Climate change and gender: Redefining the European ‘just transition’

Abstract

This report discusses the European Union's approach to gender equality within the context of the energy transition towards a green economy. Specifically, it focuses on the EU’s implementation of the ‘just transition’ initiative, which advocates the EU’s commitment to a gender just approach to the energy transition. In assessing the EU’s implementation of its ‘just transition’ initiative, this analysis sheds light on its solely financial and geographical basis as evidence for gender bias perpetuation. The key focus of this report is to detail the gender disparity that exists in the energy employment sector and to assess the consequences of the perceived gender bias employing an ecofeminist viewpoint.

Karin Michalikova (Junior Researcher G.E.O. Environment)

Introduction

The European Union is a major global player in climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as gender equality promotion. While climate change has been on the EU agenda for more than 40 years, gender equality has been contested primarily in the last two decades (Allwood, 2020), becoming a basic human right in 2011 through its inclusion in the justice portfolio (Jacquot, 2020). In recent years, the European Union has embraced its commitments to mitigate climate change and advocate for gender equality by building upon the UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, recognizing the need to address the interconnectedness of climate change and gender. To this date, the EU introduced two key policy frameworks: the European Green Deal (2019) and the European Gender Equality Strategy (2020), which reflect the EU’s dedication towards the transition to a carbon-neutral green economy that embraces gender equality and strives for a more socially inclusive society. However, the European Green Deal has been criticized for trying “to tackle climate change and environmental- related challenges” and enabling a ‘just transition’ without acknowledging the gender-environment and gender-energy nexus (Habersbrunner et al., 2021). Further, the European Gender Equality Strategy, which aims to mainstream gender into the European Green Deal, has so far not been successfully included within the energy transition framework of the European Green Deal. Underscoring these implications are the repercussions of EU's failure to harmonize objectives and implement effective energy policy frameworks, leading to the question: How does this lack of coherence affect gender equality within the context of the ongoing energy transition towards a post-carbon society, and consequently, how does it operate and reshape our understanding of the concept of ‘just transition’? To answer this inquiry, this report employs ecofeminist theory as its theoretical base, helping redefine just transition approaches for energy transition policies.

Understanding the European ‘just transition’

What is ‘just transition’?

There are multiple definitions of ‘just transition’. Some of the more cited ones, also elaborated by the European Commission, are the definition by the World Bank - which sees just transition as an initiative that “puts people and communities at the center of the transition. The initiative works with stakeholders to create the plans, policies, and reforms needed to mitigate environmental impacts, support impacted people, and build a new clean energy future” -, and the International Labour Organization - which considers just transition a process “towards an environmentally sustainable economy which needs to be well managed and contribute to the goals of decent work for all, social inclusion and the eradication of poverty”.

At the European level, the operationalization of the principles of just transition has been carried out by the introduction of the ‘Just Transition Mechanism’ (JTM) which is a support mechanism to the European Green Deal, aiming towards ensuring that “the transition to a climate-neutral economy happens in a fair way, leaving no one behind” (European Commission, 2020 in Sarkki et al., 2022). JTM consists of three pillars. The first pillar, the Just Transition Fund, provides financial assistance to the regions most impacted by the energy transition, with the goal of overcoming the challenges created by the transition process while ensuring that development goals and objectives are reached by 2030. JMT is further supported by the Just Transition Platform which provides the necessary technological and advisory support. The second pillar, the Just Transition Scheme (InvestEU) offers additional support for the most affected industries, such as those of coal mining. Additionally, it also safeguards social fairness, ecological sustainability and financial viability of the transition while mobilizing additional investments from the private sector (the estimated investment is €10-15 billion). The third pillar, the Public Sector Facility Loans, makes sure that public sector entities, such as the municipalities most affected by the shift to post-carbon economy are provided with adequate financial support throughout the transition. This fund operates with the €1.5 billion allocated from the EU budget, €10 billion loan from the European Investment Bank and incentives for further private investments (estimated €18.5 billion) (European Commission).

In spite of its ambitions, the European Commission’s implementation and execution of ‘just transition’ has been met with criticism for its primarily financial and geographical foundation and its lack of a strong social dimension (Sarkki et al., 2022), which hinders its potential to provide a complete supportive framework for the European Green Deal when addressing the transition effects on the impacted employees and vulnerable people (Akgüç et al., 2022). This presented criticism is largely relevant for the study of gender-energy nexus within the new European agenda, pointing out the gender bias of the perceived ‘gender neutral’ and’ just way’ of approaching energy transition, which has specific and vast gendered consequences.

Case study: Persisting gender bias in energy employment

With policy ambitions at an all-time high, the green transition is expected to accelerate over the next decade and to spur significant structural change in EU labour markets (Vandeplas at al., 2022). According to the European Commission, the Green Deal might result in the loss of 494,000 jobs. This loss is, however, contrasted by the emergence of at least 110,000 new jobs, potentially reaching up to 2 million jobs by 2050 (Tamma, 2022). Given the downscaling of the traditional energy sector, the transition further necessitates the reskilling and upskilling of key workforce groups from the affected sectors (Heffernan, 2021).

nergy employment is one of the most affected areas of gender inequality (European Gender Equality Strategy, 2020; Heffernan, 2021). According to a recent report by IEA (2022), in the traditional energy sector (oil and gas) women constitute only around 16% of the total workforce, with even lower percentages for women in management positions. Not only does the data point to a gender gap at least two times greater than in the non-energy sector, but it further indicates a gender pay gap of 20% which is ‘somewhat greater’ than in the non-energy industry (IEA, 2022). Among other factors, the fossil fuel industry has been known for being largely gender unequal due to preferential hiring and promotion policies that have affected the representation of women and racial minorities in the industry (Williams et al., 2014). Despite the growing role of mentoring in the fossil fuel industry, which primarily employs women to approach and negotiate various gendered obstacles, mentoring is valued as an individual tool to solve structural problems, but it has been criticized for primarily addressing the consequences of gender discrimination and injustice in the workplace, rather than the causes (Williams et al., 2014). In comparison to the traditional energy industry , the representation of women in the renewable energy industry is higher, reaching 32% of the workforce (Garcia-Baños et al., 2021). However still, certain areas of this vastly emerging industry are characteristic for lesser diversity. A particular example is the wind sector, where women account for only 21% of the entire employment (IRENA, 2020).

Given the aforementioned nature of the energy sector, it is crucial to ask what are the consequences of dismissing gender differences and bias when addressing the social dimension of the ‘just transition’ to green employment. The view of the ‘just transition’ as a mechanism that is supposed to ‘leave no one behind’ remains problematic and the fact that women are still a minority among technical staff and in management positions deprives energy transition of critical capacities (Garcia-Baños et al., 2021). While there is no doubt that it is only fair to protect the employees of the traditional energy sector and invest in programs that would re-skill them to enable their successful transfer to the renewable energy sector, the narrow focus of this approach, from a gender perspective, does not only have the potential to address solemnly the transfer and male workforce from brown energy jobs to green energy, but it further lacks the capacity and competence to open up a space for new opportunities for women and minorities to enter the expanding renewable energy sector. This is particularly the case of the finance distribution within the Just Transition Mechanism that is primarily focused on reskilling workers in brown industries and supporting the creation and safeguarding of green jobs. Yet, the interpretation of this policy as socially just is misleading, given that it reinforces the existing gendered segregation and inequalities that stem from these sectors.

What are the implications of the policy design of the Just Transition Mechanism?

The over-reaching implication arising from the studied case is the rooted androcentrism and patriarchal norms which represent the foundation of these green policies. This is particularly problematic as the policy makers remain largely unaware that the social dimension of the Just Transition Mechanism, designed to be supposedly ‘gender neutral’ is, in fact, centered around a male model, hence disproportionately benefiting the predominantly male workforce. Importantly, it appears that the reason behind this unjust policy design is the simple lack of awareness of the industry representatives and policy makers, as suggested by IRENA’s research (2019) which reveals that “most men working in the sector, presumably including those with responsibilities for policy decisions, are unaware of this fact. Responses show that just 40% of men, as opposed to 75% of women perceive the existence of gender related barriers” (in Habersbrunner K. et al. (2021)).

Conclusions

In conclusion, it is evident that current understandings of 'just transition', as embodied by the Just Transition Mechanism, have the potential to exacerbate existing gender disparities within the energy sector. Moreover, the presented evidence sheds light on the androcentric aspects of the energy transition policies under the Just Transition Mechanism, which have just far neglected the aspect of gender inequalities. The critique presented in this report serves to remind us about the necessity of inclusive energy transition policies that address all social dimensions, with particular consideration paid to gender-inclusive policies to foster an equitable and sustainable transition. By emphasizing the need for a truly socially just approach to ‘just transition’, this report connects an extensive body of literature which seeks to deepen our understanding of the gender disparities and its connection to the ambitious project of greening of our economy, because unless approached in the initial stages of the transition, the analyzed gender bias will persist.

On the basis of the information contained within this report, it appears that the current conceptualization of the ‘just transition’ might lead to severe consequences for the future of gender equality in the energy sector. This is especially true for access to new jobs in the rapidly growing renewable energy sector, as a lack of gender-inclusive approach to energy transition could result in the transfer of men from one sector to another. Critically assessing the studied evidence, leaving out a gender lens on energy employment and gender biased recruitment/ promotion practices, (IRENA, 2019) increases the likelihood of impeding women's access to energy employment opportunities in the future, perpetuating the underrepresentation of women in the industry. This issue is deeper in its nature and stems from gender education obstacles and a lack of encouragement of women to join STEM programs, or any other training/ educational program geared explicitly towards meeting the labor market demands, without making too many sacrifices for their personal well-being. Hence, the path forward towards a truly just transition will need to revolve around both public and private sector’s collaborations in advocating for policies that support a good work-life balance, particularly in relation to women's roles as carers, while balancing equitable access to professional development opportunities. Therefore, unless the responsible authorities examine and reassess the current situation, the ‘just transition’ will remain another cornerstone of the prevailing androcentric writing of policies that favors only a part of the post carbon society.

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