Just Transitions to a Net Zero World: Third Annual International Conference

Durham University’s Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Policy (CSDLP) and the European Center of Just Transition Research and Impact-Driven Transfer (JTC) at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg are pleased to announce our third Annual International Conference on Just Transitions to a Net Zero World, to be held at Durham University on 10-11 September 2026.

Call for Abstracts is open

Background

Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement a broad theoretical consensus has been reached towards accomplishing – globally – the paths to a Net Zero World. How to implement this consensus at the national level remains a contested issue. The concept of Just Transitions encompasses a wide range of dimensions and perspectives, reflecting the complexity of global shifts towards more just and low-carbon economy. They include labour-oriented approaches, integrated justice frameworks, socio-technical transition approaches, governance strategies, and public perceptions of what constitutes a ‘just’ transition. At a time when transition pathways and even their scientific necessity are once again subject to political challenge, even the already existing just transition commitments are threatened. Our central concern is not merely what climate law and governance promise, but how these frameworks can be modelled, enacted and operationalised in practice.

Firmly grounded in the theoretical work of the first two conferences, this 3rd edition of our joint conference seeks to move beyond theory and explore the concrete and innovative pathways that translate agreed‑upon changes into practice. We welcome critical, interdisciplinary and practice-oriented contributions that explore multifaceted pathways seeking to balance social, ecological and economic aspects of transitions while remaining sensitive to context-specific factors. We invite contributions that engage with the implementation aspects of just transitions, address the challenge of bridging gaps between theory and practice, and examine the development of processes that shape transition outcomes.

Conference Themes

Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Just Transitions to Govern Net Zero Strategies and Sustainable Development
• Just Transitions: Reality or Utopia?
• Just Transitions in Industry and Technology
• Just Transition: For Whom, By Whom, With Whom?

All information on abstract submission and participation can be found on the official conference website: To the conference