The Scottish Just Transition Commission
Planning for a fairer, greener future for all.
Scotland is the first country in the world to commit to a Just Transition planning framework. So I was honoured to be invited by the Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work, Richard Lochhead MSP, to join Scotland’s second Just Transition Commission for the duration of this Parliamentary term (until May 2026).
The Commission is made up of a remarkable group of people and includes scientists, economists, environmentalists, trade unionists and those active in Scotland’s oil and gas sector. We are led by the distinguished Professor Jim Skea of Imperial College who is Co-chair of Working Group III of the IPCC which focuses on climate change mitigation. Lang Banks is one of Scotland’s leading environmentalists; Ameena Camps is an expert in Carbon Capture and Storage; Collete Cohen heads up the Net Zero Technology Centre in Aberdeen; Elaine Dougall is a trade union official at Unite the Union and Lead Officer for Energy and Utilities in Scotland; Rachel McEwen is Chief Sustainability Officer at the energy company, SSE; Richard Hardy is National Secretary at the Prospect union and represents members in the oil, gas and nuclear sectors: Katie Gallogly-Swan is an economist at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Ray Riddoch has had a 40 year career in the oil and gas industry; Rajiv Joshi is an economist and Advisor to Columbia Climate School and convened the Climate Action Lab in Glasgow at COP 26; Mark Reed is a Professor of Rural Entrepreneurship; Satwat Rehman is Chief Executive of One Parent Families Scotland; Nick Robins is Professor in Practice for Sustainable Finance with the Grantham Research Institute at the LSE; Hannah Smith leads the work of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in Scotland; Jake Molloy worked offshore in the oil and gas sector for 17-years; Ronnie Quinn is CEO of NECCUS, representing members through the challenge of industrial decarbonisation primarily through Carbon Capture and Hydrogen.
The Scottish government enacted the Climate Change Bill in 2019 as a direct response to the 2015 Paris Agreement. That Agreement required parties to increase action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while taking into account “the imperatives of a just transition of the workforce and the creation of decent work and quality jobs”
“For the Scottish Government a just transition is both the outcome – a fairer, greener future for all – and the process that must be undertaken in partnership with those impacted by the transition to net zero. It supports a net zero and climate resilient economy in a way that delivers fairness and tackles inequality and injustice.
To support the delivery of this ambition, the Scottish Government has committed to lead the production of key just transition plans, in a way that is co-designed and co-delivered by communities, businesses, unions and workers, and all society. The key roles of the Just Transition Commission will be to support the production and monitoring of such plans, providing expert advice on their development.”
If you’re interested in reading the final report from the first Scottish Just Transition Commission you can find it here.
Background and perspective on the concept of a Just Transition, as well as comparisons with other countries here.
Here are some shots from the Commission’s recent visit to Peterhead Power Station near Aberdeen.
