Centre for Climate Justice

What Centre for Climate Justice does

The Centre for Climate Justice (CCJ) is an academic research center established in 2021 within the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Arts, headquartered at 1984 West Mall on UBC's Vancouver campus. Its mission is to advance urgent social, political, and economic changes necessary to address the climate crisis through collaborative, interdisciplinary, and intersectional research that centers Indigenous, racialized, and frontline communities disproportionately affected by climate impacts. CCJ connects research across humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences, translating knowledge into accessible formats for movements, policymakers, and communities, with operational leadership distributed across Co-Directors Kavita Philip, Hannah Wittman, and Dr. Carol Liao, and Director of Public Engagement Naomi Klein.

CCJ's core offerings are research outputs and community-engaged services rather than commercial products. These include the 'Beyond Extractivism' report series, the 'Yukon Mining Audit' working paper (revealing 57% lower production than forecast across major Yukon mines), the 'Right to Cool' research and advocacy campaign (which influenced Vancouver Council's $1.4M SRO funding decision), the 'High Roads to Resilience' green industrial policy playbook, the Climate Justice Research Shop service model, trauma-informed journalism training via the Climate Disaster Project, and community-engaged research symposia co-hosted with SFU's CERi. The center has no proprietary technology platform; its value lies in convening power, research expertise, and policy translation.

The center's financial model is nonprofit and institutionally embedded. It receives block funding from UBC's Faculty of Arts for core operations, pursues competitive research grants from government agencies and foundations, and accepts donations through its website. All outputs — publications, events, training, and research services — are provided free of charge, with no commercial pricing model. Its customer base is composed of community organizations, Indigenous nations, municipal governments, peer academic institutions, and policy advocacy movements; it does not generate fee revenue from these engagements.

Name

Centre for Climate Justice

Legal name

Centre for Climate Justice at the University of British Columbia

Website

https://climatejustice.ubc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Centre for Climate Justice is a UBC Faculty of Arts research center (est. 2021) that produces community-engaged, interdisciplinary climate justice research and advocacy, serving Indigenous communities, frontline groups, policymakers, and climate movements in Canada and globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Climate Justice Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Risk Management (BPADALAK)

Keywords

• Climate justice research
• Community-engaged research
• Policy advocacy research
• Environmental justice studies
• Interdisciplinary academic research

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: As a university research centre at UBC, the CCJ receives institutional funding from the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Arts to support its core operations, staff, and ongoing programs.
2. Research Grants: The centre pursues and receives research grants from government agencies (federal and provincial), foundations, and other funding bodies to support specific research projects and initiatives.
3. Donations: The centre accepts donations through its website to support climate justice research and programs.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Centre for Climate Justice (CCJ) is a university research center at UBC that conducts interdisciplinary climate justice research, produces open-access reports and policy analyses, and runs training programs and community symposia. It mobilizes academic knowledge in service of Indigenous communities, frontline groups, climate movements, and policymakers, with all outputs distributed free of charge.

Product overview

The Centre for Climate Justice is a university research center, not a product company. It does not offer a unified software product but rather provides research services, publications, training programs, and community engagement activities. The center's offerings include research report series (Beyond Extractivism, High Roads to Resilience), policy advocacy initiatives (Right to Cool), working papers (Yukon Mining Audit), training programs (Climate Disaster Project trauma-informed journalism training), community-engaged research symposia, and a climate justice research shop service model. These offerings are interconnected through the center's mission to mobilize academic research towards decarbonization, repair, and redistribution in service of climate justice movements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beyond Extractivism Report Series A report series outlining actionable approaches to moving beyond extractivism by transforming social structures to better serve people and the planet. Produced in partnership with the Climate and Community Project for governments, movements, and researchers.
• Right to Cool Campaign Research and advocacy initiative calling for transformative, rights-based action to address heat vulnerability in Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing, particularly in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Aimed at policymakers, community organizations, and SRO residents.
• Uncertain Benefits, Known Costs: Yukon Mining Audit A working paper auditing the economic performance of six major Yukon mines approved through the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) since 2005, comparing projected timelines and economic benefits with actual outcomes. Targeted at YESAB, government policymakers, and the public.
• Climate Disaster Project Training An intensive summer training program teaching trauma-informed journalism techniques for communicating the human impacts of climate disasters. Participants learn to gather oral histories and adapt them into shareable stories. Targeted at UBC students and community members.
• High Roads to Resilience A research report and policy playbook on implementing green industrial policy for forest management, providing 40+ recommendations for creating vibrant rural economies through better forest management and wildfire prevention. Targeted at policymakers and forest management practitioners.
• Community-Engaged Research Symposia Symposia bringing together community organizers, movement leaders, Elders, media makers, researchers, and climate justice practitioners to share practices and lessons for community-engaged climate research. Targeted at climate justice practitioners and researchers.
• Climate Justice Research Shop A service model where community organizations can work with students and faculty to develop research projects addressing climate-related needs for free or reduced cost. Targeted at community organizations and climate justice groups lacking internal research capacity.

Quantifiable outcome

• CCJ research contributed to Vancouver Council approving $1.4M for SRO cooling and warming retrofits, directly addressing heat-related health risks for vulnerable populations.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Climate and Community ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2026Ongoing collaborative partnership producing joint research reports including 'Beyond Extractivism', 'High Roads to Resilience', and the Yukon mining audit. The partnership focuses on translating academic research into actionable policy approaches for climate and community justice.
• West Moberly First NationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 August 2023Collaborative research partnership documented in 'Dancing with the Land' report, bringing together Chief and Lands Department staff with UBC researchers to advance relationship-building, knowledge exchange, and research planning around climate change.
• Climate Disaster ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 August 2023Partnership for trauma-informed journalism training program teaching students and community members to communicate human impacts of climate disasters using oral history techniques.
• Simon Fraser University (SFU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 May 2023Collaborative initiative through CERi to develop 'climate justice research shop' models where community organizations can work with students and faculty on climate-related research needs.
• SFU's Community-Engaged Research Initiative (CERi)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2022Co-hosted symposium on Community-Engaged Research and the Climate Crisis and collaborative reports including the 'Idea Jam' summary report. Partnership aims to foster community of practice for community-engaged climate research.
• Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support implementation of the BC First Nations Climate Strategy and Action Plan (FNCSAP), developing a Community Capacity Toolkit for climate certification training, clean energy programming, and government funding opportunities.
• The InterceptminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership for Egypt's Carceral Climate Summit livestream event, co-moderated by CCJ faculty.
• UBC Climate Hub and Sustainability HubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupport for climate emergency town hall events and collaborative programming on climate issues.
• Third World NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative report 'Exporting Extinction: How the International Financial System Constrains Biodiverse Futures' addressing biodiversity and international finance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Movement Generation: An activist organization working on ecological regeneration and economic justice rooted in community-based research. Direct peer given intersection of climate justice, social justice, and movement-building research that parallels CCJ's framework.
• Indigenous Climate Action: An Indigenous-led organization advancing climate justice through community-driven research and policy advocacy in Canada. Direct peer given shared Indigenous-led research methodology, climate justice focus, and Canadian operating context.
• Climate Justice Alliance: A US-based network of frontline communities and organizations building a just transition away from extractive economies. Direct peer given shared climate justice framing, community-led approach, and focus on extractive industry critique.
• SFU's Community-Engaged Research Initiative (CERi): Simon Fraser University's community-engaged research initiative that co-hosts symposia and develops collaborative reports with CCJ. Direct peer given parallel academic-center structure, shared climate justice research methodology, and partnership on the Climate Justice Research Shop model.
• Climate and Community Project: A climate justice research and policy partner organization that collaborates with CCJ on joint reports including "Beyond Extractivism," "High Roads to Resilience," and the Yukon mining audit. Most direct peer given shared research outputs, similar funding model, and overlapping leadership.

Broad incumbents

• Pembina Institute: A Canadian clean energy policy research organization producing analysis on climate and energy transition. Broad incumbent given overlapping evidence-based policy research methodology, though focused on technical/energy policy rather than justice framing.
• David Suzuki Foundation: A major Canadian environmental nonprofit using science-based research and advocacy to address climate and ecological issues. Broad incumbent given overlapping Canadian climate research and policy advocacy work, though broader environmental scope than CCJ's justice lens.
• UBC Climate Hub: A broader UBC initiative that collaborates with CCJ on climate emergency town halls and sustainability programming. Broad incumbent given university-wide climate mandate that overlaps with but extends beyond CCJ's justice-focused niche.
• Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA): A leading Canadian progressive policy research institute producing research on economic and social justice issues including climate. Broad incumbent given broader social-policy mandate and Canadian scope that encompasses CCJ's narrower climate justice focus.

Others

• Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC): A political organization representing BC First Nations that partners with CCJ on the Community Capacity Toolkit for climate strategy implementation. Adjacent partner given Indigenous governance focus and formal CCJ partnership, though not a research center.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=oc5NEwI09LE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centreforclimatejustice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centre for Climate Justice