This contribution builds on the recent report Building Social-Ecological Protection for Belgium to address the institutional dimension of a just transition towards climate neutrality. The report highlights that the most persistent barriers are not primarily financial or technical, but institutional. In federal contexts such as Belgium, competences relevant to social protection, labour, and...
Belgium illustrates some of the key tensions in delivering a just transition in Europe: pronounced regional economic disparities, uneven exposure to climate risks, and differing capacities for long-term planning. These challenges are particularly visible in Limburg, where the transition toward a climate-neutral economy began not as a choice, but as a necessity.
In the 1980s, all coal mines in...
Geological resources, such as geothermal energy and pore space for hydrogen storage, are increasingly acknowledged to support the achievement of a carbon-neutral society. In Belgium, the Campine Basin in Flanders has become a particular location of interest for subsurface development.
However, questions of justice emerge when considering the potential costs for local communities, future...
The concept of just transition has gained increasing prominence in policy agendas at all governance levels, evolving from a reactive approach aimed at protecting industrial workers affected by environmental regulations to a broader social-ecological project aimed at addressing social inequalities and ecological degradation in an integrated way. This integrated approach is particularly relevant...
