Vilja Johansson

Vilja Johansson is a Doctoral Researcher at the Law School, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, University of Eastern Finland. She is affiliated with the Center for Climate Change, Energy and Environmental Law (CCEEL) and is a key member of the 2035Legitimacy research project. Her work focuses on the intersection of climate governance and legal frameworks that ensure just transitions in climate policy.

Dr. Johansson's research primarily examines how the concept of "just transition" has evolved within international climate law and how it is operationalized through framework climate laws. Her work analyzes governance mechanisms that translate the abstract concept of just transition into concrete legal requirements, with particular focus on how these mechanisms can either advance meaningful climate justice or become performative law that promises justice without delivering substantive change. She conducts comparative analysis of just transition frameworks in Ireland, Scotland, and Spain, investigating three key governance mechanisms: definition and legal status of just transition, planning and reporting requirements, and just transition advisory bodies.

Her scholarly output reveals how legal frameworks can establish justice as a new expectation for climate policy while also highlighting the risks of performativity when abstract legal requirements lack robust accountability mechanisms. Her research demonstrates that while these mechanisms can create meaningful governance structures when implemented in good faith, their aspirational nature combined with limited enforcement mechanisms can result in legal requirements that look impressive on paper but fail to deliver substantive justice outcomes. Dr. Johansson's work is particularly relevant for understanding how law can support climate policies that are not only effective in reducing emissions but also socially just in their implementation.