Environment and Community

Scholars in this area use their expertise to study a range of subjects including civic engagement in climate action and other social movements, the relationship between land use, community, and policymaking in urban centres and the nature of human-environment relationships.

Can a just transition achieve decarbonization? PhD student Parker Muzzerall investigates in his first sole-authored paper

Can a just transition achieve decarbonization? PhD student Parker Muzzerall investigates in his first sole-authored paper

Muzzerall shows how those living and working in the Oil Sands remain skeptical of renewable energy, optimistic about the long-term viability of fossil fuels, and strongly oppose the proposal for a just transition.

Professor Andrew Jorgenson and graduate student co-authors examine carbon intensity of human well-being in Canadian provinces

Professor Andrew Jorgenson and graduate student co-authors examine carbon intensity of human well-being in Canadian provinces

Prof. Jorgenson, along with graduate research assistants Taekyong Goh, Yasmin Koop-Monteiro, Mark Shakespear, Nicolas Viens & Grace Gletsu, examines the effect of economic growth and income inequality on the carbon intensity of human well-being.

Emotions may matter more than facts in shaping individual support for renewable energy, new study shows

Emotions may matter more than facts in shaping individual support for renewable energy, new study shows

For the Conversation, PhD candidate Parker Muzzerall and his co-authors write about their recently published paper examining how climate concerns shape people’s view of energy sources.

Gabrielle Abando investigates spatial mechanisms of immigrant enclaves in her honours thesis

Gabrielle Abando investigates spatial mechanisms of immigrant enclaves in her honours thesis

Through a case study of Vancouver’s Joyce-Collingwood neighbourhood — a hub for Filipino Vancouverites — Gabrielle examines how immigrant enclaves cultivate well-connected and integrated immigrant communities.

Prof. Seth Abrutyn speaks to Vox about the research behind new book Life Under Pressure

Prof. Seth Abrutyn speaks to Vox about the research behind new book Life Under Pressure

Prof. Seth Abrutyn and co-author Anna Mueller spoke to Vox about the youth mental health crisis, the crucial role and responsibility of adults, and how kids take behavioral cues from those around them.

Do climate concerns and worries predict energy preferences? UBC Sociology researchers investigate

Do climate concerns and worries predict energy preferences? UBC Sociology researchers investigate

In a new meta-analysis, PhD student Parker Muzzerall and Prof. Emily Huddart Kennedy investigate the role of climate-related emotions in shaping energy preferences.

Prof. Andrew Jorgenson reflects on the history and trajectory of sociology and the climate crisis

Prof. Andrew Jorgenson reflects on the history and trajectory of sociology and the climate crisis

In a new article for Sociological Forum titled “Sociology and the climate crisis: A momentum surge and the roots run deep,” Prof. Jorgenson reflects on the history of the discipline and the trajectory of work to come on the climate crisis.

Community partnership with Urban Ethnographic Field School receives award from Community-University Engagement Support Fund

Community partnership with Urban Ethnographic Field School receives award from Community-University Engagement Support Fund

Recipes from the Neighbourhood House: Celebrating Food Heritages of the Downtown Eastside, a community partnership project co-coordinated by UBC Sociology Professor Kerry Greer, has recently been announced as a recipient of the Community-University Engagement Support (CUES) Fund.

Prof. Emily Kennedy and PhD student Parker Muzzerall weigh in on upcoming federal budget and a low-carbon future

Prof. Emily Kennedy and PhD student Parker Muzzerall weigh in on upcoming federal budget and a low-carbon future

Emily Huddart Kennedy and Parker Muzzerall explain that the upcoming budget also needs to address regional polarization and divisiveness in Policy Options.

Prof. Ethan Raker investigates how disaster aid programs engender racial and socioeconomic inequalities in new paper

Prof. Ethan Raker investigates how disaster aid programs engender racial and socioeconomic inequalities in new paper

Prof. Raker investigates how racial and socioeconomic disparities emerge through the process of applying for and receiving individual disaster assistance in a new study.