Funder: Scottish Government Just Transition Fund for North East and Moray
Status: Ongoing (November 2022-June 2026)
Project leads: Tavis Potts, Daria Shapovalova
Project team: Keith Bender, John Bone, Daria Shapovalova, Paul Dargie, Maren Mitchell, Tayo Gbemi, Aya El Samad
Project summary: This project addressed the question of how communities can be involved in and help to drive the process of designing, creating and delivering a Just Transition. Led by North East Climate Action Network, it delivered a pilot for a program of community-level climate-focused democratic participation that incorporated emerging good practice from all over the world; and can be adapted to reach different communities; and which, in subsequent years, can be implemented across the North East, Scotland and globally. Currently in its 4th year, the project combines research, practice, community engagement, and advocacy continuing to develop a community of practice around participatory democracy and enthusing those who can take the concept further and embed it in public sector decision-making.
We will continue to work with communities to develop and take forward recommendations and action plans from the climate assemblies and other processes to ensure tangible beneficial outcomes in order to build trust and encourage climate action within communities. The programme of research will provide an avenue for engaging with other key regional stakeholders such as business leaders, who will be key to a just transition and opportunities for community wealth building.
Outputs:
3) Event report - Community Renewables in the North East (2025)
4) Report - Tools for Deliberative Democracy: Case studies from the Just Transition Project (2025)
5) Report - Climate Assemblies and Deliberative Democracy: A Global Best Practice Review (2024)
Project website: https://thejtcp.org/