Who shapes the just transition? Examining intellectual hegemony in climate research

Analysing a dataset of 5,432 journal articles (1986–2023) using bibliometric techniques, we investigate the conceptual framing, thematic evolution and publication trends of just transition—a concept seeking to reconcile climate action with social and economic justice but the scope and application of which fuel intense debate between the Global South and North. Our findings reveal that a small cadre of scholars and core journals exert disproportionate influence, steering the discourse towards technological fixes at the expense of structural political change, societal transformation, inclusive sustainable development, and addressing global inequality. This intellectual hegemony underscores age-long significant challenges around the politics and ethics of knowledge production in the discourse of global sustainability, not least the grave risk of marginalising the experiences and perspectives of the most vulnerable, who remain under-represented in both scholarship and policy-making. We conclude by calling for the integration of diverse viewpoints to ensure just transition strategies are both effective and equitable across varied global contexts—an imperative made all the more urgent by the resurgence of fractured climate politics and weakened global solidarity.