Introduction to the Center for Just Environmental Futures
- The Center for Just Environmental Futures at Stanford University was approved in October and had a quick start, with a conference on preferred futures, climate, and environmental justice across borders held at the end of March, featuring a series of lightning presentations that showcased new research questions from various scholars 10s.
- The conference was a public debut for the Center for Just Environmental Futures, introducing the center's scope of work, collaborators, and the types of questions that need to be asked and collaborated on in the field of environmental justice and climate justice 2m6s.
- The center's growth since its opening in January has been significant, with a successful conference that brought together scholars and practitioners to discuss and collaborate on environmental justice and climate justice issues 4m20s.
- The Environmental Justice Working Group played a crucial role in laying the groundwork for the center's work, and their efforts helped the center get off to a quick start 5m30s.
Conference Highlights and Presentations
- The conference featured a number of graduate students presenting their work, as well as a high school student from Texas who presented a lightning talk on his work on air monitoring and urban pollution, highlighting the pipeline for climate and environmental justice scholarship 8m10s.
- The center's faculty director, Maxine Burkett, and fellow, Rudi Gharib, were impressed with the conference's outcome, considering it a great example of the center's potential and a successful first impression 9m40s.
- The question and answer period featured a young person who had a nonprofit to continue their work, showcasing the kind of collaboration sought after, which combines scholarship with engagement, and this was seen as a perfect example of the work being done at the center 10s.
- The lightning presentations were a highlight of the conference, with 20 presentations selected from a large number of applications, and they covered a diverse range of topics, including peatland conservation in Colombia, food system modeling in India, and gendered climate vulnerability in Madagascar 42s.
- The presentations demonstrated the diversity of research agendas within the environmental justice space, with PhD students working on various topics, and highlighting the need for more work to be done in this area, with many brilliant scholars already contributing to the field 1m6s.
Rudi Gharib's Research on Climate Displacement
- Rudy Gharib is working on their dissertation research, focusing on climate displacement, and their work includes the experiences of people in the Global South, as well as the subtle narratives and legal categories that often make a big difference but are often overlooked 2m6s.
- Gharib's research is advised by Professor Maxine Burkett and includes looking at climate migrants in East Africa and Kenya, as well as climate migration in the US, particularly in Los Angeles, where they grew up, and the issue of climate displacement is becoming increasingly urgent 2m42s.
Climate Migration and Displacement Panel
- The conference featured a panel on climate migration and displacement, which looked at the experiences of frontline communities and how researchers and practitioners can work together to co-design solutions, including policy and financial solutions, to address this issue 3m6s.
- The concept of borders and the rights of nature and place were discussed, with the idea that borders are arbitrary lines drawn on maps, and many indigenous peoples live in places that do not fit within these defined borders, and the importance of consent and communication with people living on the land was also highlighted 4m6s.
Transboundary and Ethical Approaches to Environmental Justice
- The discussion revolves around non-conventional ways of talking about land and governance, with a focus on working in deep time and deep space, considering centuries that have led to the current moment and looking ahead to at least a century, emphasizing the importance of being good ancestors 10s.
- The approach involves looking across the globe, from local to global, and respecting transboundary existences, with a key element being the recognition of issues and communities that have a transboundary existence 42s.
- The conference introduced core concepts related to the Rights of Nature and Rights of Place, with panelists such as Waleed Johns, Kyle Artell, and Patty Ferguson-Bohnee sharing their innovative work in their respective spaces, including groundbreaking work in indigenous communities and issues of displacement 2m6s.
- The conversation highlights the need to move beyond a technical lens and consider a deeply moral or ethical perspective, recognizing that sustainability is not achievable without just processes and human dignity, and that the barriers to a just transition are not solely scientific, but also involve power, history, and knowledge 2m6s.
Root Causes and Moral Imperatives of Environmental Crises
- The center's work and research agenda aim to position themselves to think about what's next, with a focus on recognizing human dignity and the importance of just processes in achieving sustainability, and the need to confront political, economic, social, and racial issues that have produced climate harm 2m6s.
- The current environmental crises, including pollution and climate crises, have been built upon sacrificing people, communities, and nature, and displacing humans from their relationship with nature, which is a root problem that needs to be addressed 10s.
- Understanding and addressing these root problems is a prerequisite to resolving the current level of crisis, and it is essential to make a persuasive case that these issues need to be addressed, as they are not just nice to have, but indispensable 42s.
- Despite having all the technical answers to the environmental crises, the problem persists, and it is argued that this is because not enough attention has been paid to the core pieces, such as justice, which has been made an ornamental element of doing business rather than a core part of it 2m6s.
- The project of addressing environmental crises is an interdisciplinary endeavor that requires a justice piece to be indispensable, and it is essential to recognize expertise, citizenship, and belonging broadly 4m30s.
Collaborative and Inclusive Environmental Justice
- The environmental justice project is deeply collaborative, recognizes expertise, and values joy, and it is an invitation to everyone to join, collaborate, and bring questions to the table 6m15s.
- The field of environmental justice is moving forward, with people doing this work, including legal scholars, community advocates, and students, who are not waiting for permission, and the center was created to be in conversation with this movement 8m40s.
- There are upcoming events and opportunities to engage with the environmental justice project, including a breakout session at the Stanford Sustainability Forum, lecture series, publications, and opportunities to engage with scholars, artists, and performers 11m30s.
Future Directions and Engagement Opportunities
- The conference "Preferred Futures" is an invitation to join the movement and create a preferred future, and it is essential to consider whose imagination is being used to create this future 13m10s.
- The project has a research agenda, arts and culture programming, and a research practice hub, and people can join the Listserv and access the website to stay updated on upcoming events and opportunities 14m50s.
Partnerships and Institutional Support
- The discussion involves multiple individuals, including Bill Barnett, Rudy Gharib, and Maxine Burkett, who are engaged in a conversation about climate and environmental justice, with Rudy Gharib expressing excitement about the intersection of justice and finance in the same conversation 10s.
- Rudy Gharib appreciates the partnership between the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the School of Sustainability in hosting conferences, emphasizing that sustainability cannot be achieved without justice, and believes the financial aspect is a crucial piece of the conversation that is often overlooked 42s.
- The Stanford Initiative on Business and Environmental Sustainability podcast series is sponsored by the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, with music provided by Charged Particles, consisting of Caleb Hutslar, Mike Rock, and John Krosnick 2m6s.
