The concept of a ‘just transition’ to a low-carbon economy is firmly embedded in mainstream global discourses about mitigating climate change. Drawing on Karl Polanyi's political economy elaborated in The Great Transformation, we interrogate the idea of a just transition and place it within its historical context. We address a major contradiction at the core of global energy transition debates: the rapid shift to low-carbon energy-systems will require increased extraction of minerals and metals. In doing so, we argue that extractive industries are energy and carbon-intensive, and will enlarge and intensify social and ecological injustice. Our findings reveal the importance of understanding how the idea of a just transition is used, and by who, and the type of justice that underpins this concept. We demonstrate the need to ground just transition policies and programmes in a notion of justice as fairness.

中文翻译：

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能量提取的关系和公正的过渡

向低碳经济“公正过渡”的概念牢牢地植根于全球关于减缓气候变化的主流话语中。借鉴卡尔·波兰尼在《大转型》中阐述的政治经济学，我们询问公正过渡的想法并将其置于其历史背景中。我们解决了全球能源转型辩论核心的一个主要矛盾：向低碳能源系统的快速转变将需要增加矿物和金属的开采。在此过程中，我们认为采掘业是能源和碳密集型行业，将扩大和加剧社会和生态不公正。我们的研究结果揭示了理解如何使用公正过渡的想法、由谁使用以及支持这一概念的正义类型的重要性。我们证明有必要将公正的过渡政策和计划建立在将正义视为公平的概念中。