Lessons for food systems transitions from a just climate transition in Northern Ireland

Just transitions, that involve ordered and equitable transformations to net-zero emission economies and societies, are critical for ensuring climate change mitigation and adaptation approaches have broad public support. Yet, drawing on Eloi’s (2021) welfare-growth-transition trilemma, trade-offs and tensions between societal groups and priorities in relation to just transitions are commonplace. Furthermore, the lessons from just transitions for the parallel agricultural transition have received limited attention to date. This paper considers these implications in the context of Northern Ireland in several ways. Firstly, it draws on qualitative perspectives from a policy roundtable with 20 key climate stakeholders in Northern Ireland in November 2024. Secondly, it adds quantitative data from the Northern Ireland Life and Times survey 2024, on the attitudes of 1199 adult residents of Northern Ireland to climate change and addressing it. Thirdly, it briefly compares similar just transitions in the Republic of Ireland and Scotland for similarities and differences with the Northern Ireland context. Finally, the paper concludes by drawing several key lessons from a just climate transition in Northern Ireland that are relevant for food systems transitions, including: the impact of post-conflict contexts; the limitations imposed by limited devolution; the significance of cross-party political will; the role of cultural opposition and scepticism; and the impact of special interest group lobbying.