Last year, world leaders gathered in Dubai for the UN climate change conference (COP29) committed to the global energy transition away from fossil fuels to help combat climate change. They also pledged to ensure that transition was “just, orderly, and equitable.”
While there is much research into what is needed to accomplish the first goal, there is comparatively little on how to boost the resilience of fossil-fuel dependent communities alongside decarbonization efforts.
So begins a new research paper to be published in the journal Environmental Research: Energy, according to an accepted manuscript provided online by the Institute of Physics (IOP) Publishing.
Focusing on the United States, the authors stress the need for proactive planning and targeted investment to prevent economic devastation in these communities as demand for the fossil fuels that have powered their economies — and provided jobs for their residents — declines.
The paper identifies key areas for further research, including alternative employment opportunities for the fossil fuel workforce, policies to support government revenues in these regions, and lessons from previous economic transitions. The authors also stress the importance of understanding local contexts and tailoring strategies to meet the specific needs of each community.
People in these communities need their concerns addressed before they can be expected to support moves that will affect their livelihoods, the authors argue. And the stakes are high:
Supporting fossil fuel-dependent communities matters for the world’s climate ambition as well. A global response to climate change requires strong U.S. leadership given the U.S.’s role as the world’s largest economy and largest cumulative emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, but providing it will be difficult, if not impossible, if large parts of the nation and their elected representatives oppose climate action in part due to the economic risks of a transition away from fossil fuels.”
“A research agenda for economic resilience in fossil fuel–dependent communities,” By Leon Clarke et al., 2024 Environ. Res.: Energy in press
The authors point to U.S. efforts aimed at revitalizing coal-dependent regions, but caution that existing policies may not be enough.
The paper calls for more in-depth research to identify and evaluate effective strategies to meet the unique challenges facing these regions and advocate for a collaborative approach that bridges the gap between academic research and policy implementation.
Much more research is needed to identify and evaluate tangible strategies that can scale to meet the challenges facing the economies of fossil fuel–dependent regions. Notably, the discipline of economics has, with some important exceptions, focused on the limitations of place-based policies rather than designing better strategies to support these local economies. Thankfully, economists and other scholars are now focusing more attention on these issues due in part to the unique challenges posed by the energy transition and a better understanding of the limits of capital and labor mobility.”
“A research agenda for economic resilience in fossil fuel–dependent communities,” By Leon Clarke et al., 2024 Environ. Res.: Energy in press
Download the accepted manuscript posted by Institute of Physics (IOP) Publishing on August 9, 2024.
