The Baldy Center Blog Post 54 
Blog Author: Claudia B. Villegas Ramos, LLM candidate
Post Title: Work at the Center of a Socio-Ecological Just Transition

On September 26, 2025, The Baldy Center hosted Dr. Dario Azzellini from the University of Duisburg-Essen for a thought-provoking talk on "Sustainability and socio-ecological transformation: Why put work at the center of a Just Transition." A sociologist and political scientist with dual PhDs from Frankfurt and Puebla, Azzellini has spent years studying labor, workers and local self-management, and social movements in Latin America and Europe. His research focuses on how workers and unions can actively shape the shift toward ecological and social sustainability rather than being left behind by it.

Azzellini opened by highlighting a sobering reality: despite decades of climate agreements, from Kyoto in 1997 to Paris in 2015, global emissions have continued to rise, increasing by more than 50 percent since 1990. As he notes, governments have relied on technological measures, recycling efforts, and market approaches that fail to address the root of the problem. Industries like construction and manufacturing remain among the biggest polluters, while the global economy runs on the logic of endless growth.

He pointed out that this failure is deeply tied to inequality. “We’re not all in the same boat,” he said. The Global North, the wealthiest ten percent of the world’s population, produces nearly half of all carbon emissions, while the Global South, the bottom half, contributes barely a tenth, meaning that those least responsible are suffering the most. As he explains, climate change is not just an environmental crisis; it’s a social and political one. Tackling it requires confronting the structures that allow both inequality and ecological destruction to persist.

From there, Azzellini emphasized the need to put work at the center of any meaningful transition. Work is how humans shape nature, but it also drives inequality and environmental harm. Workers in energy, extractive, and industrial sectors are on the front lines of both pollution and job insecurity. Current climate strategies are too slow and often unjust, reshaping economies in ways that increase precarity rather than reduce it.

He argued that sustainable work must be more than just “green jobs.” A genuinely sustainable job should be viable twenty years from now, under similar social and ecological conditions. Most jobs today fall short. True sustainability must balance economic stability, social fairness, and ecological responsibility, while also recognize unpaid labor and address gender, racial, and global inequalities, he remarks.

Political obstacles make the transition even more complex. Azzellini noted the resurgence of fossil, fuel politics in countries like the United States and the backlash against electric vehicles as examples of how entrenched interests can slow progress. Still, he remained cautiously optimistic: global markets, especially in China, are already shifting toward clean mobility, which will eventually compel broader changes. Nevertheless, these political delays could cost us five to ten critical years.

Labor movements face their own challenges. In Colombia, Azzellini’s research shows that some workers’ unions are beginning to embrace a just transition, forming alliances with Indigenous and environmental organizations. Yet many unions, especially outside the energy sector, have barely begun internal discussions about climate issues. Health and education unions, for example, have yet to integrate ecological concerns into their agendas. By contrast, energy and mining unions are taking the lead, creating training programs, running seminars, and negotiating sector-wide agreements.

Europe presents a similar story. Some German unions support just transition in principle but often prioritize industrial interests over broader ecological goals. Meanwhile, a public service union collaborates with social movements to ensure that workers and communities have a direct say in how the transport sector transitions from fossil fuels to low-carbon, sustainable alternatives. These collaborations between labor and grassroots movements may signal a new, more effective approach to climate politics.

For real change, Azzellini argued, unions must join forces with social movements to push structural transformation. Resources should be directed toward welfare, education, and climate adaptation. Recent worker and student mobilizations show that the public is ready to challenge weak political responses and narrow corporate solutions, indicating a rising wave of community-driven pressure.

In closing, Azzellini left attendees with a clear message: the ecological crisis is inseparable from questions of work, justice, and democracy. Ignoring labor in the pursuit of environmental goals risks deepening social inequalities and losing valuable expertise leading to the continuity of the problem. Conversely, centering workers in policy design and organizational innovation can create a more equitable and sustainable future. 

By placing labor at the heart of ecological transformation, Azzellini’s work urges us to see workers not as obstacles to sustainability but as vital collaborators in building a greener, fairer world. As communities, policymakers, and scholars seek solutions to the climate crisis, his insights remind us that social justice and participatory environmental governance are most effective when they advance together.

> Dario Azzellini:  ResearchGate.

> Dario Azzellini:  Personal website.