About the lecture

Climate change mitigation policies are urgently needed to limit global warming below critical thresholds. Such policies, however, can have disproportionate negative effects on certain groups, and exacerbate inequalities along axes such as gender, age, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, among others. The phasing out or transformation of carbon intensive industries will mean job losses for millions workers, and any jobs that are created in new industries will not necessarily be good quality jobs that are available to those same workers, nor to workers already subject to structural barriers when it comes to employment. At the same time, policies that put a price on greenhouse gas emissions could hit vulnerable consumers with energy price increases that they cannot afford, just as they often cannot afford to invest in sustainable solutions like energy-efficient housing and electric cars. The fear of such social repercussions is, understandably, leading affected communities to question and resist climate policies. Regrettably, it is also fuelling far-right movements opposed to climate action and EU integration.

This lecture will take a closer look at the ways in which climate policies can have an effect on different dimensions of inequality and their intersection, in the world of work and beyond. It will question the ability of existing EU ‘just transition’ instruments to address these social challenges, and highlight some of the measures that could be put in place to ensure that the green transition is an opportunity rather than a threat to social justice.

About Kalina Arabadjieva 

Kalina Arabadjieva is a researcher at the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) and holds a doctorate in labour law. Her areas of work are gender equality and just transition. Kalina studied law at University College London and the University of Oxford, with a focus on EU, environmental and labour law. She completed her doctorate at the University of Oxford in 2019, with a thesis on the right to freedom of association of workers and trade unions in European human rights law. She has taught labour law at both universities, and environmental law at UCL. She has undertaken research in the sphere of collective labour rights, gender and race discrimination, and environmental regulation.

EUqualis series of lectures

This event is part of a series of guest lectures organised in the framework of the EUqualis Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (ERASMUS-JMO-2021-HEI-TCH-RSCH) hosted by the IEE and coordinated by Professor Amandine Crespy and Professor Chloé Brière. Kalina Arabadjieva is a guest of Professor Chiara Armeni (Centre for European Law, IEE). 

Practical information

When: March 14, 2025 at 10:30 – 12:00

Where: Campus Solbosch – ULB (room TBC)

Registration