WWF has raised the issue about Just transition from coal to low-carbon energy
The
first of its kind round table and a public debate on Just transition was held
at the Representation of the European Commission in Sofia. The
event was organized jointly by environmental protection organization WWF and the environmental association “Za
Zemyata” under the project titled Just Transition in Eastern and Southern
Europe implemented by WWF in Germany, Poland, Greece
and Bulgaria.
Coal – energy
at a high cost
“Coal
is expensive in both financial and
environmental terms. Coal
accounts for 70% of greenhouse gas emissions in the
world. That is why coal is one of the biggest
threats facing our global climate system. The UN
Environment Programme has recently announced that the use
of fossil fuels cost in excess of 3.6 trillion
USD in 2010. At the
same time the use of coal threatens fresh
water supplies, releases carbon
and sulphur dioxide and
heavy metals that cause acid rains, health
issues and global warming”, Conservation
Director of WWF Bulgaria Iain Jackson commented.
It raises
concerns that coal consumption has increased by 45% across
the world since 2003 onwards, that is much
more than oil or gas. Forecasts
show that carbon emissions will
continue to grow slightly until 2035-2040 and the biggest effort in the coming decade will go into
phasing-out coal as a primary energy
source and almost full decommissioning of coal
in all countries by the middle of the century. Against
this backdrop WWF has become aware of the urgent necessity
of just transition to sustainable alternatives
for energy generation to keep global
temperature increase up to 2°C of
pre-industrial levels.
The
need of just transition
The EU commitments
under the Paris Agreement show much greater ambitions and
the efforts of the governments should be focused
elsewhere, i.e. on serious cutting of the
use of coal in the energy mix of the countries by 2050. The latter in turn requires the use of a
comprehensive approach for just transition in
all 41 coal regions of
Europe. This approach should provide adequate
alternatives to mitigate negative consequences for
local communities and workers in coal
mining and coal-fueled thermal power plants. At
the same time this approach should help the structural transition towards sustainable
local economy and the overcoming of the
damages caused by decades of intensive
mining and environmental pollution.
“Climate change is a fact. It also
poses a risk to people, economies, biodiversity and
ecosystems. All of us are victims including the
countries from the rich club”, Deputy Minister of Environment and Water Atanaska
Nikolova said. “Just transition is not
a utopia, it is necessary. Policies
must and can promote just transition to
avoid structural failures and social
problems. Fair transition is an
opportunity for both the EU and Bulgaria. This is
a challenge which unites and not
divides”. Deputy Minister Nikolova also
said that some of the revenues generated under the
European Emissions Trading Scheme must be used
for the purposes of just transition.
However, to be
successful a project needs to prompt serious and
in-depth interest in all
the stakeholders, from trade unions and representatives of the
civil sector and businesses to local, national and European
institutions.
What is
unique about this forum?
The public debate
provided us with an invaluable opportunity to set
the beginning of a constructive dialogue among the representatives of
all key sectors. The
issues of just transition were put forward for the first time in
the public domain in Bulgaria bringing together in one place all the
stakeholders. The forum brought on the same table the
responsible Deputy Ministers from the Ministry of Environment and
Water, Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the
Heads of the Bulgarian Industrial Association and trade
union organizations Confederation of Labour “Podkrepa” and Confederation of Independent
Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB), the National Association of Municipalities
and experts from the European Trade Union Institute and European Business Confederation.
“We can
be sure that if all the stakeholders are not included in the just
transition, it would fail”, Leon
de Graaf, an adviser for environmental and climate policy of the European
Business Confederation commented. “Just transition is
undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for
businesses, workers and governments to
approach the European Commission and explain
what they need. This is one of the major challenges facing
Bulgaria as well”.
Just
transition in Bulgaria
Just transition
was discussed during the roundtable as part of European climate and energy
goals and policies until 2030 as well as part of the opportunities for
better and sustainable economic
development of Bulgaria. The
chief expert of Climate and Energy Programme of WWF Georgi Stefanov presented
at the roundtable the draft of the first plan for
just transition for the region of Southwestern Bulgaria in
the context of the upcoming closing of the mines in Bobov
Dol.
“Following
the closing of the last two underground
mines in Bobov Dol I no
longer sit in a chair, I am standing at the stake. All of
a sudden 1500 people are made redundant in a developed area where the
unemployment rate was reduced to minimum”, the mayor of Bobov Dol Elza Velichkova
said. “There is no sufficient number of children
for a first-grade class and transportation companies stopped working because
they do not have any passengers to transport. Bobov
Dol has more than enough available workforce which has been made available not
out of their own will”.
“The
labour market is changing all the time. The
effects of globalization and the world of technology result
in a loss of millions of jobs every year”, Béla
Galgóczi, senior researcher at Economic, Employment and Social Policies
Department with the European Trade Union Institute said. “Bulgaria
is one of the affected countries. We must
respond to this situation. We need
to have a just transition”.
“Transition towards
zero emissions will be accepted by everyone only
provided that it takes place together
with an adequate economic and social
model”, Ivan Kokalov, PhD, Deputy Chairperson of CITUB
assured. “A European road
map for a just transition of the workers from the most affected
areas will be developed. Southeastern Europe has
been undoubtedly one of the hotspots for a
just transition”.
“Just
transition for us is a
transition from employment to employment. It is
supposed to include training and retraining of the
workforce”, Elka Dimitrova, Head
of Directorate at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy said. “With
this forum we set an example to Europe for a
very active and fruitful partnership”.
What
are the options ahead?
A team of
scientists from Sofia University did research based
on which a plan for the development of
Southwestern Bulgaria following the closing of the mining industry would be
drafted. The plan includes three scenarios.
“The
first scenario provides for keeping the status quo which
would cost in excess of 2 billion
BGN. The second scenario includes
an alternative growth, attracting active people to give the necessary impetus by
developing businesses based on the competitive advantages
of the region. The third scenario envisages
attracting a large company to assume the social burden of this
territory”, Associated Professor Kosyo Stoychev,
PhD, from Sofia University said.
The
public debate was held a
couple of days after the publication of the
report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) prepared for
three years. The document developed by more than 90 experts and endorsed by 195 governments warns that
global temperature increase by 1.5 degrees might be a fact as
early as 2030. Scientists have blown the whistle on the
critical need of taking urgent measures in this
respect because neglecting
the issue will take undoubted toll on our health, livelihood, security
and economic growth.
