Siete principios para una transición justa hacia una economía baja en carbono

The policy brief outlines a framework of seven principles to manage the socio-economic disruptions caused by decarbonization. It argues that a transition perceived as fair is essential for effective global cooperation and the success of climate goals. The framework emphasizes that decarbonization must be accelerated while simultaneously implementing support for affected workers, diversifying regional economies, remedying environmental damage, and ensuring inclusive planning. Drawing on historical cases of industrial decline, the document warns against government inaction and the risk of 'carbon lock-in,' suggesting that international financial and technical support should prioritize regions with low capacity or high carbon dependency.

• The document establishes seven core principles for a just transition: actively promoting decarbonization, avoiding carbon lock-in and new 'losers', supporting affected regions, supporting workers and their families, remedying environmental damage without transferring costs to the public, addressing existing socio-economic inequalities, and ensuring inclusive, transparent planning.
• A 'just transition' requires preventing 'carbon lock-in,' which involves stopping investments or subsidies in fossil fuel activities and avoiding increased dependency on carbon-intensive industries for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) or public revenues.
• Historical analysis of industrial and mining closures shows that governments often hesitate to commit to transition strategies until a crisis is imminent, leading to inadequate management.
• Industrial decline leads to diverse socio-economic repercussions, including increased poverty, social instability, population loss through emigration, and fiscal challenges for local authorities.
• Environmental remediation often fails the 'polluter pays' principle, with the private sector frequently transferring the costs of contaminated land and water to the public sector.
• Effective support for workers requires a combination of passive labor policies (e.g., early retirement, adjustment subsidies) for short-term relief and active labor market policies (e.g., retraining, employment services) for long-term success.
• International financial and technical assistance should be prioritized for regions with limited financial capacity or those with lower historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions.
• Gender equality must be integrated into the design of transition support packages, specifically when evaluating employment opportunities, livelihoods, and environmental costs.

APA

Atteridge, A., & Strambo, C. (2021). Siete principios para una transición justa hacia una economía baja en carbono. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/briefsevenprinciplessept21.pdf

Chicago

Atteridge, Aaron, and Claudia Strambo. Siete principios para una transición justa hacia una economía baja en carbono. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/briefsevenprinciplessept21.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Atteridge |first1=Aaron |last2=Strambo |first2=Claudia |title=Siete principios para una transición justa hacia una economía baja en carbono |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=September 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/briefsevenprinciplessept21.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{atteridge2021siete, author = {Atteridge, Aaron and Strambo, Claudia}, title = {{Siete principios para una transición justa hacia una economía baja en carbono}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/briefsevenprinciplessept21.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }