The Promise of Just Energy Transition Partnerships

At the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) last November, the world’s nations agreed for the first time ever to “transition away” from fossil fuels. Following the Global Stocktake, which was also completed in Dubai, countries will be required to come forward with increasingly ambitious pledges of climate action at COP30 in Brazil next year.

Right now, wealthier countries can plan and implement their own transitions, and some are successfully doing so. But many emerging and developing nations have not yet had the opportunity—too many barriers are blocking access to the necessary expertise, technology, and financing. That inequity is not only unjust, it also risks exacerbating the climate crisis. If the rest of the world achieves their climate pledges, but 81 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) continue to grow using fossil fuels, those countries could account for over 75% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and warming would far exceed Paris targets.

Breaking down those barriers will require us all to think bigger and act bolder.

The JETP Model

This week, The Rockefeller Foundation released a new report on one promising model of support and collaboration: Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs).

JETPs offer participating nations expertise, technology, financing, and support for their energy transitions. JETP funding targets the investment priorities deemed?crucial to get energy transitions moving quickly, while also focusing on easing the transition for local workers and communities.?While supported by international partners, JETP priorities are identified and implemented by the host country itself.

Last year, The Rockefeller Foundation partnered with the Environmental Defense Fund to examine JETP deals in South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Senegal. In 6 virtual convenings, more than 250 experts, stakeholders, and practitioners explored pathways to adapt and scale the JETP model to additional countries that have expressed interest.

The subsequent report shares what we learned, what has worked for current JETPs, and what must be done to fully realize?the potential of this model. In the report, which you can download here , we have identified four distinct, mutually reinforcing paths that philanthropic, multilateral, private sector,?civil society, and government leaders can take to address barriers to scale.

Accelerating the Energy Transition

JETP expansion is, of course, just one piece of the energy transition puzzle. Much of the immediate burden to reduce emissions rightly falls on advanced economies, which are historically the largest contributors to global carbon emissions. But even as they complete their shift to renewable power, those nations must also help emerging and developing countries access the large volumes of capital required to accelerate their energy transitions.

The world can meet this moment, but only if we work together—and only if we all see energy transitions as a path to opportunity. Advancing these transitions with urgency and scale can help us avert climate catastrophe, while simultaneously bringing large-scale renewable energy to the people who need it most.

Download the report here .