Author: Admin
REPURPOSING COAL ASSETS FOR A SUSTAINABLE TRANSITION
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I am pleased to announce that we are back again to place before you the 5th edition of our bi-annual Newsletter – ‘Vichaar
Vimarsh’ and share rich perspectives of researchers, academia, professionals from coal companies, civil society and think
tanks around the core theme of “Repurposing of coal assets for a sustainable transition”. I am sure such an exchange of
knowledge will not only connect various stakeholders who are willing to engage actively in charting out a new trajectory
and contribute in building a low carbon economy.
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Just Transition Framework for a Sustainable Future in India’s Coal Mining Regions (WSDS 2024)
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The 23rd edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) in New Delhi focused on ‘Leadership for Sustainable Development and Climate Justice’. The Electricity and Renewables Division organized a thematic session on the ‘Just Transition Framework for a Sustainable Future in India’s Coal Mining Regions’ and the framework report was released by Mr. Amrit Lal Meena, Secretary of the Ministry of Coal, Government of India.
The framework has its theortical basis in the concept of procedural, distributive and restorative justice and combines it with actionable strategies for socio-economic and environmental resilience. It systematically charts stakeholders, delineates challenges, sets benchmarks for progress, and aligns with India’s goal for netzero emissions by 2070. Mr. Amrit Lal Meena also
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Just Transition: Future of Coal & Pathways to Low Carbon Footprint
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TERI, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, hosted a seminal national seminar on “Just Transition: Future of Coal & Pathways to Low Carbon Footprint” in Kolkata on January 31, 2024. This pivotal seminar brought together leading figures from the energy sector, academia, and policymaking to discuss the pathways for India’s energy transition from coal to sustainable alternatives. It served as a dynamic forum for examining innovative solutions for the reutilization of coal mines, green support for coal-dependent MSMEs, and the development of a sustainable, equitable transition framework. The discussions were underpinned by the urgent need for a Just Transition, focusing on safeguarding community and worker welfare amid the move from coal, and included debates on policies for retraining, social protection, and fostering job growth in new, green industries. The seminar’s agenda was thoughtfully designed around thematic sessions on repurposing closed mines, enhancing economic competitiveness alongside environmental sustainability, and opportunities for reskilling in green jobs. A concluding plenary session dedicated to co-creating actionable strategies for a resilient, low-carbon future in the coal sector underscored The seminar had a structured agenda that included an introductory session, Thematic session I: Repurposing of closed mines and diversification of the local economy, Thematic session II: Balancing Economic Competitiveness and Environmental Sustainability: Green Transition for Coal Dependent MSMe’s, Thematic session III: Reskilling and Upskilling for Green Jobs – Opportunities as the Coal Sector Transitions to a Low-Carbon Economy and Plenary session: Charting a Sustainable Path: Co-Creating Action for a Low-Carbon, Resilient Future in the coal sector.
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ENHANCING STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT FOR A JUST ENERGY TRANSITION
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On behalf of TERI, I take this opportunity to thank the researchers, practitioners, academia and civil society for their
contributions to the newsletter. I am happy to inform them that the encouraging feedback we have received so far has
resulted in promoting mutual learning and developing a diversified knowledge pool. TERI is happy to facilitate this
discourse, broaden the engagement and deepen the understanding on the subject through this communication. I am sure
that an initiative like this will also shape our future thinking and action and open the door for networking and collaboration
as we share a common goal and aspire to build a resilient future through shared vision.
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ESTABLISHING WOMEN AS CRITICAL STAKEHOLDERS IN INDIA’S JUST ENERGY TRANSITION Evidences from Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh
Apoorva Singh, Arpita Victor, TERI Press
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Coal continues to remain the mainstay of India’s energy portfolio mix. The climate change considerations and the increasing competitiveness of cleaner sources of energy are likely to increase the momentum of the transition towards non-fossil fuel-based sources. According to an estimate, this move would impact approximately 13 million people who are dependent on coal either directly or indirectly for a livelihood.
Women form only 6.7% of the coal workforce according to figures from Coal India Limited (CIL), but this number only includes women who have regular employment with the company. Approximately 70% of India’s coal workforce is estimated to be informal – casual or contract labour. This is where a large number of women are likely to be concentrated. It is important therefore to bring about a just transition incrementally towards non-fossil fuel-based options that is sensitive to the gendered impacts of decarbonization as “there is no climate justice without gender justice”.
In this backdrop, TERI has drafted a discussion paper titled ‘Establishing women as critical stakeholders in India’s just energy transition: Evidences from Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh’ which is part of the larger project on Just Transition supported by MacArthur Foundation. This paper highlights the gender perspective of vulnerability present in the coal-producing geographies of India. Under-representation in the energy sector, the concentration of women in informal work, loss of agricultural and homestead land, unemployment-induced alcoholism and domestic violence, and lack of agency in decision-making at the institutional level, are some of the keys issues that exacerbate women’s vulnerabilities in the light of the transition to a net zero pathway, if left unaddressed.
Insights from in-depth fieldwork carried out in Odisha and Chhattisgarh have prompted us to frame recommendations for a gender-just energy transition. A specific focus on women and their issues misses the emphasis that it requires. Through this paper, we thus argue for the need to establish women as critical stakeholders in just transition dialogues and make future policies more gender-inclusive.
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Just Transition India convening
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TERI in collaboration with Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) had a convening on Just Transition in India which included a multi-stakeholder workshop titled ‘Building a resilient future: Investing in green jobs and reskilling for women workers’. This workshop was planned in the context of India’s G20 presidency in 2023, alongside the parallel Business20 (B20) and Think20 (T20) deliberations, and aimed to provide an inclusive space for key stakeholders from India›s private sector, civil society, media, academia, and labour organisations to discuss how adequate investment opportunities, financing for green jobs and reskilling initiatives could enable equitable and sustainable solutions for India’s workers and businesses. The workshop began with opening remarks from Dr. Jayanta Mitra, Senior Fellow, TERI and Mr.Nicholas Glitcher, COO, TRF. It had 3 thematic break-out sessions on the following topics-
• Theme I – Sustainable financing for green jobs and worker support
• Theme II – Empowering women workers and reskilling
• Theme III – Financing for a just transition
Each theme had a domain expert who provided the necessary guidance to the participants and a moderator to steer the discussion. The domain experts included Dr. Parveen Dhamija, Advisor, Skill Council for Green Jobs (Theme I), Sabina Dewan, President and Executive Director, JustJobs Network (Theme II), Sandeep Pai, Director, Research & Strategy, Swaniti Initiative (Theme III).
The workshop was moderated Amb. Ajai Malhotra, Distinguished Fellow, TERI and also saw participation from Mr. Varad Pande, Partner & Director, BCG during the panel discussion. The event was attended by participants from other research organization, journalists, NGOs, students as well as heads of organizations. Mr. Girish Sethi, Senior Director, TERI and Mr. Nicholas Glitcher, TRF gave the concluding remarks and vote of thanks respectively
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Experts’ Roundtable on Gender-Just Transition
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TERI organized a closed door Experts’ Roundtable to discuss a Discussion Paper on Gender-Just transition that had been drafted by the team. The Discussion Paper is titled ‘Establishing Women as Critical Stakeholders’ in India’s Just Energy Transition: Evidences from Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh’ and aims to highlight the importance of including women as an important stakeholder in the just transition discourse. The paper brings out the gendered nature of vulnerabilities that are present in the coal geographies of India and offers recommendations to make the energy transition process more gender-inclusive. The roundtable began with a presentation from TERI’s side taking the audience through the discussion paper and was followed by a detailed dialogue on the issue. The experts reviewed the paper and offered insightful ways in which the paper could be strengthened further.
The experts included –
- Dr. Smriti Das, Associate Professor, XLRI Jhajjar
- Dr. Suravee Nayak, Associate Fellow, Sustainable Futures Collaborative
- Roli Srivastava, Founder The Migration Story
- Dr. Upasona Ghosh, Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneshwar
The event also saw participation from various other research organizations, academicians, students etc. who also shared their thoughts and made the discussion an enriching one. We were heartened to see everyone’s interest in our work and are deeply gained by their invaluable inputs.
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DIVERSIFICATION OF ECONOMIC CHOICES IN THE COAL BELT
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We are glad to bring out the 3rd Issue of our Just Transition Newsletter – ‘Vichaar-Vimarsh’. This Issue primarily focuses
on alternative livelihoods in coal belts, economic diversification, complexities and opportunities. ‘Vichaar-Vimarsh’
attempts to bring together various thoughts and voices from the academia, practitioners, thought leaders, businesses
and researchers. Apart from conceptual writing and evidence sharing, what is unique here is the local voices and
ground insights that occupies a prominent place and remains embedded in the thought flow. This also brings to
fore the criticality of the ‘people-centered thinking’, inextricably linked to the elements of equality, inclusion and
engagement in the Just Transition discourse
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TRANSITIONING FROM COAL AND RESETTING PRIORITIES
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We are glad to bring out the second Issue of the Just Transition newsletter, Vichaar-Vimarsh that offers a space to
share reflections on the key theme. We hope that this newsletter helps bring the discussion on fair transition at the
core and retain the focus on minimizing carbon footprint amidst rising energy demands and ever increasing coal
production targets.
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Looking beyond coal through a just transition lens
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We are happy to launch the newsletter, Vichaar-Vimarsh that offers an opportunity to articulate varied perspectives on Just Transition, associated dilemmas, and possibilities ahead. This offers a platform to many who share similar objective and aspirations, to draw inspiration and explore the alternative coal transition pathway to build resilience in coal producing belts through collaboration and deepening their engagement. This is also aligned with India’s commitment to the net-zero target and hence coal phase-down/phase-out in due course assumes significance. We hope this newsletter allows all stakeholders to share their thoughts and voices and participate in Just Transition dialogues transparently. As we engage in mirroring the collective thoughts and innovative ideas, we would indeed succeed in creating a conducive climate for adoption of cleaner choices and sustainable local solutions geared towards promoting a fair and inclusive ecosystem.
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