Utrecht – The Climate Justice Handbook, developed as part of the ACT work programme of the Climate Research Initiative Netherlands (KIN), offers practical guidance for anyone involved in climate transitions who wishes to apply climate justice in their daily work. The handbook contains tips, tools and current examples of climate justice policy, and is available to download free of charge from today in Dutch and English in a digital pocket format.
Climate justice means that we deal with the consequences of climate change in a fair manner – or at least as fairly as possible. This is important because climate change affects us all, but some groups more severely than others. We see this inequality reflected in the consequences of climate change, for example in terms of health or livelihood security. This inequality is either exacerbated or mitigated depending on how equity is incorporated into policy and implementation. For instance, we know that the poorest neighbourhoods are often the hottest; in many local authorities, sustainability grants only reach population groups who face no barriers to applying for them; and mould problems, fuelled in part by more extreme rainfall, occur far more frequently in neighbourhoods with many poorly maintained (social) rental properties. For governments, businesses and organisations working on (climate) transitions, climate justice is often already high on the agenda. Discussions held by ACT with professionals and experts by experience involved in climate transitions show that applying this in daily practice is still often a challenge. The Climate Justice Handbook aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
How does the handbook help?
The Climate Justice Handbook is intended for policymakers, planners, researchers, urban planners, teachers, civil servants, healthcare workers and entrepreneurs in the (Caribbean) Netherlands who are looking for practical guidance on applying climate justice in their work. Using recent case studies, the handbook demonstrates how an abstract concept such as ‘climate justice’ can be translated into practice. How, for example, do you ensure climate-just neighbourhoods and districts? The first part of the handbook provides concrete steps to better understand climate justice and integrate it into daily work. A workshop canvas helps in developing a workshop in which different types of people discuss the topic. The second part of the handbook provides further explanation of the concept of climate justice and an overview of the literature on the subject.
About the authors and the ACT work programme
This publication was produced as part of the ACT work programme “Accelerating Just Climate Transitions in Urban Regions” of the Climate Research Initiative Netherlands (KIN). Within ACT, scientists and climate professionals from the field are developing the agenda for climate transition and local action pathways for the urban environment, as this is where the challenges and opportunities for just transitions are most visible.
The authors of the handbook are all directly involved in ACT: Joyce Browne, Charisma Hehakaya, Julliëtte Mattijsen, Dat Nguyen, Marthe Singelenberg, with feedback and contributions from many other stakeholders.
Autumn 2026: Launch of the Climate Justice Course
This coming autumn will see the launch of a new three-day course on justice during the climate crisis, an initiative of the DRIFT research institute (EUR), UMC Utrecht and Samen Klimaatbestendig, with the support of KIN. Like the handbook, the course is aimed at professionals working on transitions. Participants will engage with theory, practical examples and moral dilemmas surrounding justice in transitions, with explicit attention to differences between local and international contexts, and between current and future generations. There will be scope to work on a case study of their own. The course will take place in September 2026.