Building visions for a just green transition

From 4–6 March, Policy Lab participated in the GreenPaths Visioning Workshop: Building Just Green Transition Roadmaps Together, held on the island of Cres, Croatia.

The three-day workshop brought together researchers, civil society organisations and policy experts to collaboratively explore future pathways for a just and sustainable transition. We worked together to imagine what a just green transition could look like by 2050.

We worked to develop shared visions across six interconnected areas:

• Mobility and urban infrastructure,
• Industrial production and industrial policy,
• Energy and climate,
• Equality and social welfare,
• Land use and food systems,
• Climate finance.

Participants then collaborated in multi-stakeholder groups exploring key thematic sectors relevant for the transition. Through a structured visioning and backcasting process, the groups developed shared scenarios describing what a just green future could look like and what policy directions could help achieve it. The workshop focused on building shared visions of the future at three levels – individual, local/communal, and European. The last step was identifying the pathways and policy changes needed to make those futures possible.

Systemic transformation cannot happen in isolation

One message is already clear: systemic transformation cannot happen in isolation. Mobility affects land use. Industrial policy shapes energy demand. Climate policy reshapes questions of social justice.

The event is part of the GreenPaths project, which focuses on developing innovative and socially fair strategies for achieving environmental sustainability in Europe. The workshop was organised as part of the visioning process within the co-design of green transition pathways, enabling participants to imagine desirable futures and identify the steps needed to reach them. The insights from the workshop will feed into the next phases of the project.