About this Research Topic

Background

Anthropogenic climate change exerts great pressure on food systems at multiple scales in time and space. The increase in rainfall variability and extreme events, such as prolonged droughts and flash floods, pose a serious threat to the food security and livelihood of tens of millions of people globally. These inevitable changes require a systemic transition in our socioeconomic system to a more sustainable trajectory, in which all countries seek to become low-carbon or decarbonised economies that help mitigate climate change impacts. An ongoing strategy to make such a transition successful is to reduce gradually the use and production of fossil fuels to zero (fossil fuel phase-out).

The energy transition directly affects food systems through changing traditional patterns of energy use across the globe, especially where production is highly dependent on fossil fuels (Woods et al., 2010; IRENA and FAO, 2021). However, this transition can also have indirect social impacts. It includes broader consequences across the equitable distribution of negative effects on land, livelihood and food security and positive opportunities. The “just” and systemic transition will reduce inequalities that already affect the existing food system and will not rely on a resource-intensive model.
Finally, a "just transition” secures the future and livelihoods of workers and their communities in the transition to a low-carbon economy. It is based on social dialogue between workers and their unions, employers, and government, and consultation with communities and civil society (Just Transition Centre, 2016). Following a number of the Sustainable Development Goals, this transition also focuses on the decentralisation of energy systems, the importance of place and the need to prioritise marginalised communities.’ (Robins, et al., 2018). A ‘just transition’ seeks to promote social resilience, environmental integrity, and economic sustainability, underpinned by strong democratic governance processes. It fosters the mapping of impacts of the energy transition to ensure outcomes are fair but equitably aligned with levels of social and economic development among affected communities, towns, and regions.

Here we raise the following questions:
• What does the just energy transition mean for land (use), livelihoods and food security?
• How do land use, livelihoods and food security interact with just energy transition?
• How do affected communities, towns, and regions influence just energy transition, and to what effects?
• What can we learn from the impacts of just energy transition on land (use), livelihoods and food security?
• What do global patterns of food systems look like with just energy transition?
This Research Topic aims to bring together researchers in the field of the “just transition” to highlight the current developments in theory, methods, and practices. We welcome submissions that contribute, but are not limited to:

• Land-use change
• Land acquisition
• Land rehabilitation
• Livelihood change
• Sustainable livelihood secure
• Coal transition
• Social resilience
• Social assessment of energy transition
• Impacts of land-use change on food security and human well-being
• Interactions between food and water systems
• Social conflicts that are linked to food insecurity
• Governance on improving food security to nurture SDGs
• Social-ecological systems analysis on food systems
• Global patterns of food systems


Please note: all the submissions should link just energy transition and land (use), livelihoods and food security.

Types of manuscripts for publication include but are not limited to original research articles, case studies, review articles, policy and practice briefs, and commentaries.

Keywords: land-use change, livelihood, food security, resource development, energy transition

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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