Navigating ‘Distributive Justice’ in the energy transition

What does it really mean to share the costs and benefits of the energy transition fairly? From deciding whether to create local jobs to selecting where new energy infrastructure gets built, companies are making distributive choices every day. 

IHRB's Head of Just Transitions, Haley St Dennis, and IHRB Research Fellow, Judy Hofmeyr, discuss the concept of ‘distributive justice’ - what is it really, how does it relate to the other forms of justice at the heart of any just transition, and why it can be a useful tool to help business practitioners involved in transition decision making. 

Using the energy transition in South Africa as an illustrative anchor, Haley and Judy explore how distributive justice can be used as a tool to strengthen the ability of companies to identify where benefits and burdens are at risk of being unevenly allocated, where social licence may be weakened as a result, and where a more intentional approach could reduce harm, expand opportunity, and improve the long-term durability of transition projects.

Stream above, or you can listen on your favourite podcast player.

Host: Deborah Sagoe, IHRB's Communications Coordinator
Producer & Editor: Helen Brown
Additional Contributors: Sam Simmons, IHRB's Head of Communications

Report: Distributive Justice and the Role of Business: Operationalising Fairness in the Energy Transition

Read IHRB’s report: ‘Distributive Justice and the Role of Business: Operationalising Fairness in the Energy Transition’, which shares how distributive justice can be deployed as a critical tool by businesses to help guide their transition plans and decision making.

The report provides a set of novel 'legitimacy criteria' to help business practitioners make decisions with a distributive justice lens, supported by a four-step framework for operationalising fairness in practice. These tools can be integrated with existing company approaches to derisking projects and driving value in the energy transition.