JUST TRANSITION: A CONCEPT AT THE CROSSROADS

Traditionally, the concept of just transition put the emphasis on the protection of workers’ rights. However, today, the conceptual dimension of this notion focuses mainly on environmental issues. However, the initial labour dimension must be recovered to address the challenges that the necessary ecological transition poses as a consequence, amongst other, of the closure of fossil fuels factories. This article analyses the aforementioned evolution from the perspective of international climate and energy law, and then explores the content of the concept of just transition in the world of work. Then, this paper presents a practical example of innovative legislative technique: the “just transition knots” (los nudos de la transición justa). This permits a symbiosis between the labour and environmental spheres, allowing vulnerable workers, due to the closures of power plants, to be back at the centre of the debate. This article concludes that the expansion of the notion of just transition is welcome. However, this should not be done at the expense of the world of work.