Perspectives on Just Transition

Perspectives on Just Transition

Wednesday 8 February 2023, 17:00 - 19:00

Amphitheatre Chapsal, 27 rue Saint-Guillaume

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The transition to a green economy is arguably one of the greatest challenges of our time. Working towards this transition in a way that is fair and inclusive presents an added layer of difficulty and complexity, especially in a moment when action is needed and political pressure is mounting. In this context, adopting a ‘just transition’ framework is key to evaluating policies that affect several stakeholders and encompass not only the climate but also social justice and inequality aspects.

Speakers will highlight the multiple levels and stakes that a just transition needs to address. Their contributions will be spanning the field from the European and international perspective to sectorial policies, implementing change in the European car industry and tackling energy poverty.

This event is organized by the European Chair for Sustainable Development and Climate Transition, which aims to advance education, innovation and public dialogue for the design and practice of policies for sustainable development and climate transition, within and outside of Europe. It is funded by: Hermès International, HSBC and the European Investment Bank. More information on the chair's website and on Instagram: @sdctchair.sciencespo

GUESTS

>Phoebe Koundouri

Chair of the Global Climate Hub, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) ; Professor of Environmental Economics

Dr Phoebe Koundouri is a world-renowned environmental economics professor and global leader in sustainable development. She is widely recognized as a pioneer in innovative, human-centric, interdisciplinary systems for the sustainable interaction between nature, society, and the economy. 

She is a Professor at the School of Economics and Director of the Research laboratory on Socio-Economic and Environmental Sustainability at the Athens University of Economics and Business, and a Professor at the Department of Technology, Management and Economics at the Technical University of Denmark.

She is the Chair of the Global Climate Hub of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), and co-chair of SDSN Europe & SDSN Greece.

Sanna Markkanen

Senior Analyst, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)

Dr Sanna Markkanen is a Research Programme Lead and Senior Analyst at the Centre for Policy and Industrial Transformation, the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), University of Cambridge. She has extensive and diverse experience in policy evaluation and social policy research. Her previous work has focused on immigration, housing, inequality, deprivation and public health. In recent years, Sanna has carried out research on energy efficiency, the social and economic impacts of the transition to a low-carbon economy, and how global capital flows can influence the emergence of more sustainable hydropower infrastructure. Her current work focuses on various different aspects of climate policy and the energy transition, including the EU’s Fit for 55 Package.

Sarah Mewes

Co-founder, Next Economy Lab

Sarah Mewes is co-founder and part of the managing board of the Next Economy Lab (NELA) in Bonn. As a pluralist political economist and mediator, she lives and works with the impulse to develop, discuss and bring forward progressive ideas of a Just Transition. Within one of her last projects, she addressed the "Just Transition in the European car industry" together with a consortium of partners from Eastern European countries, where she developed a study on the different stakeholder opinions concerning this topic and implemented multistakeholder dialogues.

Frank Siebern-Thomas

Head of Unit for "Fair Green and Digital Transitions, Research", Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

Dr Frank Siebern-Thomas is in charge of policy development and analysis related to the employment and social dimensions of the twin-green and digital - transition, as well as links with the European research & innovation programme Horizon Europe, notably related to economic and social transformations, inclusiveness, skills and social innovation.

He has worked in different functions and DGs (EMPL, MARKT, GROW) in the European Commission, including on employment and social analysis, industrial policy and single market, research and foresight, European Semester and competitiveness, European social dialogue, impact assessment and better regulation, and international relations. 

CHAIRED BY

Marc Ringel

Professor ; Chairholder of the European Chair for Sustainable Development and Climate Transition at Sciences Po

WELCOME REMARKS

Arancha González

Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs