Beyond the Just Transition: a critical inquiries from the pluriverse perspective

Beyond the Just Transition: a critical inquiries from the pluriverse perspective

The “Just Transition” concept aims to ensure an equitable shift toward low-carbon economies by minimizing negative impacts on workers, communities, and vulnerable sectors, while inclusively distributing the benefits of environmental policies. However, this process faces structural and conceptual barriers that extend beyond technical challenges, such as the lack of effective participation, power dynamics, persistent inequalities, and tensions between economic growth and sustainability.

This work transcends traditional notions by adopting a plural and critical perspective from the Pluriverse to explore the challenges and opportunities in reshaping the Just Transition. We argue that integrating local knowledge and adopting epistemic justice approaches are essential for designing transitions that not only mitigate the climate crisis but also promote autonomy, social equity, and ecological regeneration.

The Pluriverse Perspective

Conceptualizing the Pluriverse

The Pluriverse perspective acknowledges the coexistence of multiple worldviews, knowledge systems, and ways of being in the world. This approach challenges the universality of Western modernity and the colonial legacy that has marginalized alternative visions of development and progress. From this standpoint, the Just Transition must be situated within a pluriversal horizon, where diverse voices, practices, and ontologies converge to reshape the pathways toward sustainability.

Decolonial Approaches to Sustainability

Decolonial thinkers argue that the current sustainability discourse often reproduces colonial power dynamics, favoring technological solutions and market-based mechanisms that undermine the autonomy of the Global South. In this view, a truly transformative Just Transition must address the legacies of colonialism, challenging the extractive logic that has fueled environmental degradation and social inequalities. This requires embracing alternative epistemologies and ontologies that honor the intrinsic rights of nature and the self-determined development of marginalized communities.

Intersectionality and Justice

The Just Transition must also adopt an intersectional lens, recognizing how markers of inequality—such as gender, race, ethnicity, and national or territorial origin—manifest in access to resources and decision-making processes. This approach highlights the need to center the experiences and demands of those most impacted by the climate crisis, including Indigenous peoples, rural communities, and the urban poor. Only by addressing the multiple, intersecting forms of oppression can the Just Transition achieve genuine social and ecological justice.

Critiquing the Just Transition

Limitations of the Just Transition

While the Just Transition concept has gained traction, it often falls short in addressing the underlying systemic barriers to sustainability. Conventional approaches, focused on creating green jobs and economic compensation, frequently overlook the structural inequalities that perpetuate unjust transitions. Moreover, the predominant techno-managerial paradigm tends to oversimplify the complex socio-ecological dynamics, increasing the risk of reproducing existing power imbalances.

Centering Marginalized Voices

A critical barrier to the Just Transition lies in the disconnect between key actors driving energy investments—such as private companies, international donors, and multilateral organizations—and the national or local arenas where justice demands are articulated. The exclusion of rural communities, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups from decision-making processes undermines the legitimacy of projects and deepens social conflicts.

Rethinking Socio-ecological Transformation

The Just Transition must go beyond technological solutions and address the systemic drivers of environmental degradation and social injustice. This requires a profound rethinking of our economic models, political frameworks, and cultural worldviews. Transitioning toward sustainability is not merely a technical challenge but a transformative project that must confront the power structures sustaining social and ecological inequities.

Alternatives from the Pluriverse

Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay

Emerging from Latin American contexts, the concepts of Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay offer alternative visions of development that prioritize the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature. These philosophies challenge the anthropocentric assumptions of Western modernity, emphasizing the intrinsic rights of ecosystems and the collective well-being of communities. Integrating these worldviews into the Just Transition can foster more holistic, regenerative, and culturally-grounded approaches to sustainability.

Degrowth and Ecological Swaraj

The degrowth movement and the notion of Ecological Swaraj (from the Global South) propose models of socio-ecological transformation that prioritize sufficiency, community self-determination, and the democratization of the economy. These approaches reject the endless pursuit of economic growth and instead emphasize the reduction of unnecessary production, the strengthening of universal public services, and the redistribution of resources to address global inequalities.

Indigenous Knowledges and Worldviews

Embracing the diverse knowledges and ontologies of Indigenous peoples is crucial for imagining more sustainable and just futures. These worldviews often recognize the intrinsic rights of nature, the sacredness of land, and the interdependence of human and non-human realms. Integrating these perspectives into the Just Transition can foster more holistic and context-specific solutions that honor the cultural and ecological specificities of each region.

Praxis and Transformative Pathways

Prefigurative Politics and Mutual Aid

To advance the pluriversal vision of the Just Transition, we must engage in prefigurative politics—building the desired future in the present through grassroots initiatives, mutual aid networks, and alternative economic practices. These bottom-up efforts can catalyze systemic change by modeling more equitable, regenerative, and decentralized ways of organizing social and ecological life.

Pluriversal Coalitions and Convergences

Achieving a Just Transition also requires forging strategic alliances and convergences between diverse social movements, Indigenous communities, environmentalists, and other stakeholders. By weaving these plural voices and struggles into a collective force, we can challenge the hegemonic power structures and articulate a shared vision of sustainability rooted in social, ecological, and epistemic justice.

Pedagogies of the Pluriverse

Lastly, transformative education and research are crucial for cultivating the knowledge, skills, and ethical sensibilities necessary to navigate the pluriversal pathways of sustainability. Pedagogies of the Pluriverse foster critical consciousness, ecological literacy, and the capacity for systemic thinking, empowering individuals and communities to become active agents of change.

The transition toward a sustainable and equitable future is a complex and multifaceted challenge. By embracing the pluriverse perspective, we can transcend the limitations of the conventional Just Transition and design more inclusive, regenerative, and culturally-responsive pathways. This work invites us to rethink our relationship with the environment, challenge the structures of power and domination, and collectively imagine and enact the worlds we wish to inhabit.

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