Just Transition Taskforce
The Climate Group is an international nonprofit working to drive emissions reductions across global energy, transport, heavy industry, and food sectors. In my role, I supported government engagement and program development for the Under2 Coalition, the largest network of states and regions committed to net zero emissions by 2050 or earlier. My team was approached by coalition member Scotland to design a new initiative catalyzing collective and individual government action on just transition issues.
My Role
Project coordinator
Methods
Stakeholder mapping
Focus group
Semi-structured interview
Literature review
Deliverables
Project proposal
Taskforce recruitment and launch
Terms of Reference
Social and web content
November 2021-May 2022
Global
Context
Process
Outcome
Impact
Successfully recruited 11 state and regional governments to serve on the inaugural Just Transition Taskforce
Facilitated 3 working group meetings to identify just transition policy priorities, technical needs, and opportunities for cross-regional government collaboration
Collaborated with Taskforce members to draft ToR (Terms of Reference) outlining collective goals and policy approaches
Analyzed Taskforce member feedback to improve participant experience, develop future working group themes, and track impact
Created internal- and external-facing communications materials to increase project visibility and highlight just transition resources
Early in the scoping process, it became clear that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach or standard definition for what constitutes a just energy transition (JT). Rather, the understanding of JT varies significantly based on geographic, cultural, political, and economic contexts. As a result, I needed to design an initiative that would empower governments to define and pursue their own vision for a just transition. As a global collaboration between the Climate Group, the Scottish Government, and Under2 Coalition members, this project also required precise coordination and ongoing communication with multiple project partners.
Conducted over 20 interviews with government officials, policy experts, and advocacy leaders to inform the Taskforce’s structure and priorities
Scoped and ideated project concepts, created a comprehensive proposal, and led an iterative design process to solicit and implement funder and government feedback
Coordinated information flow by preparing meeting agendas and background materials, organizing and leading weekly check-ins, and regularly communicating project updates to internal and external teams
Developed and maintained a comprehensive project management plan including a Gantt chart and communications tracker
Implemented accountability protocols to ensure equitable program outcomes, including a quantitative assessment of Global North/South representation and regional distribution of participating governments
Launched in May of 2022, the Just Transition Taskforce was extremely well-received by both participating governments and the project funder. This positive response led to an additional 2 year funding extension by the Scottish Government, securing ongoing support for critical capacity-building and knowledge-sharing opportunities in a unique peer-to-peer format. The Climate Group recently published a report identifying key insights, outputs, and next steps of the Just Transition Taskforce, including key insights from my research and data analysis.