In particular, urban areas in the Global South are becoming hotspots where the climate crisis is exacerbating existing inequalities in urban social, political, and economic dimensions.
The collaborative research group, ‘Urban Climate Justice from Below’, led by Dr. Paroma Wagle, (previously) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Geography, is gathering and amplifying insights from grassroots and city-level activists across the Global South. This research seeks to add an important historical and social justice component to existing discussions on climate change, while supporting actions that build more just urban living conditions for all.
Social justice movements in cities across the Global South have already begun to develop frameworks and models to address urban inequalities and shape the vision of more just cities.
By studying current social justice movements, Urban Climate Justice from Below aims to learn more about the links between urban inequalities and the effects of climate change. These insights will help inform greater understanding of the origins, persistence, and underlying power dynamics of these inequalities.
By working directly with climate activists in a variety of cities in the Global South, researchers are learning more about their common demands, agendas, and actions towards ensuring equity and justice in the face of imminent climate change impacts. And critically, more about what contributions activists expect from the academic community to help create just and inclusive cities.
Learn more about climate action and research at UBC Geography, where researchers work on issues from wildfires to warming coral reefs and the social inequalities exacerbated by the climate crisis.