ABSTRACT
It is now accepted that the energy transition is urgent and imperative. However, it is only in recent times that the implications of these transitions, especially on marginalised communities whose lives and livelihoods depend on coal are being accounted for through the discourse on Just Transition. This chapter makes a case for including the voices of the local communities in this discourse by bringing to the fore the opinions and experiences of local Panchayat leaders from coal-bearing areas of Jharkhand, a mineral-rich state of India. Interviews and focus group discussions with the local leaders were used to synthesise their views on coal, the impacts of coal mining, their perception of climate change, and how they envision Just Transition.
