"Just transition" is a term developed by labor and climate justice movements to advocate the major transformation we are undergoing from a global fossil fuel carbon-based economy to a renewable energy economy should incorporate ecological and social justice.
In part, this raises questions of democratic life, such as: how do we find opportunities for new jobs and job retraining to strengthen our democratic goals? And which public policies create barriers or possibilities for moving forward? It also raises questions central to communication practices, such as: how can we foster more creative public engagement so that more voices are heard in decision-making about all of these changes?
In spring 2017, CDE (then BoulderTalks) is partnering with the Waterhouse Family Institute at Villanova University to host an undergraduate-focused conference on this topic. Director and Professor Pezzullo will be joining leaders of the Just Transition movement, José T. Bravo (Executive Director of the Just Transition Alliance) and Aaron Mair (the first African American President of the Sierra Club) to help foster dialogue and education about the solutions, barriers and possibilities before us.
Locally, Director and Professor Pezzullo, as well as Executive Committee Member and Professor Sprain, are founding members of the Just Transition Collaborative, faculty and staff at CU Boulder researching and engaging people on and off campus. Currently, we are partnering with the City of Boulder to imagine how the Climate Action Plan might be attuned to the possibilities of and metrics involved in a Just Transition, particularly for underheard community members, such as Latinas/os.