Just Transition

What is a Just Transition?

A Just Transition is a set of unifying principles and practices that support a just society shifting from an extractive economy to a waste-free, regenerative economy. It must be equitable and must redress past harms; its process must be just, or the outcome will not be. Labor unions and environmental justice groups forged the strategies that inspired the Just Transition, rooted in low-income communities of color.

MSC has been a steward of the Just Transition since its founding, incubating and growing alongside programs including Movement Generation, Justice Funders, and the Climate Justice Alliance — a network of frontline organizations whose regional action plans in regeneration and climate justice are the backbone of the Green New Deal. Additionally, MSC anchor project People’s Climate Innovation Center, a member of the Movement Strategy Network, is a major player in this space.

Just Transition work is central to the work of MSC — supported through a framework of fiscal sponsorships, labs, and programming. Now, we urge other funders, intermediaries, and philanthropy at large to commit to the existential importance of the climate crisis and to join us in supporting this work and shifting the paradigm to one of ecologically sustainable livelihoods, democratic governance, and ecological resilience.