Fixing The Future: How A Feminist Just Transition Can Deliver Real Climate Solutions

Aakanksha Sharma

The global imperative to transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources has never been more urgent. Driven by escalating climate change impacts and the inherent volatility of fossil fuel markets, countries worldwide are re-evaluating their energy strategies pushing for more renewable energy into the energy mix. In 2024, the world added around 700 GW of new renewable energy, a 25% increase from the previous year. Solar power led this growth, rising by nearly 30% and contributing about 550 GW on its own. Together, solar and wind made up around 95% of all new renewable capacity, clearly showing that clean energy is expanding faster than ever¹.

It is believed that the shift to renewable energy will solve the global energy crisis and lead us into a peaceful and safer world. However, in reality, while the source of energy is changing, many old problems persist. Issues like human rights violations, lack of recognition of women’s rights, and the exploitation of Indigenous peoples are still present and there is a real risk that the energy transition will repeat the mistakes of the past.

The rising demand for critical minerals such as nickel, lithium, cobalt, and copper is creating new conflicts and worsening existing ones. In Indonesia, for example, nickel mining in biodiversity-rich areas like Raja Ampat and Halmahera has caused land grabs, rainforest destruction, and even arrests of Indigenous activists². In Latin America’s “Lithium Triangle” Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia, Indigenous communities are resisting lithium extraction that threatens their water resources and ancestral lands³. In 2020, more than half of all attacks on environmental defenders occurred in just three countries i.e. Colombia, Mexico, and the Philippines, mostly linked to mining projects for minerals like nickel, cobalt, and copper⁴. And in the Democratic Republic of Congo, armed groups continue to profit from cobalt and copper mining, fueling cycles of conflict and human rights abuses⁵.

The problems in our energy systems are not only technical, they come from the broader economic and social structures we live in. The structures which are shaped by patriarchy, racism, militarism, colonialism, and the commodification of nature, which together harm women, youth, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups. If we do not change these systems, we risk replacing “big oil” with “big renewables,” repeating the same injustices under a new name.

This is why the energy transition must go beyond swapping fossil fuels for solar panels. It requires rethinking how we use resources, how decisions are made, and how we care for people and the planet. Clean energy alone cannot build a peaceful world, fairness, dignity, and inclusion must guide the transition.

A Feminist Just Transition offers this wider vision. It moves beyond simply adding women’s rights into existing systems. Instead, it calls for real inclusion, decentralised and shared power, circular and responsible use of resources, a care-centred economy, and reduced excess energy demand. These values ensure the transition is not only green, but just and transformative.

When we say “Feminist Just Transition,” it is often misunderstood as something only of women, for women, and by women. But it goes far beyond simply adding women into existing systems⁶. It can be a framework that challenges the structures shaping our climate and development pathways. To understand this properly, we must first understand what feminism means.

Modern scholars often describe masculine and feminine values as two different but complementary ways of expressing human behavior. Across psychology, sociology, and even religion, people have long tried to explain the differences between what society calls “masculine” and “feminine” traits. In psychology, masculine traits are often described as qualities that help someone take action like being independent, confident, or competitive. Feminine traits are usually seen as qualities that help people care for others like being gentle, kind, or emotionally understanding⁷. Sociologists say that many cultures link masculinity with power and control, while femininity is linked to care and connection⁸.

Religious and cultural traditions also express these ideas symbolically. In Confucian philosophy, Yang represents active, outward masculine energy, while Yin embodies softer, nurturing feminine force. In Hinduism, Shiva symbolizes stillness and order, and Shakti represents the dynamic feminine power that animates life. Across many Abrahamic traditions, masculinity is associated with protection and leadership, while femininity is linked to care, warmth, and emotional support.

All of these perspectives, scientific or cultural, show that societies have always tried to understand the balance between strength and compassion, action and care. Both sides are important, and together they help shape how communities function and thrive. It is not that one is better than the other but we need to strike a balance. Earlier, the masculine traits of leadership, assertiveness, and exploration were required, where feminine values were to support to drive the world with inventions, innovations, but today, masculinity has become hyper masculinity with greed, profit-driven, capitalist mindset to have M-C-M’ (Marx theory⁹) which is creating chaos in the economic, social and environmental sectors. We need feminine energy to balance this out. Hence, A Feminist Just Transition offers a way forward. It brings
attention to people, relationships, and well-being, reminding us that climate action is not only about technology but also about justice.

To make a Feminist Just Transition truly instrumental in decision-making, here are the suggestive Feminist Just Transition values that should serve as a lens to judge, guide, and redesign transition policies so that they become more equitable, care-centred, and community-driven.

Inclusivity, Inclusivity means far more than just having diverse people in the room. It means ensuring meaningful and equal participation across gender, race, class, caste, ethnicity, age, disability, sexuality, and other identities. It includes: fair representation in the workforce, equal access to new green jobs, participation in decision-making, planning, and governance and removing structural (economic and social) barriers that prevent marginalized groups from engaging in the transition. An inclusive transition ensures that everyone not only the privileged benefits from the shift to clean energy¹⁰.

Decentralised and Distributive Power, this value emphasizes on shifting power away from highly centralised institutions toward communities and local governance systems. A decentralised power system ensures that decisions are culturally grounded, democratically made, and socially accountable. It challenges existing systems of concentrated control that often reproduce patriarchal, colonial, and extractive patterns, and instead supports community-led, context-specific solutions which also serve as a peacebuilding tool in conflict prone areas¹¹.

Ecological Stewardship, an important value that reminds us that the planet is not an endless resource bank but a living system we are entrusted to care for. Humans are guardians, not owners, of the Earth’s resources and we are borrowing the resources from nature and future generations. This value frames the energy transition as a relational responsibility, calling for non-extractive, regenerative, and reciprocal practices. Rooted in Indigenous feminist and ecofeminist principles, stewardship pushes us to prioritise healing, restoration, and long-term balance over short-term gain¹².

A feminist just transition must also centre around circular resource justice, which emphasizes recycling, reuse, and responsible management of materials¹³ especially the critical minerals essential to renewable technologies. This value insists that the transition cannot create new forms of extraction, waste, or environmental injustice. Instead, it asks how resources can remain in the loop, how waste can be minimised, and how communities impacted by mining and disposal are protected. Circular resource justice will ensure that “green solutions” will not reproduce the same harms the transition aims to solve.

Another core value of a feminist just transition is the creation of a care-centred economy, one that shifts priorities away from profit and productivity and toward health and well-being. This approach recognises that human health and ecological health are deeply interconnected. Transition policies must therefore be assessed not only for their economic efficiency, but for their impact on water, air, ecosystems, nutrition, and public health, especially given the pollution and waste that economic activities can generate. As we move toward new energy and economic systems, a just transition should place care at the centre ensuring that policies protect people’s well-being and strengthen the life-sustaining systems on which all communities depend.

Finally, a critical value of a feminist just transition is the need to rethink energy consumption itself. A feminist lens recognises that addressing the climate crisis is not only about producing cleaner energy, it is also about reducing overall demand. This principle supports sufficiency: using only what is needed, avoiding waste, and moving away from growth-driven economic models that strain people and the planet. Degrowth in this context does not mean reducing well-being; rather, it means reducing unnecessary production, curbing luxury emissions, and prioritising collective welfare over endless expansion. It is said that care, sustainability, and equality can truly thrive only when economies stop over-consuming energy and materials at the cost of communities and ecosystems¹⁴.

In all, the idea is to imagine a world rooted in love, care, compassion, and peace. In a time when greed and extraction shape global systems, embracing the transformative force of feminine values is essential. This balance may be exactly what humanity needs to confront today’s environmental, social, political, and economic crises. We need an economic transition that places people before profit, sustainability before exploitation, and harmony before dominance. It may seem ambitious, but so once did the idea of moving beyond fossil fuels, yet that shift is now underway. Likewise, we must dare to envision a world guided by feminine power, because such a world is not only possible but necessary for a just and sustainable future.

References

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About the author

Aakanksha Sharma is an accomplished climate and development professional with extensive experience in policy advocacy, network engagement, and research on sustainability and justice. As Global Coordinator at the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, she leads global outreach, partnerships, and advocacy campaigns advancing gender-responsive climate action. Previously, at NITI Aayog, she contributed to national policy initiatives on water governance, environmental management, and climate resilience, providing strategic insights for India’s Net Zero agenda and flagship programs such as the Aspirational Districts initiative. Her earlier research experience at the Institute of Economic Growth focused on natural resource management and sustainable livelihoods under MGNREGA. Holding an M.Phil. In Natural Resource Management from the Indian Institute of Forest Management and an MBA from Amity University, Aakanksha has published widely on climate change, environmental governance, and inclusive sustainability. She advocates for equity-driven, collaborative climate solutions globally.