ABSTRACT
The economic and political climate – marked by high unemployment, rising inequalities and rampant popular support for right wing, and climate sceptic, populists – emphasizes the need to better integrate labour and social justice concerns into the climate agenda. Given the scale of the climate challenge and measures required to mitigate and adapt to it, there was a growing fear amongst unions that workers would lose out in terms of job security and quality. Among the various terms and concepts that were referred to, one in particular appears to have made its mark in Paris: the 'just transition'. Instead of adopting a defensive 'corporatist' stance – an approach that is favoured by some sector-based unions – the idea was to show how a better inclusion of world of work concerns into international development and environmental processes could facilitate the transition towards a low-carbon world.
