Fair Transformations to a Fossil Free Future
– FAIRTRANS
By showing that rapid, collective transformation is possible, we ignite hope for a sustainable and climate-resilient future.
FAIRTRANS is a transdisciplinary research programme founded 2021, funded by Mistra and Formas, and hosted by Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University.
The overall purpose of Fairtrans is to facilitate and accelerate a fundamental transformation to a fair, fossil-free future. Through collaboration between researchers and civil society, especially large social movements, the program creates scientifically based policy proposals for rapid transformation and to ensure both social security and climate goals.
Collaboration creates legitimacy and leads to suggestions that are perceived as fair, motivating, and effective. The program aims to build capacity for the internal transformation work of social movements. It is about promoting innovative thinking about relevant social goals today and promoting education and learning that ensures that no one is left behind during the transformation.
> 2024: The Swedish Citizens’ Climate Assembly
In the spring of 2024, Sweden’s first national citizens’ assembly on climate change was organised by Fairtrans. It engaged over 50 randomly selected citizens, experimented with new interactive learning processes, generated 66 policy suggestions and an overall statement, and attracted extensive interest from media, stakeholders and politicians. Read more (in Swedish)
> 2023–2025: Executive Programme: Trade union leadership for a just climate transition
A customised executive programme for trade union leaders was conducted in three rounds, engaging 48 representatives from 30 organisations, including the three federations LO, TCO and Saco. A central focus of the course was empowering the union movement to take proactive leadership in driving a fair transformation. The initiative has fostered the creation of an alumni network, where participants can exchange insights from their interactions with scientists and discussions on union-related challenges and opportunities. Read more (in Swedish)
> 2025: Proposals for People-Centered Climate Policy
In November 2025, Fairtrans and their civil society partners – ranging from trade unions to environmental and social movements – presented a unique agreement on 24 science-based reforms for Swedish climate policy that is fair and effective. The report received broad media coverage, and in December, the signatories sent a joint letter to the Swedish party leaders – expressing their wish for dialogue based on the policy proposals. Read more (in English)
> Scientific publications 2021–2025
A full list of the science produced and published in Phase 1 of Fairtrans can be found in our Final Report Phase 1 2021-2025.
In Phase 2, Fairtrans will deepen and expand its transdisciplinary research on how to achieve fair and politically feasible societal transformations aligned with the Paris Agreement. Building on the strong foundations of Phase 1, the programme continues to combine rigorous science with broad civil society collaboration — a defining feature of the Fairtrans approach.
By the end of Phase 2, Fairtrans aims to establish a leading arena for collaborative, evidence-based climate policy development and for producing high-impact transdisciplinary research. This next phase positions Fairtrans as a key agenda-setting platform in both national and international climate discourse.
Several of our civil society partners launched climate positions during Phase 1, signalling a strong transformative potential. Yet, scientific knowledge is still limited on how CSOs can convert such ambitions into actual policy influence. In Phase 2, we will study the transformative capacities of major Swedish CSOs — their skills, resources, and organisational capabilities required to drive systemic change.
Phase 1 showed that Sweden’s industrial transition depends on breakthrough technologies that must be rapidly scaled up. This requires strong climate policy, major investments in renewable energy, and complementary non-technical shifts in behaviour and values. In Phase 2, we will expand our modelling to explore how technological pathways can be combined with sufficiency strategies and resource-efficient consumption patterns.
To enable more effective climate governance, Phase 2 will deliver a more targeted analysis of climate policy instruments — how they work, how they are designed, and how they are perceived by the public. Combining public surveys, modelling, and policy analysis, this work package will also add a stronger EU dimension, supporting international comparisons and cross-country learning.
Phase 2 will bring higher precision to our research by studying place-specific policies related to land use, spatial planning, and urban transformation. We will also analyse how mobility habits correlate with policy acceptance, integrating behavioural perspectives into climate policy research.
Our co-creation model — including workshops and executive training for trade union leaders — will continue and grow. In Phase 2, some workshops will be co-organised with EU-based CSOs such as the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). Executive training will be expanded and tailored for industry and employer organisations.
To further internationalise our work, we have established a Science Advisory Group consisting of internationally renowned scholars, and initiated collaboration with the Earth System Governance Project. As a result, strategic communication will evolve to an international level, targeting policymakers and civil society in both Sweden and the EU.