The shift toward a net-zero world will bring economy-wide transformation on a scale we’ve never seen. This transition will impact all industries, jobs and communities. While we know this is necessary for a clean energy future, how can we ensure it is fair, respects the rights of all people and builds a more inclusive workforce?

A just transition ensures that no one is left behind in this transformation. A key requirement of the Paris Agreement, a just transition helps build a future where jobs are green and decent, greenhouse gas emissions are at net-zero, poverty is eradicated and communities are thriving and resilient. This vision of the future is one that business must help bring to life. While many businesses know they have to facilitate this, many still don’t know where to start.

To assist companies in implementing a just transition, The B Team and the Just Transition Centre have published Just Transition: A Business Guide. This guidance contains operational advice and tactics, several case studies and analysis of the risks and opportunities of climate action on a company’s workforce. It provides ways for companies to engage with workers, unions and governments that are constructive to a clean energy economy that benefits all.

This year marks a crucial time to accelerate business action on just transition. More than 400 companies across 28 industries and 23 countries have now committed to science-based targets. But these private sector pioneers must also consider how they will account for the effect these commitments will have on their employees and communities they operate in. Just Transition: A Business Guide can help them account for the social impact of these crucial actions.

For more information on The B Team and Just Transition Centre’s work on businesses and just transition, please get in touch with The B Team, or Samantha Smith, Director, Just Transition Centre, at samantha.smith@justtransitioncentre.org.