You have been working for several years at the intersection of environmental, climate and energy justice. Could you walk us through the key principles of each approach, and how they shape your research?
Working at the intersection of these three kinds of justice has shaped my research around equity, inclusion and structural transformation. Environmental justice emphasises the fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens, particularly for marginalised communities who often live near polluting industries or lack access to clean water and air. It insists on the right to a healthy environment and meaningful participation in environmental decision-making. Second, climate justice builds on this by acknowledging that those least responsible for climate change - often communities in the Global South, Indigenous peoples, and low-income groups - are most vulnerable to its impacts. It calls for policies that address this historical and structural inequality while centering resilience and adaptation through a justice lens. Finally, energy justice adds another layer, focusing on equitable access to affordable, sustainable, and reliable energy. It critiques extractive energy systems and supports transitions that are inclusive, democratic and locally beneficial. Together, these frameworks guide my research towards identifying systemic injustices and exploring how policy, innovation, and community engagement can align with justice principles. Whether studying green hydrogen in North Africa or energy transitions in Latin America, I strive to foreground the voices and needs of affected communities, ensuring that the transition to sustainability is also a transition to justice.
The European Green Deal formally introduced the concept of a “just transition” back in 2019. From your research perspective, how effectively is this concept being translated into concrete policies and actions?
The European Green Deal’s concept of a “just transition” is a critical step toward aligning decarbonisation with social equity. From a research perspective, it has introduced significant frameworks - such as the Just Transition Mechanism and Just Transition Fund - that channel financial and technical support to regions most affected by the shift away from fossil fuels. These instruments show promise in addressing employment, retraining and regional economic diversification. However, the translation into practice reveals gaps: policies often prioritise economic competitiveness and carbon targets, sometimes sidelining community voices, especially those of migrants, rural populations, and workers in precarious sectors. Moreover, while member states are required to develop Territorial Just Transition Plans, their quality and inclusiveness vary widely. In research on hydrogen and energy transitions, we observe that justice is often narrowly interpreted - focused on job replacement rather than structural transformation or energy democracy. More robust participatory processes and metrics are needed to assess whether transitions are genuinely just, beyond economic compensation. In short, the “just transition” is gaining ground rhetorically and institutionally, but its effective implementation requires deeper attention to power dynamics, local agency, and the broader social dimensions of sustainability. Without this, the risk remains that green transitions replicate existing inequalities, as I argued in several recent articles I contributed to.
Discussions about a just transition in Europe often overlook its ripple effects beyond our borders. Based on your work in African countries, how do you view the global fairness - or unfairness - of Europe’s transition?
From the perspective of my research in territories like Burkina Faso, Togo, Western Sahara and Morocco, Europe’s green transition - while vital - often perpetuates global inequities. While initiatives such as renewable energy and green hydrogen are framed as win-win partnerships, they frequently prioritise European decarbonisation targets over the development priorities of local communities.
In Morocco and Western Sahara, for instance, green hydrogen projects are increasingly geared towards export to Europe. Yet these ventures can marginalise local populations, particularly where land rights are disputed or where communities lack access to the energy produced. Similarly, in Burkina Faso and Togo, the focus on external investment and technological solutions often overlooks systemic issues like energy poverty, governance challenges and the need for integrated food-water-energy strategies.
What emerges is a pattern of green extractivism - where resources, land, and infrastructure in African countries are leveraged to meet European climate goals, without guaranteeing reciprocal social or economic benefits. A truly just transition must go beyond carbon accounting to address historical responsibility, build equitable partnerships, and empower African voices in shaping their energy futures. Without such shifts, Europe’s internal justice gains risk being offset by external injustices - undermining the global fairness of its transition.
You’ve been teaching in the Master in Global Energy Transition and Governance for several years now. How do students typically respond to topics around justice and fairness in the energy transition?
Teaching at CIFE has shown me just how engaged and responsive students are to questions of justice and fairness in energy transitions. Many arrive with a strong interest in the technical, economic, or geopolitical dimensions of the energy shift - but they quickly recognise that issues of equity, power, and participation are equally fundamental. Discussions on justice often provoke some of the most passionate and reflective debates. Students from diverse backgrounds bring their own regional perspectives - from Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas - which leads to rich exchanges about who benefits, who bears the costs, and whose voices are heard in policymaking. For example, when we explore land conflicts tied to renewables or the ethics of resource extraction for clean technologies, students often begin to question dominant transition narratives and seek alternatives rooted in solidarity, rights, and local agency. What stands out is their appetite for tools and frameworks - such as environmental justice, energy democracy, or post-colonial critiques - that help them rethink transition pathways. These conversations don't just shape their academic understanding - they often reorient their professional ambitions towards more inclusive and transformative roles in policy, advocacy, or research. Justice, for many, becomes a central rather than peripheral concern.
That leads us to another question: What advice would you give to the next generation of students on how to better integrate justice considerations into energy policy and decision-making processes?
My advice to the next generation is to treat justice not as an add-on, but as a starting point for shaping energy policy and governance. Begin by asking: Who decides? Who benefits? Who bears the risks? These questions can uncover power imbalances that often go unnoticed in technical or market-driven approaches. Second, cultivate interdisciplinary literacy. Understanding legal frameworks, historical inequalities, environmental science, and community dynamics is essential to designing policies that are not only effective, but equitable. Justice-oriented energy work requires thinking beyond carbon metrics to include land rights, labour conditions, gender equity and intergenerational responsibility. Third, engage directly with affected communities. Whether through participatory research, stakeholder dialogues, or policy co-design, centering the lived experiences of marginalised groups is key to making just transitions real and legitimate. Finally, stay politically aware and ethically grounded. Transitions are not neutral - they reshape economies, institutions, and lives. Your role is not just to manage change efficiently, but to help steer it towards inclusive and transformative outcomes. That means challenging status quos, questioning false solutions, and pushing for accountability, even within “green” agendas. Justice is complex, but indispensable. Bringing it into the core of your work will make you not only a better energy professional, but also a more responsible global citizen.
Is there a typical career profile for which this Master prepares for? And could you give us a few examples of jobs that recent graduates have succeeded in?
The career paths after graduation are as diverse as the profiles of our students. However, most of our graduates work in the field for which we have prepared them – European and international affairs, either in an EU or international institution, or in a national government agency, for example in the field of EU coordination or foreign relations. One of our graduates from last year is now at EPSO, another is currently doing a traineeship at the European Court of Auditors, and yet another graduate has recently been working as a defence analyst at the Permanent Representation of Luxembourg to the EU. Meanwhile, CIFE has a wide network of alumni in European and international institutions. However, the range of possible career paths is much larger than that, depending on the profile and ambitions of the students. From last year's group, for example, one is working as a business consultant, one as a researcher, one in an NGO... For most graduates, it takes one to two years to find their dream job, with most getting their foot in the door through internships and traineeships. That’s why career coaching and training is one of our priorities during the course.
For more information about the subject, read some of the most recent articles by Roberto Cantoni:
Brisbois, Marie Claire, and Roberto Cantoni. “Coping with decarbonisation: An inventory of strategies from resistance to transformation”. Global Environmental Change (March 2025): 90: 102968.
Cantoni, Roberto, Marcel Llavero-Pasquina, Elia Apostolopoulou, … and Joan Martinez-Alier. “From Françafrique to Chinafrica? Ecologically unequal exchange, neocolonialism, and environmental conflicts in Africa”. World Development (September 2025): 193: 107015.
Hermwille, Lukas, Marie Claire Brisbois, Ralitsa Hiteva, …, and Annela Anger-Kraavi. “Compounding injustices can impede a just energy transition”. Nature Energy (2025).