Justice Through Health and Dignity: Lessons from the Closure of Tonawanda Coke Corporation

As the United States energy sector transitions away from fossil fuels, the concept of a “just transition” is gaining attention, focusing on equitable outcomes for communities and labour forces impacted by decarbonization. While the health impacts of fossil fuel generation are well documented, there is an opportunity to examine the role of health in just transition from an environmental justice perspective. Through 14 semi-structured interviews, the authors examined community stakeholder accounts from the Town of Tonawanda, New York, where a coke manufacturing facility—one of the town’s main employers and sources of tax revenue—shut down. Interviews with environmental justice advocates, labour union officials, town staff, former employees, and community members revealed that inter-organizational collaborations among commonly siloed parties (e.g., environmental groups and labour unions) were the key mobilizing force not only in preparing for the aftermath of the shutdowns but in addressing the ongoing health impacts from the coal industry as well. Interviews revealed these health consequences to be the key catalyst for creating solidarity and synergy among formerly siloed groups. This study identifies health and bodies as key lenses to reveal the power relations embedded in issues of climate change and health, and as a key medium through which justice is prioritized in the energy transition. The experiences of the Town of Tonawanda lend insight into how an environmental justice–informed understanding of energy transition reveals the interconnectedness of health, equity, and justice in climate-mitigation actions.