Page 41 - Plastics News Issue November - 2024
P. 41
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Ensuring justice in Europe’s
sustainability transition
ccording to a report by the European climate and environmental policies across soci-
Environment Agency (EEA) published ety, as well as to alleviate the unequal burden of
Atoday, ensuring justice in sustainability pollution and climate risks for places and peo-
transitions requires combining corrective meas- ple. At the same time, it also requires fair partici-
ures to address potentially regressive social pation in decision-making, enabling vulnerable
consequences of the green transition with par- groups to participate and recognising and en-
ticipatory decision-making processes, and rec- gaging with different perspectives and cultures,
ognition of different cultures, values and capa- the EEA report argues.
bilities.
There is potential to learn from good practice
The EEA report ‘Just sustainability transitions – at different levels of governance in implement-
From concept to practice’ addresses key ques- ing measures to deliver social fairness, with case
tions for ensuring fairness as Europe moves studies from across Europe described in the re-
ahead towards the goals of the European Green port. Delivering transitions that are fair demands
Deal. The report offers tools for policymakers to careful consideration of the specificities, inequal-
better understand and govern just transitions. ities, and challenges of the local context, and its
interplay with policy objectives and socio-eco-
Delivering justice in Europe’s sustainability tran- nomic trends at larger geographical scales.
sition is multidimensional. It requires efforts to
correct the unequal distribution of the costs of Source – Recycling magazine
November 2024 PLASTICS NEWS 41
