Just Transitions

Studio tutor: John Sampson

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The world is embarking on an unprecedented transition. To deliver on the global commitments enshrined in the Paris Agreement, the UK must achieve zero carbon emissions by the mid-2030s. Such a change will require us as a society to radically alter our relationship with our planet. We must disconnect ourselves from our carbon intensive economy built upon the proliferation of oil and gas. Energy transitions have always been shaped by social, political and economic structures, and the transition ahead of us is as much a cultural transition as a physical one. 

As a studio will explore how the move from an extractive to a regenerative economy can be delivered in a way that ensures the benefits of climate action are shared widely and the costs do not unfairly burden those least able to pay, or whose livelihoods are directly or indirectly at risk as the economy shifts and changes.

This year Studio Just Transitions will be located in the Inner Moray Firth. Stretching from Crommarty Firth down through the Black Isle to Inverness, the area forms the most densely populated area of the Highlands and Islands.  The area has strong links to the energy transition through its industrial history supporting the North Sea oil and gas industry and more recently  supporting the development of renewable and community energy initiatives. 

Taking the Inner Moray Firth as our territory of focus the studio will explore and develop projects that place social and ecological justice at the heart of a just transition to a decarbonised future. 

We will visit the region in late November to orientate ourselves in the area and meet with local partners.