that this transition is just is both an ethical requirement and a practical condition for maintaining public support and policy effectiveness. This Perspective proposes a multidimensional framework for assessing justice in Green Transition policies, encompassing distributional, procedural, recognitional, corrective, and transitional dimensions. Considering these dimensions in conjunction helps identify where justice claims converge and where genuine policy trade-offs arise, which should be made transparent and addressed through public deliberation. It sheds light on additional justice considerations which tend to get overlooked in many policy debates that focus predominantly on distributional justice concerns. Moreover, its multidimensionality is helpful in overcoming zero-sum framings which often present impediments for embedding justice throughout the policy cycle. • A Just Green Transition requires a multidimensional understanding of justice dimensions. • EU policies often lack systematic justice indicators and equity tracking. • Zero-sum framings obscure opportunities to align equity, climate action, and economic transformation through policy design. • Participatory and deliberative governance mechanisms are needed to negotiate justice trade-offs and securing legitimacy.

Source: Environmental Science & Policy

DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2026.104372