Managing a Just Transition: Reskilling of Affected Communities in Fossil Fuel-Intensive Sectors

This research paper introduces a project by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) focused on the 'just transition' in South Africa and Brazil. It examines the need to reconcile climate action with economic development, specifically focusing on protecting vulnerable populations and addressing extreme inequality while shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

• A 'just transition' in the energy sector aims to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energies while ensuring that the most vulnerable people and sectors are not left behind, particularly in developing countries where climate action must be reconciled with development concerns.
• For South Africa and Brazil, energy transition policymaking is driven by two primary imperatives: the potential to create jobs and boost economic development through 'greening' the economy, and the urgent necessity to prevent the deepening of poverty and inequality caused by climate disasters.
• South Africa and Brazil are identified as being consistently ranked among the most unequal countries globally, making the implementation of transition policies that 'leave no one behind' essential.
• The BRICS grouping provides a platform for Southern perspectives on the energy transition, though the member countries typically reserve their primary climate commitments for multilateral forums like the UNFCCC COP process rather than BRICS communiqués.
• In a 2024 BASIC ministerial statement, South Africa and Brazil, alongside China and India, called for developed countries to increase climate finance commitments from billions to trillions.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2025). Managing a Just Transition: Reskilling of Affected Communities in Fossil Fuel-Intensive Sectors. https://saiia.org.za/research/managing-a-just-transition-reskilling-of-affected-communities-in-fossil-fuel-intensive-sectors/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Managing a Just Transition: Reskilling of Affected Communities in Fossil Fuel-Intensive Sectors. 2025. https://saiia.org.za/research/managing-a-just-transition-reskilling-of-affected-communities-in-fossil-fuel-intensive-sectors/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Managing a Just Transition: Reskilling of Affected Communities in Fossil Fuel-Intensive Sectors |date=18 November 2025 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/managing-a-just-transition-reskilling-of-affected-communities-in-fossil-fuel-intensive-sectors/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2025managing, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Managing a Just Transition: Reskilling of Affected Communities in Fossil Fuel-Intensive Sectors}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/managing-a-just-transition-reskilling-of-affected-communities-in-fossil-fuel-intensive-sectors/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }