This paper offers a perspective on the intersection between climate change and inequality. It highlights the effects of climate mitigation on workers, entrepreneurs and consumers, aiming to mobilize governments and businesses to maximize opportunities and minimize risks in the green transition.

In the absence of fairness in the distribution of costs and benefits arising from the climate transition, the social and political support required to shift to a carbon-neutral future may not materialize.

This framework will be used as the starting point for the World Economic Forum's Equitable Transition initiative, which aims to create a platform to connect stakeholders, develop insights and build consensus on the necessity, vision and organizing principles for an equitable green transition. The initiative’s ambition is to ensure that the shift towards a low-carbon future places people – together with the planet – at the centre.