The University of Aberdeen's Just Transition Lab has presented the findings of its multi-disciplinary investigation 'Just Transition for Workers and Communities in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire: Indicators and Scenarios'.
The purpose of the event on 13 November was to provide an in-depth presentation of the Lab’s findings while hearing from stakeholders within the Government, private sector and local groups.
The feedback provided from these groups gave great insight into the benefits of the report and helped identify points of improvement for the Just Transition Lab to investigate further.
The event was attended by a broad range of representatives across the public and private sectors, as well as local groups. These included representatives from Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, the James Hutton Institute, NESTRANS, the Just Transmission Commission, third sector organisations, Maggie Chapman MSP and residents from local areas.
The combination of these diverse groups provided an extensive range of questions, engaging with the interdisciplinary nature of the report and providing compelling feedback and experiences regarding the just transition.
The event was opened by Peter Edwards, Vice-Principal for Regional Engagement. This was followed by an introduction by Dr Daria Shapovalova, director of the Centre for Energy Law, who outlined the contextual history of Aberdeen’s status as an oil capital of Europe and efforts to become the energy capital.
She further discussed the practical and theoretical approaches to developing place-based indicators for a just transition. Research team members then presented data and findings in their respective fields:
- employment, earnings and skills by Professor Keith Bender
- equality and wellbeing by Dr John Bone
- democratic participation by Professor Tavis Potts
- empowerment of communities, revitalisation and net zero by Dr Shapovalova
The team further presented scenarios and policy assessment for a Just Transition in the North East of Scotland, followed by a Q&A with the audience.
In the second part of the event, the panel discussion on research-policy interface in Scotland was held, featuring the Just Transition Lab researchers alongside external guests Anne-Marte Bergseng of Climate Xchange; and David Miller of the James Hutton Institute.
The Just Transition Lab will be publishing its findings imminently after incorporating some points raised by the participants.
Keep up to date by following the Just Transition Lab website. The project is funded by Uplift, and you can read the report from the first phase here.