The Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network on Thursday, June 26, 2025, released a new report on effective and equitable community-led energy solutions to address challenges to a worldwide just transition away from fossil fuels. The report, How Local Community Power is Central to a Just Renewable Energy Transition, spotlights scalable global community initiatives that are advancing decentralised and democratised energy solutions.
The report was released during the Global Women’s Assembly for Climate Justice: Path to COP30 and Beyond and comes on the last day of government climate negotiations in Bonn, and ahead of COP30 in Brazil, where the international community will need to tackle not only escalating climate disasters but also the expansion of fossil fuel extraction and infrastructure by high-income countries.
The report’s analysis explores some of the barriers to implementing a just transition and the complexities of shifting away from current social and economic structures. Such structures include economic systems that promote fossil fuel production (including the trillions of dollars in government fossil fuel subsidies); societal patterns characterised by overconsumption in high-income countries; and current models of utility companies that further enable fossil fuel use and discourage a transition to more affordable and beneficial energy alternatives.
The authors warn that the energy transition cannot replicate the same injustices as the fossil fuel economy. Instead, this transition must prioritise ecological well-being and community-owned renewable energy projects that are rooted in democratic governance and local empowerment.
“The era of fossil fuels has been defined by corporate greed, environmental destruction, Indigenous and human rights violations, and the denial of communities’ right to clean, affordable energy,” said Osprey Orielle Lake, Founder, Executive Director at Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network.
“As the climate crisis accelerates and governments regress on their climate commitments, frontline communities are showing the world what a just and regenerative future looks like – one rooted in equity, democracy, Indigenous and human rights, and community-led regenerative energy solutions. We have a narrow window to act and accelerate efforts for a Just Transition. COP30 must be a turning point to phase out fossil fuels and take action toward a just energy system that serves people and planet,” added Lake.
Case studies from the report explore principles and on-the-ground lessons that can inform a rights-based, environmentally sustainable, community-led energy transition. For instance, in Spain, a member-owned energy cooperative began providing renewable energy to its community following the 2008 economic crisis and frustrations over corporate control of energy access. In Ladakh, India, where the Himalayas make it challenging for villages to access outdated energy infrastructure, off-grid and decentralised solar solutions, as well as microgrids, are now a reliable source of energy for many remote villages.
The report closes with a call for action: “Communities across the world recognise that a transition away from fossil fuels is not only urgent but also inevitable, with many taking it upon themselves to implement socially and environmentally just solutions. Looking forward, governments, businesses, and civil society can work together to scale effective and lasting solutions, creating just pathways for economic transformation that do not perpetuate past and present injustices, but instead build a just, equitable, and inclusive future for all.”