A rapid phase-out of the energetic use of coal is one of the most important milestones in global climate protection. The challenge is not only to transform the energy system – for example, through greater energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies. Coal mining and utilisation are also an important economic sector for coal regions, which is particularly significant for coal-exporting countries. How can coal regions reposition themselves economically and build a truly sustainable economy? And how can the coal phase-out be made fair? Finding answers to these questions is a prerequisite so that countries that are heavily dependent on coal can pursue ambitious climate protection.
The GIZ-lead project "Innovation Regions for a Just Energy Transition" aims at supporting regional actors in coal regions in the upcoming transformation and thus contributes to more justice and more climate protection. To this end, the project participants are working closely with actors from selected coal regions in Latin America (Colombia, Chile), Africa (South Africa) and Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia). The Wuppertal is particularly active on-site in Indonesia and Colombia.
With a focus on East Kalimantan and South Sumatra, the "Indonesia component" addresses two of the three most important coal regions in the country. Here, the "IKI JET" project cooperates with the Indonesian Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS) and supports the development of just transition strategies and their integration into regional development plans. The Wuppertal Institute's researchers will engage in a co-creation process with local stakeholders and national research partners to develop targeted knowledge products. These will feed into social dialogue and stakeholder participation processes to ensure that these processes can be evidence- and knowledge-based. The analysis how social categories, such as for example gender, impact these transition processes (analysis of intersectional gender perspectives) will be an important dimension. In Colombia, the focus is on the two coal regions of Cesar and La Guajira.
Beyond the country-specific activities, various knowledge exchange formats will be offered to enable learning between coal regions from different countries. The Wuppertal Institute supports these learning and dialogue processes and can draw on its extensive preliminary work in European coal regions. In addition to classic formats such as policy briefs and handbooks, the project partners are also developing a simulation game in which the players can slip into different roles and thus experience the complexity of the challenges from different perspectives.
The project is co-financed by the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the European Union. All project results are available at the IKI JET Knowledge Hub.
