The alarming approach of the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C warming threshold is a clear sign that action on climate change has been, and continues to be, deeply insufficient. There is an urgent need to phase out polluting energy and agriculture sectors, and to scale up renewable energy and agroecology. In spite of this, the two industries most responsible for causing climate change – fossil fuels and industrialised agriculture – continue to expand relentlessly.
It is therefore time for climate action to learn from its own successes and failures, and to update and evolve into a people-centred process shaped by just transition. In other words, it’s time for just transition to form the basis of “Climate Action 2.0” to unlock, unleash and accelerate climate transformations. Just transition approaches put people at the centre, ensuring that those most affected by climate and economic shifts are not left behind but are empowered and supported.