Just Transition: Academic Academy for Climate Justice and Action

The climate action term “Just Transition” is an Indigenous climate action framework that focuses climate justice on both goal setting and action toward ecological sustainability, equity and justice. According to the Indigenous Environmental Network, the “Just Transition” framework is “rooted in building alliances,” is an indigenous concept and “healing process of understanding historical trauma, internalized oppression, and de-colonization” and is a “framework for a fair shift to an economy that is ecologically sustainable, equitable, and just” (Indigenous Environmental Network). In the spirit of just transitions, this academic academy invites participants to enhance their climate literacy, apply climate action to pedagogy and direct student support, build climate justice competencies and discover climate action entry points in their work as educators. The climate crisis is a symptom of the economic, political, and social systems that continually extract and exploit communities for profit and power. Many climate solutions, such as renewable energy, promise to address the climate crisis, yet too often they continue to perpetuate inequities, leaving behind or overlooking underserved communities. Climate justice is an approach to the climate crisis that emphasizes connections between environmental and social injustice. Incorporating underserved communities into climate solutions at the local and statewide level achieves both climate resilience and social justice, advancing both Vision 2030 and ASCCC strategic directions. Through intentional climate action, California community colleges (CCC) are well positioned to engage and activate communities who are most impacted by, yet most commonly excluded from, climate solutions and sustainability initiatives. This positioning gives CCC faculty incredible opportunities to empower students and colleagues by leading intentional goal-setting for climate justice and innovative and collective action. Join faculty leaders from across the state and CCCCO Climate fellows in exploration and co-learning at this year's ASCCC Academic Academy. Participants of the Just Transitions: Academic Academy for Climate Justice and Action will receive resources, tools, and strategies to incorporate climate action and sustainability into their pedagogy, programs, institutional systems and communities. Throughout the academy, participants will develop their own climate action plans for climate justice that are tailored to their disciplines, service areas and institutions. The academy programming centers on sustainability, environmental equity, and climate justice. These foundations will allow participants to explore opportunities to engage their students and communities by incorporating competencies for sustainability and climate solutions in curriculum, exploring climate literacy principles, analyzing the intersectionality of climate justice, and directly engaging in conversations about local climate action. Strands include Building Community Around Climate Justice, Curriculum for Climate Equity, Environmental Equity Outcomes, Leadership for Environmental Equity, and Sustainability Competencies for Future (Climate) workforce development.