Just destabilisation? Considering justice in the phase-out of peat

Abstract

The deliberate destabilisation of regimes has gained attention in sustainability transitions scholarship regarding the urgency of transitions. However, there has been little focus on justice in deliberate destabilisation literature. Without attention to justice, destabilisation policies can cause unforeseen negative social, economic, or environmental impacts. Justice has mainly been explored in terms of compensating losses for regime actors, local communities, and industry workers, which may overlook broader justice concerns. We propose a framework for just destabilisation that acknowledges not only the distribution of gains and losses, but also the recognitional and procedural justice concerns inherent in destabilisation. Our analysis of the destabilisation of peat in the energy and agricultural sectors in Finland suggests four main implications for research, paying attention to the spatial nestedness of deliberate destabilisation; diversifying the understanding of incumbency; moving beyond compensations; and finally, attending to existing structural injustices to account for restorative justice in deliberate destabilisation.