Towards a Holistic Just Transition: Integrating UN SDG 8, Laudato Si’, and Sociological Principles for Ethical, Environmental, and Socio-economic Transformation

LOUELL BALDOZA

doi:10.63931/pasrj.v6i1.95

Authors

LOUELL BALDOZA UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9585-0937

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63931/pasrj.v6i1.95

Keywords:

Integral Ecology, Just Transition, Laudato Si, SDG 8, Sociological Principles

Abstract

The current pace of environmental change, technological advancement, and economic discrimination necessitates an effective, holistic implementation of Just Transition. This study examines the existing gap in moral grounding across current policies. It thus proposes a holistic Just Transition framework that synergizes the UN's SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth, and Pope Francis's Laudato Si', where integral ecology links human dignity, labor vocation, and ecological stewardship. This study posits that Just Transition requires a fair shift from fossil fuels to sustainable alternatives that genuinely protect workers, communities, and creation while coupling policy efficiency with moral depth. This also draws on Durkheim’s concept of social solidarity, Weber’s theory of social action, and Bourdieu’s notion of cultural capital, which frame labor transitions as both structural and relational processes within society. This study finds that while SDG 8 emphasizes technical economic metrics, its implementation risks perpetuating social exclusion and ecological harm. As Laudato Si's ecological conversion reframes labor as relational participation in God's creation, it thus enhances SDG 8's labor rights and social protection with solidarity, common good, and care for the poor. Through an interdisciplinary textual analysis of the theological hermeneutics of Laudato Si', alongside the review of UN and ILO policy documents, this research cultivates the necessary synergy between SDG 8 targets and integral ecology ethics. This study, therefore, recommends a practical policy framework, ethical criteria, and a multi-actor paradigm for national and community implementation to harmonize economic feasibility, social equity, and moral integrity. This study is significant for advancing interdisciplinary discourse among international policy, Catholic social teachings, and ecological ethics, providing policymakers with values-based tools to foster labor well-being and informing faith-based curricula on sustainable transitions grounded in human dignity.

Author Biography

LOUELL BALDOZA, UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS

Mr. Louell Villanueva Baldoza is currently an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Religion of the University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila, Philippines, and has been serving at the University for nearly two decades. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology at Saint Alphonsus Regional Seminary and School of Theology in Isabang, Lucena City, Quezon, where he is presently pursuing a Master’s degree in Systematic Theology. Through Commission on Higher Education (CHED) certification, his Bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology has been recognized as equivalent to a Master’s degree in Theology.

References

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Towards a Holistic Just Transition: Integrating UN SDG 8, Laudato Si’, and Sociological Principles for Ethical, Environmental, and Socio-economic Transformation

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