Bridging learnings and livelihoods
The center will provide entry points for scholars, community leaders, and practitioners to join a Stanford network shaping the theory and practice of sustainability and community needs. Initiatives include seed grants for research, doctoral fellowships to support emerging scholars, and conference and publication support to promote collaboration and elevate research.
“As a PhD student studying climate migration, I have seen firsthand how structural inequities shape who is forced to move, who is protected, and whose lives are rendered precarious in the face of environmental change,” said Rwaida Gharib, a doctoral student in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources at the Doerr School of Sustainability. “The Center for Just Environmental Futures doesn’t just affirm this work – it shapes what the next generation of environmental scholarship can look like, grounding research in community realities and preparing scholars to better understand the social and ecological challenges we’re facing.”
In its inaugural year, the center will co-host a conference this spring titled “Preferred Futures: Climate and Environmental Justice Across Borders” with the Stanford Graduate School of Business. The two-day gathering, part of the Stanford Initiative on Business and Environmental Sustainability Research Conference Series, will bring together scholars, frontline leaders, legal experts, scientists, policymakers, and cultural practitioners to explore how to shape futures grounded in human dignity and ecological integrity. In addition to advancing shared knowledge and understanding, the gathering aims to frame how the center can function as a long-term partner to communities, civil society, and decision-makers working in human-centered climate action.
“Environmental justice scholarship is imperative to develop the knowledge needed to create just, ethical, and resilient futures for the world’s most challenging social-environmental injustices. Since its founding in 2022, the Doerr School of Sustainability has prioritized the importance of equity in sustainability and aims to position Stanford as a champion for environmental justice scholarship,” said Rodolfo Dirzo, the Bing Professor in Environmental Science, who was appointed the school’s associate dean for environmental justice in its first year. “In keeping with this commitment, the newly approved Center for Just Environmental Futures is a seed of hope that we should celebrate today while we continue to nurture and grow it collectively to a vigorous, thriving tree for the benefit of all living beings.”