With the third round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) under the Paris Agreement being a priority in 2025, it is a fitting moment to reflect on a critical question: how can we ensure that the global shift to a low-carbon future is not only effective, but also fair, inclusive, and transparent?

Achieving global climate goals demands transformational change–change that must be inclusive, equitable and fair. A just transition ensures that no one is left behind as countries shift toward low-carbon and climate-resilient pathways. By establishing robust monitoring frameworks around just transition plans and strategies, countries can build transparency, accountability and trust–fostering the stakeholder support that is essential for effective and sustained climate action.

The push for a just transition is no longer a matter of choice—it is a necessity. Around the world, countries are ramping up efforts to address the climate crisis and accelerate the shift toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy. But as urgency and ambition increase, equity must not fall by the wayside. For many, the climate transition is not a policy debate—it is deeply personal. Livelihoods, jobs, and community wellbeing are on the line.

Consider, for instance, workers in coal, oil, and gas industries whose employment opportunities are diminishing as clean energy rises to prominence. For these individuals and their families, climate action represents profound economic and social change. As we move forward with decarbonisation, we must ask: who is bearing the cost? And are we doing enough to support those most affected?

Reflecting on this challenge, Henning Wuester, Director of the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT), and Ani Dasgupta, President and CEO of the World Resources Institute (WRI), emphasized in the recently published groundbreaking ICAT Just Transitions Monitoring Guide that the shift to a low-carbon economy must be just, inclusive, and focused on improving lives. “The transition,” they write, “must be just, inclusive, and designed to improve lives—ensuring this economic transformation benefits both people and the planet.”  The guide is a first-of-its-kind publication which provides comprehensive information on monitoring the justice-related aspects of low-carbon, resiliency transitions.

Policymakers today face a dual challenge: they must foster economic growth and job creation while advancing climate transitions that are inclusive enough to garner public support. To do so, they need to know which policies are working and which are not. Robust monitoring systems are therefore essential. These systems help track whether climate policies are achieving their intended outcomes—not only for the planet, but for people. Furthermore, there may be unacceptable negative consequences, particularly social ones, that need to be addressed. Ensuring that corrective measures are identified, implemented, and transparently monitored is critical—not just to protect vulnerable communities, but also to build the credibility and trust necessary for long-term support. This is why just climate integration is essential: it aligns climate action with equity, accountability, and sustained societal backing.  

Transparent and structured data systems allow countries to monitor everything from job creation and gender equity to environmental impact and economic resilience. These are not mere statistics; they are indicators of whether climate action is improving lives, or at least not causing unacceptable impact. Just transition monitoring also brings broader benefits: it informs policy design, increases accountability, and opens pathways to climate finance.

“It is becoming apparent to developing countries that consistently failing to assess the negative impacts of priority mitigation and adaptation measures for NDC implementation leads to a significant underestimation of the required support,” explains Fredrick Ochieng Ouma, current chairperson of the ICAT Advisory Committee, and who also heads the Climate Change portfolio at Kenya’s Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry. “Therefore, developing costed just transition plans for NDC sectors is essential for successful implementation” he adds. 

Therefore, to build lasting public support and avoid resistance to climate policies, countries and regions should pursue a just transition—one that places people, nature, and climate at the heart of economic planning. For governments, this means embedding social equity and environmental sustainability into policymaking, supported by transparent processes to assess risks and engage affected communities.

By focusing on results over intentions, robust monitoring systems can align financial flows with national priorities and build the trust needed to accelerate climate action. Ultimately, every transition happens locally, requiring communities to shape their own pathways toward a safe, equitable, and climate-resilient future.

Around the world, countries are embedding just transition frameworks into their climate action strategies to ensure equitable and inclusive outcomes.

In Nigeria, ICAT has helped develop a Just and Gender-Inclusive Transition (JGIT) Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) Framework to assess how climate policies are impacting gender equity and social well-being in two sectors. In South Africa, the Just Transition Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (JT MEL) Framework aligns with national transition strategies to track social, economic, and environmental indicators. Meanwhile, in Brazil, in the context of its Plano Clima, the national climate plan that will ensure implementation of Brazil’s new NDCs, ICAT is supporting the development of tools to monitor the impact of climate action on jobs, communities, and ecosystems and ensure a just transition.

These examples illustrate that while the solutions may be local, the challenges—and opportunities—are global. Sharing lessons, aligning standards, and fostering collaboration across borders will be essential to scale impact and ensure the transition is truly inclusive.

Ultimately, a just transition is about more than reducing emissions. It is about building a new kind of economy—one that prioritizes opportunity, stability, and dignity for all while creating a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. It is about ensuring that the benefits of climate action are equitably shared, and that no one is left behind.

The journey will not be without obstacles, but the potential rewards are profound: a more just, more resilient, and more sustainable world. A world where climate policies are designed not just in response to environmental imperatives, but also to human ones.

As countries, communities, and individuals, we all have a role to play. The message is clear: a just transition is not a luxury—it is a necessity. And now, more than ever, we must ensure that the path to climate resilience is one that lifts everyone.

With the current NDC 3:0 cycle, it’s a perfect opportunity to do things better. For people and the planet.