Breaking Chains, Building Bridges: Rethinking Just Transitions From a Global South Perspective

Industrialisation, while crucial for economic growth, often leads to greenhouse gas emissions and resource exploitation, posing significant environmental challenges. Industrialisation is a crucial means for Global South countries to create much needed jobs for growing youth populations, but the potential for sustainable green industrialisation is limited by a lack of technology and financial resources.

The article explores this tension by examining the concept of a ‘just transition’, its implications for the Global South, and how the global community may support industrial transitions while minimising environmental impacts. Through analysis based on a literature review and interviews, the paper recommends the prioritisation of local employment, skill development, and green technology transfer through foreign direct investment in the Global South, and the adoption of energy efficiency standards to reduce energy waste and carbon emissions. It also suggests that Global North countries may support Southern industrialisation by accelerating their own green transition and leveraging their resources.