Webinar: Just Transitions, Renewable Energy Jobs and the Fossil Fuel Phase-Out

Speakers: Sandeep Pai, Hisham Zerriffi

Fossil fuel industries directly employ over 12 million workers and benefit millions more through indirect jobs. However, fossil fuel consumption will need to dramatically decline and be replaced by renewable energy sources in order to keep global warming well below 2°C. One major factor influencing political support for climate policies, particularly in fossil fuel producing countries, is the impact low carbon transitions will have on existing fossil fuel jobs. Many policymakers, NGOs and think tanks groups are increasingly focusing on both understanding and developing “just transition” strategies that aim to minimize the impact of climate policies on fossil fuel workers and their communities. In many cases, this has included advocating that fossil fuel jobs be replaced by growing renewable energy jobs. Drawing on our just transition research, this webinar aims to shed light on: 1) the key strategies of just transition that policymakers can focus on to ameliorate opposition from fossil fuel workers and their communities to the much-need low carbon transitions; and 2) the extent to which fossil fuel jobs can be replaced by growing renewable energy jobs.

To attend the Webinar, register here.

Keynote Speakers:

Sandeep Pai is a Public scholar and Doctoral Candidate at the University of British Columbia’s Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, where he is researching fossil fuel phase-out and just transitions. Previously, Sandeep worked for many years as an investigative reporter in India, covering energy, environment and political corruption. In 2016, Sandeep was awarded India’s most prestigious journalism award, the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism award, by Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. His co-authored book on global energy transition, “Total Transition: The Human Side of the Renewable Energy Revolution,” was released in 2018. (@paisandy)

Dr. Hisham Zerriffi is an Associate Professor in Forest Resources Management at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Dr. Zerriffi has nearly two decades of experience studying a wide range of energy and environment problems that intersect between technology and society based on his academic training in Engineering and Public Policy. He is the author of one book and over three dozen journal articles on energy policy, decision-making, climate change, socio-ecological systems, and sustainable development including in leading journals such as Nature Sustainability, Nature Energy and World Development. (@hishamzerriffi)