Brazil launched a new ICAT project focused on transparency for a just transition, with an online seminar held on 7 August 2024. The project aims to establish a just transition monitoring framework for Brazil’s national Climate Plan (Plano Clima), which provides the basis for Brazil’s next Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). 

Ambitious climate action requires a fundamental transformation of economies worldwide. The concept of just transition highlights that shifting to a low-carbon economy should be done in a fair, just and inclusive manner. This implies creating opportunities for decent work and the growth of new skills so that no one is left behind. A just transition is based on an inclusive process in which all relevant stakeholders and communities are engaged in effective social dialogue to manage challenges and advance forward. 

Transparency is crucial for just transitions. It allows for the identification and monitoring of both positive and negative impacts of climate action on society, so that political decisions can be based on sound data and information. By selecting or defining the right indicators to monitor the transition, and by developing a framework for collecting data on wider socio-economic consequences and engaging with stakeholders, the ICAT project will enable Brazil to take action that protects both the climate and the workforce.

“By engaging affected stakeholders in the planning of change and combining a just transition strategy with a transparent monitoring framework, there can be solid and credible society-wide buy-in to more ambitious climate action,” underscored ICAT Director, Dr. Henning Wuester, at the launch seminar. 

This project comes at a critical time for the global climate process. The next NDC updates are due in 2025. The new NDCs must reflect greater ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C above the pre-industrial era. Just transitions are essential for realizing this greater ambition, and for allowing climate targets to be turned into reality. Brazil, as the host of COP30 in 2025, can take a global leadership role, inspiring other countries to raise ambition, all the while ensuring a just, equitable and transparent transition.

“Just transition is a fundamental pillar of Brazil’s Climate Plan, which will culminate, hopefully, in an equally ambitious NDC,” emphasized National Secretary for Climate Change, Ana Toni. 

The project is implemented by the Centro Brasil no Clima under the leadership of Brazil’s Ministry of Environment, with support from international experts from WRI.