This discussion paper, written by Atalía Mejía Brito during a TRAJECTS junior research stay at the African TRAJECTS Hub, University of Cape Town (South Africa), analyses why the energy transition is not equivalent to an economic transition in coal-dependent regions of the Global South. Drawing on the literature on energy transitions, energy justice and green extractivism, it examines coal regions in the Colombian Caribbean, particularly La Jagua de Ibirico and La Guajira, in dialogue with Mpumalanga in South Africa. The paper argues that replacing coal-fired power with renewable energy projects mainly alters the energy mix and regulatory architecture, while leaving intact the extractive logic that structures land use, labour markets, public revenues and socio-ecological relations. 

The TRAJECTS African Hub presents a photo journal of the 2025 UCT Mobile School, held from 8–12 September in eMalahleni, South Africa’s coal-mining heartland. Titled “Reckoning with the Legacy of Coal: Exploring Just Transitions, Community Power, and Healing Landscapes,” the mobile school focused on coal power station decommissioning and pathways towards socio-economic well-being in coal-dependent towns.

Just Transitions to Safeguard Interconnection with the Amazon

The book provides a detailed account of a social mobilization that had a lasting impact on the municipality of La Jagua de Ibirico, Colombia. This demonstration was a response to the social and environmental problems caused by coal mining by the multinational company Glencore, as well as the Colombian government's negligence and permissiveness regarding these issues.

Using a sophisticated Hydrogen Economy Energy System Model (MEC-H2), the research provides a data-driven blueprint for Colombia to achieve a large-scale hydrogen deployment by 2050.