New research project to ensure a just green transition in the Nordic-Baltic Region
A new four-year, Nordforsk funded research project, coordinated by associate professor at ITU Vasilis Galis, will partner with Indigenous and local grassroots communities in Greenland, Lithuania, and Sápmi to learn about their experiences and challenges in the context of environmental justice.
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Written 2 September, 2024 08:05 by Theis Duelund Jensen
A new research project, EnJUSTICE (Transitional Environmental Justice), aims to ensure that the Nordic-Baltic region's transition to a green enegy system is equitable and inclusive for all. The project will focus on bringing the voices of marginalised and excluded communities, including Indigenous and grassroots local communities, into the forefront of policy discussions.
The Nordic-Baltic region has been at the forefront of climate action, but the transition to a fossil-free future has often overlooked the needs and perspectives of smaller countries, Indigenous peoples, and local citizens. EnJUSTICE will address this gap by investigating forms of democratic engagement that can balance unequal power dynamics and ensure that all stakeholders have a say in shaping the region's energy future.
"Current power imbalances and unequal representation make a just energy transition extremely challenging," says Vasilis Galis, Principal Investigator of the EnJUSTICE project. "By partnering with Indigenous and local grassroots communities, we hope to create a more holistic understanding of environmental justice and inform the Nordic approach to green transition."
EnJUSTICE will partner with Indigenous and local grassroots communities in Greenland, Lithuania, and Sápmi to learn about their experiences and challenges in the context of environmental justice. The project will also explore how to create inclusive and representative decision-making processes that center public engagement and deliberation. By understanding community-based struggles and investigating effective democratic engagement, EnJUSTICE aims to inform policy development and ensure that the Nordic-Baltic region's green transition is equitable and just for all.
In addition to creating a digital forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences between Indigenous groups from different parts of the world, the project will focus on understanding community-based struggles for environmental justice, investigating forms of democratic engagement, and informing Nordic green transition strategies.
The project has received 1.3 million euros from Nordforsk and is scheduled to begin in early 2025.
Theis Duelund Jensen, Press Officer, phone +45 2555 0447, email