Climate Action That Works for Workers? Exploring Canadian Oil and Gas Workers' Perspectives on a Just Transition

Abstract

Canada is a major producer of oil and gas, and serious efforts to address the industry's contributions to the climate crisis will have an impact on the workers therein. The movement for a just transition aims to support these workers, but despite an increasing scholarly focus on just transitions, there is a lack of research which directly engages with workers themselves. Moreover, many environmental organizations are prominent proponents of a just transition, but the relationship between 'environmentalists' and 'fossil fuel workers' is typically characterized in terms of polarization and contention. Based on semi-structured interviews with Canadian oil and gas workers, I assessed myriad perspectives and priorities related to a just transition, including workers' views of just transition advocacy by 'environmentalists'. Specifically, through a discursive analysis I identified four distinct discourses practiced by workers, as well as specific 'common ground items' which could inform more widely supported just transition advocacy and the strengthening of cross-movement coalitions. Responding to the concerns of workers, while simultaneously minimizing resistance to a transition, is of heightened importance as the federal government seeks to advance just transition legislation with profound implications for Canada's climate commitments and global efforts to transition away from fossil fuels.