The term “just energy transition” (or JET) has been gaining currency because responses to the climate crisis cannot make a significant impact without transforming the energy sector. This transition involves the gradual and steady shift from a fossil fuel-based energy mix—for electricity, transportation, agriculture, and others—to one that comes from renewable sources with low, if any, carbon emissions. For energy transition to be “just,” it must look after the people and communities in the energy systems who could be negatively affected. For example, workers in the coal sector and their families must not be made worse off when the transition results in job losses. Renewable energy projects also must not displace communities or harm the natural environment.
But can we talk about JET in the urban context?
As engines of growth and home to a growing majority of the world’s population, cities consume 75 percent of global…
