Humanists and Climate Action: Invitation to Collaborate

In 2022-23, the California State Legislature granted $100 million to the University of California system in order to support projects related to California Climate Action. Interested in funding a variety of project outcomes, the UC Office of the President encouraged the UC Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI) to coordinate across the system around a humanities-led project. We are reaching out in order to invite you to join us for an introductory conversation about what kind of project(s) the humanities might want to pursue. 

As you will see, the UC Climate Action Research Initiative is focused on funding projects that are “action oriented” and have an immediate and measurable impact on climate resilience. Furthermore, funded projects will likely involve a variety of non-university partners. Also important to keep in mind: there is strong support for proposals that include early career scholars, including graduate students. Please take a look at the above link to get a sense of the types of areas and projects that have been identified as critical (the climate dashboard is particularly useful).

Although we’ve begun conversations with scholars and policymakers across the state about what a humanities-driven initiative might look like, we are still very much in the beginning phases of defining the intellectual foci and practical outcomes. At this stage, we’d like to think aloud with you, and to get a sense of the type of community-based/driven work that you might be interested in bringing to such a proposal. 

We are holding Zoom meetings on Tuesday, November 29th at 3:00 PM and Wednesday, November 30th at noon, and invite you to join us for one of these. To register for a Zoom meeting, please fill out this Google form and select the meeting that works best for you.  If you are unable to attend one of the meetings but interested in the initiative, please also fill out the form (you will have the option to choose NO MEETING).

Image Credit – Rebeca Méndez (UC Los Angeles), The Sea Around Us, 2022.