The European Union (EU) has adopted the target to reach climate neutrality in the EU by 2050, enshrined in the 2021 EU Climate Law. This will result in declining workforces in certain industries as we transition away from a fossil fuel-based economy. To help regions and workforces affected by these declining industries, the EU offers funding promoting regional development and cohesion, including the Just Transition Fund (JTF).
Renewable energy can be an important part of the answer for affected regions for several reasons:
1.Workforces of declining fossil industries can apply their skills to expanding renewable energy industries along different segments of the value chain;
2. Regions with fossil industries often have considerable amounts of degraded land, largely due to the environmental impacts of those same industries, that can be used for locating renewable energy projects;
3. Regions with fossil industries can often benefit from robust electricity and transport infrastructure that enables cost-effective distribution of renewable energy whilst revitalising former fossil infrastructure.
Unlike other infrastructure investments or subsidies that might only provide temporary relief to workers, renewables present a more enduring and pragmatic solution to drive the deep, lasting revitalisation needed in transition regions and beyond. This policy brief “How renewables can help regions move beyond fossil industries” by the European Environmental Bureau presents examples of regions affected by the decline of fossil industries that successfully invested in renewable energy.
Access the report here
