The 'just transition' illusion: Power, discourse, and the politics of global sustainable development governance (2018–2025)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61511/gg.v3i2.2026.3102Keywords:
critical discourse analysis, depoliticization, financialization, just transition, power asymmetryAbstract
Background: The concept of Just Transition (JT) originated within the global labor movement as a framework for social justice integral to climate mitigation and was subsequently institutionalized within global sustainable development governance. During 2018–2025, the JT concept was broadly adopted by multilateral bodies, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the G20, and the World Bank. This extensive adoption, however, is posited to generate a Just Transition Illusion, wherein the language of justice is employed to legitimize a transition process that preserves extant economic structures and power asymmetries. Methods: Employing a qualitative research design and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) theory, as developed by Norman Fairclough, this study analyzes key policy documents from climate politics, economic/financial governance, and normative/labor institutions. Findings: The findings reveal that hegemonic actors have systematically co-opted the JT discourse through two discursive strategies: depoliticization and financialization. At the textual level, depoliticization is achieved through softening modality, evidenced by the lexical insertion of "orderly" in UNFCCC decisions, and technologization of discourse in the World Bank’s taxonomy frameworks. At the social practice level, this co-optation is reflected by a shift in discursive authority from the ILO’s tripartite dimension toward technocratic structures endorsed by the G20 and the World Bank. This demonstrates the success of market hegemony in defining JT as an investment risk management strategy rather than a genuine demand for structural justice. Conclusion: This article contributes by dissecting linguistic mechanisms underpinning the cross-institutional co-optation of JT. Novelty/Originality of this article: This research emphasizes the necessity for Global South policymakers to repoliticize the JT concept, demand inter-state justice, and transcend technical solutions promulgated by global governance.
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