Supporting equitable transition to sustainable energy
8 articles found
This report considers how justice is tackled in the policies which are currently in place to deliver the European Green Deal. It summarises the lessons learnt for policy-makers seeking to achieve a fair green transition, by moving from the concept of justice to the practice of embedding fairness in the design and implementation of policies.
Solutions for decarbonising multi-family buildings already exist, from heat pumps to modernised district heating, but wider deployment will require a clearer and faster regulatory framework.
The phase-out of coal for power generation is a political, rather than an economic decision, and has uncertain outcomes. To fulfil its obligations under the UNFCCC Paris Agreement of 2015, the European Union has decided to steadily wind down electricity production from solid fossil fuels – coal, lignite, peat and oil shale. For coal-intensive regions,…
The experience at FGCC’24 reaffirmed Kosovo’s potential to transform its cities into models of sustainability and climate resilience. While the insights gained from international experts are invaluable, the next step is implementation.
Poland’s coal region of Silesia illustrates the social and economic complexity of moving away from fossil fuels in areas where coal has shaped employment, local identity, and regional development for generations. While coal has contributed significantly to economic growth, it has also created deep environmental costs, including high pollution levels, mining waste, and long-term land degradation.
Poland’s continued reliance on coal reflects a complex combination of historical legacy, political pressure, regional identity, and delayed energy policy reform. Although coal remains central to the country’s electricity system, its economic viability has weakened significantly due to high production costs, declining competitiveness, public subsidies, and rising carbon costs. The coal sector also remains politically sensitive, particularly in mining regions such as Silesia, where coal is closely
In the 1950s, the Ruhr region in western Germany had a bustling economy driven by coal mining and heavy industries.
Europe’s industrial decline is not inevitable, but reflects decades of deindustrialisation, weakened strategic autonomy, and growing dependence on external actors for energy, manufacturing, critical technologies, and defence. At the same time, the transition to net-zero emissions offers a major opportunity to rebuild Europe’s industrial base through clean technologies, renewable energy, electrification, green hydrogen, and low-carbon value chains.