Enabling just transition: diversity and inclusion training in the environment sector

The environment sector is one of the least diverse sectors in the United Kingdom (UK), presenting roadblocks for achieving an inclusive just transition to a low carbon future. Just transition is concerned with creating a more fair and equal society and ensuring that existing inequalities are not exacerbated by climate policies themselves. A core element of this is procedural justice, which requires inclusive decision making. There is a clear tension between the lack of diversity in the environment sector, and their critical role in implementing just transition policies. Yet, there is an absence of literature exploring actionable steps to address this. In this paper, we focus on the city of Bristol's environment sector and explicitly set out to develop tools in partnership with diversity and inclusion specialists to address procedural justice concerns. Ultimately, we demonstrate the value of sustained, bespoke and co-created Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) training to empower organisations to counteract systemic barriers in the sector. Taking an action research approach, we worked directly with organisations from the environment sector in Bristol over a period of two years, gathering empirical data on key learnings and outcomes from the training, including surveys and interviews. Here, we set out our findings, which we view as part of a broader approach to tackling structural barriers of exclusion in the environment sector. We conclude that creating time, space, and adequate resources for organisations in the sector to share challenges and best practices for EDI is crucial for achieving an inclusive just transition.