Climate Justice in Practice: exploring the complexities and limitations of transformative adaptation in San Francisco

Keywords: climate change, adaptation, grassroots, transformative adaptation, climate justice, climate governance
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Monday
Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 35

Abstract

As the world sets out to adapt to climate change, cities have begun addressing the uneven
physical and social impacts of climate change. As a result, there’s been a surge in scholarship
dedicated to climate justice and transformative adaptation. However, there is limited empirical
research, comparing how climate justice is addressed through community-driven and
government-led climate change adaptation within the urban context. This study explores the
case of San Francisco which has a history of liberal environmental planning and a strong
presence of grassroots activism by carrying out interviews with public officials and activists, we
address the following questions: 1) to what extent and how are issues of climate justice
integrated into government and community led climate adaptation? 2) how do policy and
infrastructure decisions for climate adaptation take into consideration displacement and
gentrification? and 3) How is climate justice defined and approached by key urban actors
involved in climate adaptation? Our findings shed light on the various perspectives,
frameworks, and approaches employed by both community groups and the public sector when
applying concepts of climate justice to urban adaptation. The study highlights the complexities
and possible limitations to just and transformative adaptation in an urban context.