Whereas research to date has focused on the role of governments and unions in leading just transition initiatives, this study explores the role of a broad range of civil society actors. It focuses on the central Appalachian region in the U.S. (Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia), which has significant fossil-fuel resources. Based on an analysis of 98 initiatives related to a just transition led by 70 civil society organizations during the 2010–2020 period, the study contributes to the just transitions literature by showing the role of non-labor civil society in defining and motivating a just transition in the context of resistance from actors associated with fossil-fuel industries. The study develops a framework for researching just transitions that is based on two sets of goals: societal change (democracy and equity) and sociotechnical system change (support for renewable energy and energy efficiency and opposition to fossil-fuel extraction and pollution). Results from the comparative and network analyses indicate that the four goal types are not equally represented and that civil society organizations tend to specialize with respect to the goals, with only a few organizations providing bridges across the goals. Implications for strategy for funders and advocacy organizations are discussed.

迄今为止，研究集中在政府和工会在领导正义过渡计划中的作用上，而本研究则探索了广泛的民间社会参与者的作用。它着眼于美国的阿巴拉契亚中部地区（肯塔基州，弗吉尼亚州和西弗吉尼亚州），该地区拥有大量的化石燃料资源。在对2010年至2020年期间由70个民间社会组织领导的与公正过渡有关的98项举措进行的分析基础上，该研究通过显示非劳动公民社会在定义和促进公正过渡中的作用，为公正过渡文献做出了贡献在与化石燃料行业相关的参与者抵制的背景下。该研究基于两个目标，开发了一个用于研究过渡的框架：社会变革（民主和平等）和社会技术体系变革（支持可再生能源和能源效率，反对化石燃料的开采和污染）。比较分析和网络分析的结果表明，四种目标类型的代表程度不同，民间社会组织倾向于针对目标进行专门化，只有少数组织提供跨目标的桥梁。讨论了战略对资助者和倡导组织的影响。只有少数几个组织提供跨目标的桥梁。讨论了战略对资助者和倡导组织的影响。只有少数几个组织提供跨目标的桥梁。讨论了战略对资助者和倡导组织的影响。