Research Network on Energy Workforce Transitions (ReNEWT)

Objectives

The Research Network on Energy Workforce Transitions (ReNEWT) is an international consortium of researchers and policy analysts who identify practical solutions to ensure that the transitions experienced by workforces in fossil fuel-based sectors are just and equitable. Established in 2018, ReNEWT brings together researchers across 25 partner institutions from economics, political science, international relations, anthropology, and other fields to explore the economic and social challenges and opportunities associated with the transition to a zero-carbon economy.

The network aims to:

• Provide a bridge between researchers and policy-makers to ensure the global just transition research agenda remains relevant and practical, and to effectively inform decision-making by government, private-sector and labour union stakeholders.
• Develop a body of knowledge on best practices to help design effective just transition policies locally and globally.
• Support the development of robust and innovative solutions through learning and collaboration between research institutions.
• Provide evidence-based policy tools that can help local stakeholders based in different fossil fuel economies to proactively manage the transition of their workforce to less carbon-intensive activities while supporting their economies.

Goals for 2020

• Develop materials for policy-makers to help them understand the scale of the just transition challenge and lay the foundations for successful transition plans at the local, national and regional levels.
• Pursue opportunities to collaborate on innovative new research projects with other research institutions and policy-makers.
• Highlight the research produced across the network and help identify the scope of public body of knowledge on transition planning.
• Host a second ReNEWT workshop to facilitate dialogue with and between relevant stakeholders, and ensure the global just transition research agenda remains aligned with the needs of policy-makers.

Historic activities

In 2019 ReNEWT:

• Held its inaugural workshop in Bilbao, Spain which brought representatives from the European Commission, Spanish industry, labour unions and the finance sector together with academics from four continents to facilitate dialogue, learn from global historic experiences and contribute to the development of a policy-relevant just transition research agenda among leading academic institutions.
• Several members of ReNEWT became advisors to the Powering Past Coal Alliance Just Transition Taskforce, to help develop practical solutions for partner countries seeking to phase out coal generation (see https://poweringpastcoal.org/about/taskforces).
• Held a regular webinar series for ReNEWT members to remain informed on the latest research and policy developments.
• Facilitated the development of three research proposals from collaborations between ReNEWT members.
• ReNEWT members continued to produce research across a variety of academic disciplines and engage with policy-makers in their local geographies.

2019 Inaugural ReNEWT Workshop

From 29-30 October 2019 the inaugural ReNEWT Workshop was held in Bilbao, Spain, hosted by the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3). The workshop programme included sharing of research outputs and exploration of future collaboration opportunities. Representatives from the European Commission, industry, labour unions and the finance sector were invited for the second day with the aim of fostering dialogue between these important stakeholders and understanding the research needs and challenges of decision-makers on the front line of managing the just transition.

Key takeaways from the workshop include:

• ReNEWT members are working on a diverse range research topics relating to the just transition, including: public attitudes towards the energy transition, worker identity and narratives, labour market modelling, energy system modelling, political economy of transitions, transition policy analysis, the role of investors, scenario modelling and consumer behaviour.
• Key reflections from research outputs include: the perception of justice can be as important as actual justice; historic transitions may appear to be more successful than they are due to early retirements, so we need to find a way to help future workers, not just current workers, transition to new roles; the just transition is broader than just the impact on workers, and other members of fossil-dependent communities may be particularly vulnerable; and it is important not only to understand the economic implications of the transition but also the social dimensions.
• It was recognised that a major communications task needs to accompany just transitions research to help decision makers understand the need for and the extent of the transition as a foundational step, before being able to work with them to develop solutions.