Conference Agenda

Cities around the world are at the forefront of a major economic, technological, social, and political transition to decarbonization. This ambitious agenda of urban transformation has significant implications for social justice. It will shape the ability of different segments of the population to access employment, housing, transportation and mediating their exposure to environmental goods and burdens. Beyond the general recognition that addressing climate change has the potential to dismantle or reinforce social inequalities for people with disabilities, little is known about the concrete implications of decarbonization for the lives and well-being of people with disabilities living in cities. Our paper brings together the literatures on spatial justice, disability inclusion, and climate justice to examine the intersections, tensions, and synergies between urban transitions to sustainability and accessibility. We argue that disability inclusion is a neglected dimension in environmental efforts to transform enduring social, economic, institutional, and technological structures and path-dependencies across multiple sectors and levels of governance. Our project is grounded in a disability rights research paradigm that emphasizes that: knowledge should be co-generated by and with a diversity of voices from the disability community; aligned with their priorities; focused on rectifying current, historical or potential violations of their rights; and addressed to them in accessible formats Drawing on semi-structured interviews with people with disabilities, focus groups with disabiility and climate policy-makers and activists, and analysis of policy documents and media coverage, we provide an in-depth qualitative case study of whether and how climate initiatives have engaged and affected different people with disabilities in Montreal. We will focus on the development and impacts of initiatives aimed at: (1) transforming transportation (through the promotion of car-sharing, electrification, mass transit, and active transportation) and increasing green spaces; (2) decarbonizing the built environment through energy efficiency, retrofitting, and renewable energy measures targeting homes and buildings; (3) reducing waste and phasing-out single-use plastic products; and (4) fostering the development of clean technology sectors and green jobs. Our findings will highlight challenges and opportunities for ensuring that climate policies and initiatives enhance, rather than undermine, efforts to make societies more inclusive of people with disabilities. We will also reflect on the important contributions that the agency and knowledge of people with disabilities can make in the transition to decarbonization in cities.

Energy transitions are not necessarily just, and diversity in leadership and participation are important in a low-carbon energy transition. As inequities and disparities among those impacted by environmental degradation is growing, environmental philanthropy is also expanding. How philanthropic foundations distribute funds is important to understand. Who is receiving and benefitting from environmental philanthropy and who is excluded? Focusing on Canada, this study analyzes how environmental philanthropy is being distributed among non-profit organizations working on low-carbon energy transition.

Using a systematic scan to identify a baseline of organizations, combined with qualitative workshops with civil society stakeholders, this study identified 467 predominantly foundation-funded organizations. Analysis of organization websites to understand their engagement in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion found that the vast majority do not appear to be led by equity deserving groups (e.g., youth, Indigenous Peoples, racialized, immigrant, low-income, disability, seniors, and Northern and coastal communities), while approximately half are addressing equity deserving groups. Workshop feedback from stakeholders indicated how foundations have produced these outcomes, and how they could expand the scope of sectors and organization types funded, as well as to alter the landscape of participation to those who are currently marginalised or excluded from the transition, or vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, by providing funding for transformational and decolonizing practices to support a just low-carbon transition.