New research centre for the North of England aims for a sustainable future
08 Apr 2025
The Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) Centre to collaborate with communities, governments and businesses to develop low-carbon living initiatives.
A new research centre, led by our University, aims to promote socially just, people-centred sustainability transformations by collaborating with communities, governments and businesses to develop low-carbon living initiatives.
The People’s History Museum hosted the launch of the Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) Centre, which featured a discussion on creating a sustainable and fair future in the UK through a place-based strategy that tackles political and social obstacles to reaching net zero.
Vice-President for Social Responsibility, Professor Nalin Thakkar opened the event, during which researchers, policymakers and community leaders gathered to discuss effective strategies for low-carbon living (LCL).
The ESRC-funded centre brings together leading academic institutions across Northern England including the Universities of Manchester, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, and Newcastle, and The Institute for Community Studies at The Young Foundation.
It was created in a two-year collaboration between researchers, multiple institutions and professional services teams who contributed time and expertise, from preparing the complex multi-million-pound budget to providing valuable peer review via the Sustainable Futures research platform. Policy@Manchester helped broker connections with the Government Office for Science, who served on mock interview panels.
Professor Sherilyn MacGregor, JUST Centre Director and Principal Investigator, said: “There are many challenges facing the UK on the road to net zero, and it is a challenging time for this kind of work. We know a lot about the dangers of not accelerating the transition, and we do have the technological know-how to get it done."
“What we urgently need to know more about is how decarbonisation can be joined up with more and smarter investment in socio-economic development so that all people and communities can feel the benefits as soon as possible. The JUST Centre will be doing this important research in collaboration with a range of partners who are thinking and acting outside the box to join up people, places and solutions.”
Research Development and Innovation Manager, Chloe Jeffries said: “I saw first-hand the sustained effort that so many colleagues put in. We all had a clear common goal and this, along with the importance of the research, made supporting JUST so worthwhile.”
With the UK’s target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and the recent seventh carbon budget announcement by the UK’s Climate Change Committee (CCC), attention now shifts to ensuring a just transition. This means sharing the benefits of net zero and the green economy fairly across UK regions and households. Achieving net-zero emissions is essential, but if the results widen inequality or cause some local areas to stagnate while others thrive, the UK will have missed the chance to create equal opportunities for all households, claims the Centre.
The JUST Centre is dedicated to exploring innovative, coordinated strategies to achieve a just transition, emphasising the need to tailor solutions to each location and individual's unique needs and circumstances.
For more information about the centre, please visit: