Just Energy Transition in Coal Regions Knowledge Hub

Which global #JustTransition stories are making headlines? ➡ Colombia: Tourism surpasses #coal as source of foreign exchange 📈 ➡ Indonesia secures extra USD 400 million for just transition projects 💵 ➡ Germany's below-market #JETP loans to South Africa 🤝 ➡ Critics say Canada's sustainable jobs plan overlooks energy workers 👷 In these uncertain times, knowledge exchange between coal regions is more vital than ever. We gathered 18 recent just transition news stories from #SouthKorea, #Chile, #Slovenia, #USA, #SouthAfrica, #Indonesia, #Scotland, #Colombia and more so that lessons can be shared. See all 18 news stories 👉https://lnkd.in/dWWtCdVU #JustEnergyTransition #CoalPhaseOut #Renewables #WorkersRights

💡 Supporting youth innovation for a just transition in #Mongolia Enabling dialogue between students and policymakers is a crucial piece of the just transition puzzle. In Nalaikh—a Mongolian district with deep historical dependence on coal—students were given the chance to showcase their ideas for a sustainable future as part of a school competition. Co-organised by the #Nalaikh District Authority and #IKIJET project, the competition saw student teams from local schools and colleges develop scalable projects to address environmental and energy-related issues. By facilitating direct exchange between students and district authorities, the competition ensured that young voices were heard by those with the power to act. What did the students come up with? 👕 The Cycle Wardrobe Project: Specialised collection boxes to tackle textile waste with a QR code tracking positive environmental impact. 🚮 The Green Habit Initiative: Triple-compartment waste bins and educational materials for kindergarten and school-age children. ♻️ Plastic and Metal Recovery: A new system for the recovery of plastic and metal cans to support the local recycling sector. At an award ceremony in December 2025, the students saw their proposals taken seriously by local leaders and decision-makers, boosting their sense of responsibility and engagement. Find out more about the school challenge 👉 https://lnkd.in/dPAjv62J Read Nalaikh's Just Energy Transition Strategy 2040 👉 https://lnkd.in/eNEFRSHR #JustTransition #JustEnergyTransition #YoungVoices #YouthEmpowerment Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH The Innovations Regions for a Just Energy Transition project (IKI JET) is jointly funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and by the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) for the Just Energy Transition in Coal Regions Interregional Platform (JET-CR).

🌎 Ahead of the Santa Marta Conference, new research offers lessons from existing processes—including #JETPs and Colombia’s JET Roadmap—to inform #just and credible roadmaps away from fossil fuels.

⚡ 🔇 Opportunity! Climate Action Network International (CAN-I) is seeking a consultant or organisation to conduct an in-depth analysis focused on proposals from communities and territorial stakeholders regarding a just energy transition in contexts of conversion and/or closure of coal-fired power plants in Chile. Proposals must be sent to poa@climatenetwork.org by 16 March 2026 (inclusive). ⚡ 🔇 ¡Oportunidad! Climate Action Network International (CAN-I) busca un/a consultor/a o una entidad (persona jurídica) para realizar un análisis en profundidad centrado en las propuestas de comunidades y actores territoriales sobre transición energética justa en contextos de reconversión y/o cierre de centrales termoeléctricas en Chile. Las propuestas deben ser enviadas a poa@climatenetwork.org hasta el 16 de marzo de 2026 inclusive. ➡️ 🔗 https://lnkd.in/giDEwYTR #justtransition #energy #coal #fossilfuels #ecosistemas #justicia #chile #diversificacióneconómica #económica #energia #combustiblesfósiles #ikijet

✊ Celebrating women's leadership in Colombian coal regions this #IWD Since 2022, Sol Viviana Zapata Alfonso has led the #ElectroPalmor energy community in Magdalena, serving affordable electricity to more than 600 people. The 245-kW hydropower initiative, which took root three decades ago, has become a celebrated success story as Colombia seeks to promote the creation of new energy communities. One such community—the Indigenous Wayuu settlement of Tekia near the Cerrejón coal mine—took part in a three-day, in-person exchange with Sol Viviana Zapata to learn from her experience and gather the tools needed to develop their own project. Facilitating this exchange was Juanita Fonseca-Duffo of Seyba, an NGO that supports community-based energy projects, women’s leadership and peer-to-peer engagement. By holding the dialogue in person on #Wayuu territory, Juanita could ensure the community felt safe and respected. "It changes everything—who speaks, who opens up, and how trust forms," she says. Alongside advice on governance, financial planning, legalities, and long-term support, the community saw first-hand what women's leadership in rural #Colombia looks like through Sol Viviana Zapata's example. To find out more about ElectroPalmor, Seyba and the three-day exchange with the Tekia community, we interviewed Sol Viviana and Juanita to hear their takeaways. Read the full interview 👉 https://lnkd.in/d6jGzpCt Photos by Paola Pulido M. and Jeannie Carolina Sánchez. Thanks to Paola, Jeannie and Robinson Moreno for their support in developing the workshop. #JustTransition #JustEnergyTransition #InternationalWomensDay #Seyba #Tekia Juan Pablo Cárdenas

🎓 How do students in East Kalimantan see their future beyond coal? 💭 Young voices—and new ideas—are vital for a #JustTransition. As the generation whose lives will be deeply influenced by climate change and the energy transition, today's #youth have a crucial role to play in shaping the transition and their own future. 🌱 In the coal-dependent city of Samarinda, Indonesia, a group of students aged 16-20 had the opportunity to share their views and outline a vision for the province of East Kalimantan beyond #coal or palm oil extraction. During a workshop jointly organised by the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, as part of the #IKIJET project, and INCREASE | Inclusive Creative Social Enterprise, the students explored alternative sectors away from fossil fuels and visualised their priorities for the region. Their ideas can then be fed into regional consultation processes, ensuring that youth perspectives—so often sidelined—are heard alongside voices from civil society, trade unions, local business, academia, and government. Find out more about the vision workshop 👉 https://lnkd.in/d-iSm5Vg Watch the video 👉 https://lnkd.in/dTge-jyJ #JustEnergyTransition #Samarinda #Indonesia #EastKalimantan #RCF The Innovations Regions for a Just Energy Transition project (IKIJET) is jointly funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) for the Just Energy Transition in Coal Regions Interregional Platform (JET-CR).

If Hari Wibawa gets his way, coffee—not coal—will provide a sustainable future for the Indonesian province of #SouthSumatra. The head of economics and development funding at the Provincial Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) is playing a key role in identifying new sectors for development, engaging stakeholders, and broadening awareness of #JustTransition and renewable energy topics. Working closely with the International Labour Organization as part of the #IKIJET project, the province is developing a skills development roadmap for a just energy transition to ensure that #upskilling and #reskilling programmes adequately prepare workers affected by the transition. A new Regional Consultation Forum for Accelerating Economic Transformation also plays a crucial role by bringing together local government, employers, trade unions, universities, civil society, and the media to jointly shape the province’s economic direction. Through the forum, South Sumatra has identified 13 potential sectors for development, with #coffee and #tourism emerging as priorities beyond coal. As public awareness and acceptance are key to driving this economic transition, Hari is engaging universities to promote these sectors as promising areas for future employment, while also supporting journalist training programmes in recognition of the media’s vital role. "The key question is whether our future workers are ready. We must shift mindsets so they can envision the kinds of jobs available in these emerging sectors," he says. Read more about ILO's work to support a just transition in South Sumatra 👉 https://lnkd.in/ekDwfZTD #JustEnergyTransition #ILO #SkillsRoadmap #Indonesia #Bappeda The Innovations Regions for a Just Energy Transition project (IKIJET) is jointly funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) for the Just Energy Transition in Coal Regions Interregional Platform (JET-CR).

🗺️ Mapping a future with the Wayuu community of Los Cabritos 🧵 In the Colombian coal regions of La Guajira and Cesar, #LifePlans are enabling Indigenous communities to build a future on their own terms—using #energy as a catalyst for social transformation and self-determination. In Los Cabritos, where ancestral weaving remains the #Wayuu community's primary source of income, a sustainable solar energy supply could power its sewing workshops, increase artisanal production, create jobs, foster local innovation, and generate a vital secondary income through the sale of surplus renewable energy. Developing a life plan helps communities like Los Cabritos identify their aspirations and priorities through workshops, participatory mapping, emotion galleries and talking circles. As part of the #IKIJET project, GIZ Colombia worked with Los Cabritos to ensure active participation from young people, women, men, and elders—helping them realise their ambition to become an energy community. By creating space for cross-generational dialogue, this process goes beyond technical design to become an act of cultural reaffirmation for communities left vulnerable by the transition away from coal. Virginia Margarita Manjarrés Chica visited Los Cabritos to find out how the life plan came together. Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/dZd9gjay Read more about GIZ Colombia's work supporting energy communities 👉 https://lnkd.in/e_AqYBB3 Read GIZ's two-pager on the role of energy communities 👉https://lnkd.in/gfNYg3zv Photos: 1. Virginia Margarita Manjarres / 2.-12. Juan Pablo Cárdenas Álvarez #JustTransition #JustEnergyTransition #EnergyCommunity #LaGuajira #Cesar #Colombia The Innovations Regions for a Just Energy Transition project (IKIJET) is jointly funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) for the Just Energy Transition in Coal Regions Interregional Platform (JET-CR).

"The transition is not just about energy. It’s about livelihoods, land, identity, and community." — Aranza Banda No two coal regions are the same—and every #JustTransition pathway is shaped by national contexts, local histories, and the capacity for shared learning. To support these learning processes, the Transnational Centre for Just Transitions in Energy, Climate, and Sustainability (TRAJECTS) connects universities, researchers, and practitioners from Latin America, Africa, and Europe, offering research stays across different regions. Through local placements, collaboration, and shared reflection, #TRAJECTS contributes to a growing body of situated knowledge about how to move away from fossil fuels—without reproducing old injustices in new forms. Its aim is to strengthen South-South-North dialogues on key themes, such as fossil fuel phase-out, sustainable land use, and climate justice. So far, 77 junior and 23 senior researchers have participated in the programme through 3-month stays, including Aranza Banda, an environmental engineer from Colombia’s Caribbean region, Jesse Burton, a senior researcher at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and Maria José Andrade Tafur, a Colombian environmental engineer and activist. Find out what they learned 👉 https://lnkd.in/gd6fCe7j #JustEnergyTransition #Colombia #SouthAfrica #KnowledgeExchange

🌱 Powering change from the ground up in #Komati, Mpumalanga. When South Africa's oldest coal-fired plant closed in 2022, workers and local communities were deeply impacted. Now, these same communities are being empowered to create new livelihoods and convert disruption into opportunity. Guided by the principles of procedural justice, the Komati Just Energy Transition Community Engagement and Interventions Co-Creation Project (K-JET CEICC) aims to ensure that those affected by Komati's closure are not passive recipients of decisions but active co-creators of local development pathways with a meaningful voice. Grounded in an asset-based community development approach, the project nurtures local strengths and innovations—such as integrated crop farming, water purification, eco-briquettes, and sustainable textiles—to address unemployment, pollution, and social exclusion. The use of local languages and focus groups aimed at women and youth fosters helps ensure inclusive participation. Funded by #IKIJET in collaboration with the JUST SA project, the initiative is implemented by Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC, with strong support from key national and provincial partners. By pioneering a replicable participatory model for a just transition, K-JET CEICC aims to strengthen community agency and economic resilience in Komati—and in other coal-dependent regions across South Africa and beyond. Read more about the initiative 👉 https://lnkd.in/dc3aQqwV Photos: 1. + 3. GIZ South Africa / 2. Jess Meniere / 4. + 5. Indalo Inclusive #JustTransition #JustEnergyTransition #SouthAfrica #Indalo #JustSA #GIZ The Innovations Regions for a Just Energy Transition project (IKIJET) is jointly funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) for the Just Energy Transition in Coal Regions Interregional Platform (JET-CR).