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Nordic Toolbox for a Just Green Transition

This is how policymakers can adopt a place-based approach

Draw inspiration from real-life examples of policies and plans that have supported vulnerable regions during transition processes. We also describe some interesting tools that can support the process of developing place-based action plans for the green transition.

EXAMPLE: Bornholm Havvind 

Location

Bornholm (Denmark) 

Description

Initiated in 2019, Bornholm Havvind is a citizen-driven and locally initiated project that aims to construct an offshore, near-coast windmill park outside of Bornholm (100 MW). Local ownership is fundamental to the initiative, with 100% of the shares owned by the Bornholm community, although not exclusively limited to residents registered in the municipality. That approach also extends to local associations, industries and businesses. The founders of Bornholm Havvind believe that local ownership fosters motivation for change, enhances local acceptance and strengthens community ties, thereby supporting a more equitable and inclusive energy transition. 
Bornholm Havvind successfully secured approximately DKK 400,000 from the EU's New Energy Solutions Optimised for Islands programme to fund further development. The initiative connected with a team of technical experts, who agreed to work at a reduced rate. They conducted a comprehensive desk study on the project’s economic viability and its technical, environmental and landscape-related feasibility, which was presented at a public meeting in April 2022. Finally, in November 2022, the Citizen Energy Community (CEC) was established in accordance with EU Directive 2019/944 and relevant national and local legislation.

Outcome

By 2024, Bornholms Havvind had been active for five years without installing any windmills. Its plan was rejected by authorities in October 2023, a decision currently under appeal at the Energy Appeal Court. That highlights the lengthy process of building consensus and the need for dedicated individuals to drive the project forward. Patience and long-term vision are essential, along with the involvement of many committed stakeholders. Nevertheless, the realisation of such projects is not guaranteed due to the extensive legal processes associated with land and water use, where large-scale changes are often irreversible, underscoring the importance of careful planning for the benefit of people and the planet.

Read more

A digital story about Bornholm Havvind is available on Nordregio's site.

 

EXAMPLE: GreenLab Skive

Location

Skive (Denmark) 

Description

GreenLab is a green industrial park, technology and research hub, based on a circular economy model and renewable energy utilisation. Created to foster new investment and innovation in a rural area that was facing population decline, the park now hosts eight companies focusing on energy storage and resource efficiency. All companies benefit from internally sourced renewable energy, which is used to produce green goods such as electro fuel. The project has also created research and education programmes and collaborates with universities across Denmark.
Skive municipality and other leading actors organised many activities from the outset to involve the local population and local businesses in the project, including inviting people to view the building site long before the work began, organising community events, co-creating ideas and informing residents about the goals of the project. Residents can also become co-owners of the biogas plant.

Outcome

The park has created economic, social and environmental benefits for the local community and businesses, including the creation of 100 permanent jobs. The tangible benefits and intensive engagement of local stakeholders have secured social acceptance of the project among the local population. The “Skive model” has succeeded in changing the image of the region from one that was suffering from population decline to a rural frontrunner in green innovation. 

Read more

A digital story describing the GreenLab initiative is available on Nordregio's website.

EXAMPLE: Just Transitions Unit

Location

New Zealand  

Description 

The government of New Zealand established a Just Transitions Unit in May 2018. Based within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, it has been given the mandate of making the transition towards a low-emissions economy fair, equitable and inclusive. The main work of the unit involves forming partnerships that
1) build an understanding of potential pathways for a just green transition,
2) identify, create and support new jobs and skills in the transition,
3) understand the impact of the transition on specific communities, sectors and regions,
4) make choices for managing such impacts in a fair and inclusive manner.
The Just Transitions Unit focused on the Taranaki region. Given its long history of oil and gas exploitation, that region is more vulnerable to the country’s decision to stop offshore oil and gas exploration. The Just Transitions Unit established the Taranaki Transition Lead Group, made up of representatives from government, business, labour, education and the Taranaki community. It facilitated just under 30 workshops in the region, including one event specifically for young people. It also organised a creative competition for children and young people to describe their vision for 2050.

Outcome

The material from those processes was fed into a draft Taranaki 2050 Roadmap. It was presented at a National Just Transition Summit and finalised in 2019. The lead group then organised another round of workshops to create transition pathway action plans, for example on energy. Projects to implement the action plans are underway. 

Read more

Taranaki vision and strategy is available on Taranaki's website.

EXAMPLE: Just Transition Agreements

Location

Spain 

Description 

In 2019, the Spanish government agreed on a strategic framework to modernise and decarbonise the economy with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in 2050. The strategic framework includes a Just Transition Strategy that aims to ensure that no groups or regions are left behind in the process. Since 2022, a Climate Change and Energy Transition Law obliges the Spanish government to develop and approve a Just Transition Strategy every five years to govern the decarbonisation process. 
The Just Transition Strategy foresees that regions which may experience negative impacts during the green transition shall develop Just Transition Agreements, including regional action plans with clear goals and development priorities. The main goal of the agreements is to support vulnerable sectors and groups, create employment and promote diversification. They are concluded between several ministries and other public authorities and are intended to engage all levels of governance, from the national to the local. The transition agreements are to be developed in cooperation with as many stakeholders as possible using Social Dialogue Roundtables, including with labour unions, businesses and young people. In 2020, the government founded a Just Transition Institute to provide technical support for drafting and implementing the Just Transition Agreements.

Outcome

Just Transition Agreements have been concluded for 15 areas in Spain, involving more than 2,000 contributions from different social actors. Public participation is continuing, with follow-up meetings being held in the various regions. A range of support measures have been set up for workers, especially those affected by coal mine closures, including training and reskilling for green industries, job banks to match workers to new jobs, early retirement schemes for older workers and economic reactivation measures.

Read more

Report "Spain, 4 years towards a just energy transition" describing Spain’s work on the Just Transition Strategy (PDF).
Spain's Just Transition Institute's website (in Spanish).

TOOL: Inclusive Community Engagement Playbook

Author or Publisher

C40

Year of publication

2019  

Description

This publication offers a range of ideas, methods and tools on how to identify priority stakeholders at local level and involve them in inclusive climate action planning. The playbook is written for urban contexts, but many of the proposed strategies should also be useful for engaging communities in rural areas. In addition, the publication includes both case studies and submodules that offer ideas on how to engage specific social groups such as children, young people, older adults and labour unions.

TOOL: Just transition platform: Case studies

Author or Publisher

European Commission 

Year of publication 

n.d.  

Description

This website contains a list of good practices from around Europe on how to support regional and local stakeholders in implementing a just transition. Each example is described in a separate short publication, offering many ideas on how to govern successful green transition initiatives at regional or local level.

Read more

The list of case studies on European Commission's website.

TOOL: Governance of transitions toolkit

Author or Publisher

European Commission

Year of publication 

2020  

Description

This toolkit provides practical information and approaches as to how to govern regional decarbonisation and economic diversification processes. It is built around four topics:
  1. Governance model 
  2. Stakeholder engagement and partnerships
  3. The role of civil society
  4. The role of social dialogue
The toolkit has been designed for regions transitioning away from coal mining and coal-based energy generation. Nonetheless, many of the strategies, examples and ideas should be relevant for other types of transition regions as well.

Read more

TOOL: Considering gender in regional transformations. A toolkit for just transition regions 

Author or Publisher

European Commission 

Year of publication 

2023 

Description

This toolkit highlights different challenges that women and men face in regions affected by the green transition. It also defines key action areas and strategies that can be used to promote gender equality during the transition. Interesting real-life examples are mentioned throughout the report. 
The European Commission has published similar toolkits that address:
  1. how to involve and plan for older adults in regional transformations,
  2. how to integrate young people into just transition processes at regional level, 
  3. how to support households and communities that are adversely affected by the green transition at local level.

Read more

Toolkit on considering gender: Just Transition Platform on the European Commission website.
Toolkit on how to centre older adults in regional transformations: Just Transition Platform on the European Commission website.
Toolkit on how to involve young people: Integrating youth into the just transition process – A case study highlighting good practices on the European Commission website.
Toolkit on how to support households in regional transformations: Supporting households in regional transformations: A toolkit for just transition regions on the European Commission website.

TOOL: Enabling energy communities. A toolkit for just transition regions

Author or Publisher

European Commission

Year of publication 

2023   

Description

This toolkit aims to offer guidance to policymakers on the question of whether and how to promote the establishment of energy communities in territories that are focus areas for the green transition. It provides information on what energy communities are, which advantages they offer and which EU rules have to be considered. The toolkit also highlights good examples from across Europe and describes core principles to promote energy communities in just transition contexts.

Read more

Toolkit on Enabling energy communities – A toolkit for just transition regions on European Commission's website.

TOOL: EU taxonomy for sustainable activities

Author or Publisher

European Commission

Year of publication 

2020 

Description

The EU taxonomy defines criteria for economic activities that are aligned with the goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as well as other environmental goals. The taxonomy thereby allows public and private actors to identify economic activities that can be considered environmentally sustainable. This information can then support decisions on where to direct investments and can help to prevent greenwashing.

Read more

More information on EU taxonomy for sustainable activities on the European Commission website.

TOOL: Between hand-outs and stand-outs: Opportunities for policy support for just green transitions

Author or Publisher

Salonen, H.

Year of publication 

2024  

Description

This policy brief offers a set of recommendations on how to involve local communities in green energy initiatives and foster a sense of local ownership and fairness. The policy brief distinguishes between different phases in the process of developing green projects and provides recommendations on how to make each phase more inclusive and fair.

Read more

Policy brief "Between hand-outs and stand-outs" on Nordregio's website.

TOOL: Social Impact Management Planning (SIMP) tool

Author or Publisher

Suopajärvi, L., Kantola, A. and Weber, R. 

Year of publication 

2017  

Description

This tool provides step-by-step guidance on how to identify social impacts of large-scale industrial activities in sparsely populated areas. It also provides information on how to manage impacts and develop sustainable compromises regarding land use by involving relevant stakeholders. The SIMP tool includes an analysis of the baseline situation, activities to scope and formulate alternative scenarios and strategies to mitigate negative social impacts and enhance positive impacts. SIMP also includes monitoring and evaluation phases. 

TOOL: The Rural Barometer (Landsbygdsbarometern)

Author or Publisher

Tillväxtverket

Year of publication 

n/a  

Description

The Rural Barometer helps to highlight the presence of a rural or broader “geographical perspective" within a given organisation. It is based on self-assessment and demonstrates the extent to which a rural/geographical perspective is integrated into an organisation’s operations. Additionally, other tools from Tillväxtverket, such as "Process Analysis" and “Challenge the urban norm”, assist in pinpointing where a rural/geographical perspective can and should be integrated within the given organisation.

Read more

Landsbygdsbarometern is available on Tillväxtverket's website (in Swedish).

TOOL: Just Transition Toolbox for Coal Regions

Author or Publisher

Wuppertal Institute

Year of publication 

2022

Description

This toolbox aims to provide support and inspiration for policymakers and practitioners working on structural change and the green transition in coal regions. The toolbox comprises five key sections, including the role of strategies, effective governance models and skills development. Many of the strategies and good practices that are presented in this comprehensive toolbox may be useful for Nordic regions that are transitioning out of other types of carbon- or energy-intensive industries.

Read more

The digital toolbox Just Transition Toolbox for Coal Regions on the Wuppertal Institute website.
Nordregio I www.nordregio.org/publications