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Climate justice in higher education: a proposed paradigm shift towards a transformative role for colleges and universities

Author

Listed:
  • Alaina Kinol

    (Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs)

  • Elijah Miller

    (Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs)

  • Hannah Axtell

    (Northeastern University College of Science)

  • Ilana Hirschfeld

    (Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs)

  • Sophie Leggett

    (Northeastern University College of Science)

  • Yutong Si

    (Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs)

  • Jennie C. Stephens

    (Northeastern University School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs)

Abstract

Moving beyond technocratic approaches to climate action, climate justice articulates a paradigm shift in how organizations think about their response to the climate crisis. This paper makes a conceptual contribution by exploring the potential of this paradigm shift in higher education. Through a commitment to advancing transformative climate justice, colleges and universities around the world could realign and redefine their priorities in teaching, research, and community engagement to shape a more just, stable, and healthy future. As inequitable climate vulnerabilities increase, higher education has multiple emerging opportunities to resist, reverse, and repair climate injustices and related socioeconomic and health disparities. Rather than continuing to perpetuate the concentration of wealth and power by promoting climate isolationism’s narrow focus on technological innovation and by prioritizing the financial success of alumni and the institution, colleges and universities have an opportunity to leverage their unique role as powerful anchor institutions to demonstrate climate justice innovations and catalyze social change toward a more equitable, renewable-based future. This paper explores how higher education can advance societal transformation toward climate justice, by teaching climate engagement, supporting impactful justice-centered research, embracing non-extractive hiring and purchasing practices, and integrating community-engaged climate justice innovations across campus operations. Two climate justice frameworks, Green New Deal-type policies and energy democracy, provide structure for reviewing a breadth of proposed transformational climate justice initiatives in higher education.

Suggested Citation

  • Alaina Kinol & Elijah Miller & Hannah Axtell & Ilana Hirschfeld & Sophie Leggett & Yutong Si & Jennie C. Stephens, 2023. "Climate justice in higher education: a proposed paradigm shift towards a transformative role for colleges and universities," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 176(2), pages 1-29, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:176:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s10584-023-03486-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-023-03486-4
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    Cited by:

    1. Dlzar Al Kez & Christopher Lowans & Aoife Foley, 2024. "Sustainable Development in Third Level Programs: Distilling a Pathway to a True Net-Zero Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-33, February.
    2. Truzaar Dordi & Rachel Krueger & Petra Duff & Guy Brodsky, 2025. "Framing divestment: A decade of media discourse on fossil fuel divestment in higher education," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 178(6), pages 1-27, June.
    3. Paul Lachapelle & Patrick Belmont & Marco Grasso & Roslynn McCann & Dawn H. Gouge & Jerri Husch & Cheryl Boer & Daniela Molzbichler & Sarah Klain, 2024. "Academic capture in the Anthropocene: a framework to assess climate action in higher education," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 177(3), pages 1-26, March.
    4. Pilon, André Francisco / AF, 2023. "Reconnecting the Broken Bonds: Environment, Politics, Economics and the State of the World," MPRA Paper 117539, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 01 Jun 2023.
    5. Vassilios Makrakis & Michele Biasutti & Nelly Kostoulas-Makrakis & Munirah Ghazali & Widad Othman & Mohammad Ali & Nanung Agus Fitriyanto & Katerina Mavrantonaki, 2024. "ICT-Enabled Education for Sustainability Justice in South East Asian Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-16, May.
    6. Benja Stig Fagerland & Lincoln Bleveans, 2025. "Strategic Corporate Diversity Responsibility (CDR) as a Catalyst for Sustainable Governance: Integrating Equity, Climate Resilience, and Renewable Energy in the IMSD Framework," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-41, May.
    7. Christopher Rabe, 2024. "Environmental justice teaching in an undergraduate context: examining the intersection of community-engaged, inclusive, and anti-racist pedagogy," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 14(3), pages 492-510, September.

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