Lost in the Dual Transition

This conference paper addresses the interlinkages between transition processes of decarbonisation and ‘labour’, i.e work and employment. The salience of these interlinkages is increasing as processes of low-carbon transition are progressing beyond their initial stages of pioneering and niche markets. Visions on this ‘dual transition’ proliferate – in utopian and dystopian forms. Prominent examples are ‘just transition’, ‘future of work’, ‘green growth’, ‘digital transition’ and ‘fourth industrial revolution’. The abundance of future visions only underlines the fragmented knowledge development on this topic, however: How to understand the ongoing and future developments of the dual low-carbon and labour transition? The paper takes stock of relevant insights in studies on sustainable development and ecological economics, sustainability transitions and socio-technical innovation, just transition and environmental justice, labour economics, sociology of work, and foresight studies. Critically examining main assumptions, the study clarifies how‘dual transition’ discourse is fragmented along conceptual, methodological and normative cleavages.