An improbable driver of " just transitions"? " ? Union power in the coal heartland of Western Australia's energy shift

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Abstract

Much scholarship in the nascent field of climate crisis and labour assumes that trade unions can readily become agents of “just transition” to post‑carbon energy systems but simply lack a willingness to do so. We investigate this problem more deeply by asking: under what precise circumstances might unions drive “just transitions”? Drawing upon a case study of one union's effort to build a just transition in the energy generation sector of one fossil-fuel reliant region in Australia, we show that union leaders have seen themselves as agents of change, capable of driving internal change and deploying power resources for a just transition. This transition from a carbon energy system is, however, fragile because the shape of a post-transition region remains unclear and sits in the hands of capital and the state.
Original languageEnglish
Article number103721
Number of pages10
JournalEnergy research and social science
Volume117
Early online date29 Aug 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2024

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