Environmental Justice
As a school, we recognize the critical importance of ensuring that all people have equal access to the benefits of a clean and healthy environment.
Rodolfo Dirzo
Associate Dean for Integrative Initiatives on Environmental Justice at The Doerr School of Sustainability
"Historically disenfranchised communities have been on the frontlines of the adverse consequences of the Anthropocene.
On the one hand, global environmental change — the combined negative effects of land use change, over-exploitation, pollution, and climate change — has a disproportionately negative impact on the sectors of society that contribute the least to it. Furthermore, those communities that have historically been suppressed and marginalized also receive the lesser share of the once bountiful resources of Mother Earth's life-supporting systems. In this context, development of a strong environmental justice culture is imperative if we are to create ethical, just, and resilient solutions for local, regional, and global sustainability. Meeting this challenge is simultaneously an inescapable responsibility and the motivation that drives our mission."
Events
The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability hosts forums and co-hosts conferences to elevate awareness, broaden discourse, and inspire action related to climate change solutions and environmental justice. Recent and upcoming programs include:
David Pellow describes environmental injustices and need for action in inaugural dean’s lecture
A new dean’s lecture series through the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability launched Dec. 6 with a conversation on environmental justice by David Pellow, a distinguished professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Environmental justice roundtable highlights energy and policy, health, and Indigenous Peoples issues
The second event in a new dean’s lecture series through the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability featured environmental justice experts in energy, environmental health, and Native environmental policy.
Environmental Justice and Sustainability Conference
Global environmental change — the combined effects of land use change, over-exploitation, biotic and abiotic pollution, and climate change — is having a disproportionately stronger impact on the sectors of society that present the least threat to life-supporting systems.
Arun Majumdar
Dean of the Doerr School of Sustainability
“Real change can not happen if we are not actively and deliberately working toward equitable access to environmental benefits and preventing the disproportionate effects of environmental harm.”
Opportunities for students
Minor in Environmental Justice
The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability offers a Minor in Environmental Justice to those currently enrolled at Stanford.
Computer science major is first to sign up for Stanford’s new minor in environmental justice
Evan Baldonado, ’23, a third-year student in the School of Engineering and co-director of Students for a Sustainable Stanford, is the first student to adopt a minor in environmental justice. The minor is offered by the Earth Systems Program, which will become part of the new school focused on climate and sustainability.
Impactful research, lifelong skills
Claire Morton, ‘24, took the opportunity to experience methodological research through the Mentoring Undergraduates in Interdisciplinary Research (MUIR) program.
Funded projects and research
In its first round of funding summer of 2022, the Sustainability Accelerator supported eight projects focused on environmental justice:
Accelerator for environmental justice (EJ) at Stanford
Robert Jackson, Sibyl Diver, Emily Polk, Rodolfo Dirzo, Jane Willenbring, Gabrielle Wong-Parodi
Addressing blind spots in environmental justice: The Central Valley as a proof of concept
Jenny Suckale, Gabrielle Wong-Parodi, Jens Hainmueller, Daniel Ho
Biodiversity and people: Balancing socioeconomic development and conservation
Shripad Tuljapurkar, Gretchen Daily, Harman Jaggi, Wenyun Zuo, Alejandra Ochoa
Partnering with Domestic and International Players For More-Effective Energy-Transition Policies and Financing in Indonesia and Vietnam
Achieving the human right to water in California
Sarah Fletcher, Jenna Davis, Khalid Osman, Barton Thompson
Western wildfire policy: From prescribed fire to public health
Chris Field, Marshall Burke, Michael Mastrandrea, Kari Nadeau, Deborah Sivas, Stefan Wager
A blue food transformation for the Pacific
Jim Leape, Fiorenza Micheli, Rosamond Naylor, Elizabeth Selig, Colette Wabnitz, Michelle Tigchelaar
Buildings in the energy transition
Adam Brandt, Ines Azevedo, Chris Field, Michael Mastrandrea, Deborah Sivas, Michael Wara
Stanford Sustainable Fertilizer Project
News
Learn more about research and activities focused on environmental justice.
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In categories ranging from food and drink to energy, the 2024 Forbes feature recognizes 11 Stanford alumni and one student for work related to sustainability.
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An international team, led by Rice University, seeks to improve the synthesis of carbon nanotubes for much wider use.
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Stanford ecologist and climate scientist Chris Field looks to the 28th UN Climate Change Conference for a roadmap on what he considers solvable challenges.
Environmental Justice Working Group
The Doerr School of Sustainability works in collaboration with the Environmental Justice Working Group. Learn more about the EJWG and their work to embed environmental justice into our research, teaching, and community-engagement at Stanford.