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Climate Justice Program

Addressing the human impacts of extreme weather made more severe by climate change

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From Local to Global

Our Climate Justice program addresses the human impacts of climate change. As the climate changes, the prevalence and ferocity of extreme weather events — severe heat waves, torrential rains, alarming floods, extensive droughts, and destructive wildfires — are increasing. Such events drastically affect peoples’ lives — their health, livelihood, housing, access to food and water, and personal security.

We listen to understand the perspectives and needs of people most at risk due to climate change, especially when those risks are being overlooked by policymakers. Our research results in recommendations to create new laws and policies, news articles, health and technology interventions, and industry guidance to better protect the human rights of people in affected communities.  

Program Staff

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Betsy Popken

Executive Director; Director, Climate Justice

Human Rights Center

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Linda Gordon

Researcher, Climate Justice

Human Rights Center

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Dr. Rohini J. Haar

Advisory Board Member, Research Fellow

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Eric Stover

Co-Faculty Director

Human Rights Center

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Alexa Koenig

Co-Faculty Director; Director, Investigations

Human Rights Center

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Ritwik Gupta

Research Fellow

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Alexey Berlind

Associate Director, Student Fellowship and Events

Human Rights Center

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Carly Hyland

Research Fellow

News

An orange wildfire burns with brown and black smoke shrouding the sky above.

December 5, 2023

Climate candor: Ridding climate cases of questionable science

HRC in the News — Open Global Rights: Climate candor: Ridding climate cases of questionable science, authored by Alexa Koenig and Baiboon Sakulkarunaarree.

Image by Ajay Karpur via Unsplash

August 4, 2007

Human rights abuses threaten health in Burma

Image by Ajay Karpur via Unsplash HRC in the News — The Lancet: Human rights abuses threaten health in Burma, writing about the report “The

Cho Cho Win, a Burmese migrant worker suffering from AIDS, shortly before her death in a clinic on the Thailand border. (Nic Dunlop photo)

June 28, 2007

Burma junta faulted for rampant diseases

Cho Cho Win, a Burmese migrant worker suffering from AIDS, shortly before her death in a clinic on the Thailand border. (Nic Dunlop photo) HRC in the News —