Just Transition
Embedding justice in low-carbon futures
Wednesday, 7th June, 9am to 2pm
A half-day conference to understand the implications and challenges of a Just Transition in Ireland
We welcome you to join this half-day conference which will be facilitated for both in-person and online participation
- In-person venue: Room E201, Smurfit College of Business
- Online room: Click here for Zoom Link
Schedule below
Transitioning to a low-carbon economy requires transformative changes in technology, society, human behaviour, and institutional practices.
During this conference, we facilitate a cross-disciplinary dialogue to encourage integrated and interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of how a Just Transition to a low-carbon future can be achieved. We will explore questions such as:
● How can research on Just Transition contribute to the decarbonisation of our socio-economic systems?
● How can we produce knowledge that can ensure social justice is not compromised during the transition process?
● How can integrated and interdisciplinary research contribute to solving complex societal problems?
Schedule
09:35 – 10.00
John Barry, Professor of Green Political Economy in the Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action at Queens University Belfast, will give his presentation on the need to bring together the literature on conflict transformation and energy transitions and examine the role and responsibility of academia during times of a planetary crisis.
10:00 –10:25
Julie Byrne, Associate Professor of Banking and Finance at UCD School of Business, will discuss the financing of a Just Transition in the context of corporate economics where maximising shareholder wealth appears to come into conflict with inclusive development pathways.
10:25 – 10:50
Drawing on two recent projects, Prof. Niamh Moore-Cherry, UCD School of Geography and College of Social Sciences and Law, will give an account of how urban and regional policies and programmes must not exacerbate existing inequalities.
10:50 – 11:15
Prof. Donna Marshall’s presentation will explore the tensions between economic, social, and environmental demands of a fast fashion giant and the impact on its supply chain and specifically its workers.
11:15 – 11:25
Coffee Break
11:25 – 11:50
Kieran Harrahill, senior researcher at TASC and PhD candidate, will give an give a background to Just Transition with relevance to the agricultural sector in Ireland, introduce bioeconomy production processes that reduce society’s reliance on fossil fuels, and give an overview of The People’s Transition initiative, led by TASC.
11:50 – 12:15
Lecturer and Assistant Professor Patrick Brodie, UCD School of Information and Communication Studies, will present on his work with Dr. Patrick Bresnihan, Maynooth University, about anti-extractivism and environmental justice movements in Ireland against multinationals.
12:15 – 12:40
Dr. Kate Flood, EPA researcher, and Aoife Kirk, project coordinator of Connecting Communities with Peatlands, will explore the cultural context and experiences of communities in the midlands regions of Ireland as they transition from extracting peat systems to more regenerative models. These transitions require ‘social-ecological’ investment and resourcing, both for the scientific aspects of peatland restoration, rewetting and conservation and the relational networks that are crucial to building the collaborative communities, cultures and economies of the future.
12:40 – 13:00
Wrap-up
Final discussion to provide mutual feedback, establishing contact for future cooperation.
This event is sponsored by the UCD Earth Institute SPSM Funding Mechanism and is organised by the Just Transition Research Group.
The Just Transition Research Group aims to build a national and international research network for promoting peer-to-peer learning of concerned, interested, and affected stakeholders for generating knowledge, debate, discussions, policy suggestions, and practical examples for a Just Transition.
