Scoping session – “In search of a shared compass for just (climate) transitions”

Justice is not a luxury or a side issue in societal transitions, it is a condition for success.
As the WRR highlighted in Justice in Climate Policy (2023): public support depends on whether people feel they are treated fairly. Whether it concerns the energy, food, or water transition, climate adaptation, or social themes such as equal opportunity and civic participation – transitions can only succeed when justice and dignity are built into their foundations.

Although many frameworks exist – from distributive to procedural and recognition-based justice – they often remain abstract and fragmented. This makes them difficult to apply in practice. For policymakers, it complicates meaningful decision-making; for residents, it weakens their sense of agency in shaping their own environment.

That is why ARE and KIN are organising an interactive scoping session at Number 5 Foundation in The Hague.
The session brings together researchers, policymakers, businesses, and community initiatives to unpack the concept of justice, identify barriers to its application, and explore practical pathways forward.

This gathering builds on the wider dialogue process Invisible Bridges, which centres on the lived experience of people. From that foundation, we now begin a co-creative process to explore what justice in (climate) transitions truly demands – and how it can be put into practice.

What to expect

A session where insights from research and practice reinforce one another. Together, we will explore:

• how different dimensions of justice intersect in practice;
• where frameworks clash or can be brought into alignment;
• how lived experience can be structurally embedded in policy and implementation.

The session is interactive and collaborative, offering space for dialogue, reflection, and new connections.

 

About Number 5 Foundation

Number 5 Foundation, founded by Laurentien and Constantijn van Oranje, is a neutral space where people collaborate towards a just and sustainable society. Located at ’t Hoenstraat 5 in The Hague, it serves as a hub for dialogue and social innovation – a place where diverse perspectives meet to foster real breakthroughs. Their mission: connecting for impact.

About the Alliance for a Just Energy Transition (ARE)

The Alliance for a Just Energy Transition brings together civil society organisations, researchers, policymakers, and community initiatives working for a fair and inclusive energy transition. ARE connects people and perspectives to ensure that justice is not treated as an afterthought but as a guiding principle in policy, decision-making, and implementation. The alliance develops practical knowledge, tools, and examples to make justice tangible – from the local to the national level. Lived experience, equal collaboration, and sustainable decision-making are at the heart of its work. ARE also functions as a working group within the KIN Pact.