Speaker
Description
Since its inception, the concept of just transition has gained prominence in both political agendas and academic research. To date, just transition policies and studies have mainly focused on vulnerable groups — particularly on the distributive effects of climate mitigation policies on workers in carbon-intensive industries and low-income households, as well as on compensatory measures designed to secure adequate living standards for them throughout the transition process.
Yet the justice issues associated with the transition to climate neutrality also concern the other end of the spectrum: the privileged populations whose lifestyles, investments, and political influence sustain high-carbon regimes. Recent scholarship has begun to examine these “polluter elites”, but research remains fragmented and incomplete.
Key contributions include work on carbon inequalities showing, for instance, that the richest 10% are responsible for almost half of global greenhouse gas emissions, with the top 1% contributing a disproportionate share. Other studies investigate the ecologically ungeneralizable consumption practices of privileged groups and their influence on broader social norms. Additional research explores the emissions linked to polluter elite investments, the political power of these groups in maintaining a fossil-based economy, and public attitudes toward policies aimed at regulating them.
This contribution draws on a systematic review of the literature on polluter elites to provide a structured overview of this emerging field. Building on this synthesis, we propose a framework for an interdisciplinary research agenda that integrates diverse perspectives to advance understanding — and potential regulation — of polluter elites in the pursuit of a just transition.
| If your abstract is not accepted for an oral presentation, would you be interested in presenting it as a poster instead? | No |
|---|---|
| If accepted by the Scientific Board, I agree to have my presentation/poster and abstract published on the Belgian Climate Centre websites and social media. | Yes |
