Reimagining universities as change agents for climate and economic justice

About The Event

Transformative, structural and systemic change is needed to address the climate crisis which is exacerbating social injustices, economic inequities, and health disparities in communities around the world. During this time of growing instability and human suffering, this lecture proposes that we collectively reimagine the role of higher education in advancing climate and economic justice and promoting societal transformation toward a more just, healthy, and stable future. A commitment to both climate justice and economic justice provides a helpful framework for colleges and universities to leverage their unique position in society and align their many initiatives and programs to contribute to transformative change for the common good.

Jennie C. Stephens is a climate justice scholar-activist and the author of Diversifying Power: Why We Need Antiracist, Feminist Leadership on Climate and Energy (Island Press, 2020). She is the Dean’s Professor of Sustainability Science & Policy at Northeastern University, and her collaborations focus on energy justice, fossil-fuel phaseout, energy democracy, gender, race and power in climate/energy policy, and reimagining the role of universities to accelerate transformation toward a more just, healthy and stable future. jenniecstephens.com