Climate change creates uneven risks and vulnerabilities, yet climate research and action is not always sensitive to questions of justice. While the geophysical drivers and impacts of climate change are increasingly clear, the social dimensions that shape those impacts and responses are less well understood.
We are building a community-responsive approach to climate research and action by bringing the social and natural sciences into deep dialogue with local experiences. We leverage our roles as researchers and teachers specializing in water and climate justice to link knowledge production to community engagement and public policy in order to support more informed and just responses to our changing environment.
We envision a world where justice is central to climate policy, research, and action. We are working to shape equitable and community-informed approaches to climate that are responsive to those who are most vulnerable to the negative impacts of environmental change. By connecting disciplines, institutions, and communities, we aspire to advance knowledge and action in support of more just and resilient futures.
Dr. LaDawn Haglund is Associate Professor of Climate Justice and is leading the development of Water and Climate Justice initiatives at John Jay College (CUNY). Her scholarly interests include human rights, environmental justice, political economy, and socially transformative processes. Her current research examines climate justice and urban water governance in New York City through a convergence research model that integrates community-based participatory action and student mentorship. Past research similarly analyzed the social and political dimensions of sustainability and environmental governance, but with a focus on the human right to water and water-related resources in Brazil, India, and South Africa. She has also conducted fieldwork in and written about Costa Rica and El Salvador. Her work has received support from the U.S. National Science Foundation, the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and the Brazilian Fulbright Commission.
Dr. Bibi Calderaro is a Doctoral Lecturer in the Interdisciplinary Studies and Environmental Justice and Sustainability Programs at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. Her work explores the role of education in advancing climate action and justice through situated, experiential, and regenerative pedagogies that connect ecological, social, and cultural systems.
Calderaro designs and facilitates immersive learning experiences that engage urban waterways and the Hudson River estuary as living classrooms. Her work includes developing overnight pedagogical experiences for educators, facilitating workshops, accessing remote estuarine landscapes by kayak, and conducting semi-formal interviews with communities across New York City about environmental concerns and lived experiences. Her transdisciplinary practice centers collaboration across academic and community contexts, bringing diverse forms of knowledge into conversation to cultivate environmental stewardship and collective action.
Her recent scholarship includes “Form, Shape and Content of an Industrious Unconscious—Becoming with Noisy Storks” and “Walking the Land where Fountain Avenue Begins.” Calderaro holds a PhD from The Graduate Center, CUNY, an MFA from CUNY Queens College, and a BFA from Wesleyan University. She is certified in Nature and Forest Therapy, Eco-Social Regenerative Design and Biodynamic Farming.
Dr. Garcia Lozano (they/any pronoun) is an interdisciplinary social scientist and environmental anthropologist whose work focuses on human-environment relations and on the politics of natural resources. Some of their areas of expertise include small-scale fisheries, collective action, social organization in fishing, labor in seafood production, and the politics of environmental governance including climate change adaptation and ecological restoration. Before coming to John Jay, Dr. Garcia Lozano was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center, affiliated with Arizona State University and Conservation International, where they led a collaborative multi-institutional research project on the challenges for decent work in fishing. Prior to that, Dr. Garcia Lozano conducted doctoral research examining the history and politics of fishing cooperatives in Mexico, as well as master’s research on the involvement of multiple actors in the co-management of small-scale fisheries in Costa Rica. Dr. Garcia Lozano’s current research examines the efforts of different collectives in NYC to restore and protect urban nature, to shape development and climate-related interventions in the city, and to reclaim urban coastal spaces as public and as commons.
The Environmental Club advances WCJ research, teaching, and action goals while providing support and leadership for student-led initiatives. The mission of the environmental club is to promote ecological literacy, foster a sense of respect, and responsibility for the Earth, as well as empower members of the wider community to take meaningful actions towards environmental sustainability. We seek to achieve these goals through education, activism, and direct conservation efforts. Our aim is to foster a culture of sustainability and environmental justice at John Jay and beyond.
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John Jay delegates to LCOY are selected for their demonstrated commitment to climate justice and community impact. Many come from New York City neighborhoods facing urban heat, flooding, and poor air quality, and together they reflect the diversity of our College. Since 2024, more than a dozen students have represented John Jay at LCOY-USA, where they gain firsthand experience in youth-led climate negotiations, policy drafting, and cross-regional collaboration.
