The climate emergency we face has prompted some nations, corporations, and many civil society organizations to greatly expand their decarbonization and climate protection actions. The paths to deeply decarbonizing local, national and regional economies requires innovations in a wide range of areas where new, sustainable, materials design, discovery, and implementation, and most notably highly interdisciplinary social justice work across diverse fields is critically needed, but are all at early stages.

The demand for smart, just and accessible housing and transportation for all is a core issue in the needed green transition. The recognition that social injustice is in many ways tied to our existing, fossil-fuel intensive economy has led to important calls for a ‘climate-justice’ nexus to protect the planet, people, and nature. The challenge is to turn that vision into clear initiatives programs, and social movements.

On April 3, join Daniel Kammen, the James and Katherine Lau Distinguished Professor of Sustainability at the University of California, Berkeley, who will highlight examples and challenges in materials discovery and deployment, and advance modeling techniques to work within and beyond sectors as examples of challenges where new thinking, entrepreneurs, and approaches to social justice are all needed. This event is co-hosted by the Mansueto Institute and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth.