Landing Just Transitions: Local Politics and Land Justice in European Renewable Energy Development

Objective

"Can Europe's renewable energy expansion respect land justice while achieving climate neutrality? JUSTLANDING addresses this challenge through a 30-month project examining how local governance shapes land justice outcomes in EU renewable energy planning. The project develops the concept of ""land-sensitive just transition"", pathways that recognize land as contested and ensure renewable energy development doesn't reproduce inequalities in land access and decision-making. This supports the European Green Deal's ""leave no one behind"" commitment and REPowerEU objectives while contributing to SDG targets 1.4 and 16.7. JUSTLANDING investigates: How can local politics of renewable energy planning support land-sensitive just transition pathways? Four objectives examine regulatory frameworks, land-related injustice claims, mechanisms for enhancing land justice, and how data access affects citizen participation. Methodology combines comparative ethnography of contested photovoltaic projects in Gers (France) and Veneto (Italy) with analysis of local state regulation and citizen mobilization around renewable energy planning. This ""most similar systems"" design investigates how different governance dynamics influence land justice outcomes in comparable agricultural contexts, integrating political science, geography, political ecology, and data governance. Key innovations are: (1) first comprehensive framework analyzing land justice in European energy transitions; (2) enhanced SOLI methodology for energy contexts; (3) cross-case ethnography with governance mapping. Outcomes include 3 academic papers, policy recommendations, enhanced SOLI methodology and land justice monitoring tools. The project advances land-climate politics knowledge while developing actionable frameworks. JUSTLANDING benefits from supervision at UNIPD-Italy (main institution), INRAE-France (secondment), and Land Portal (placement). Dissemination leverages Land Portal's reach as UN Digital Public Good (1M+ users)."