Large Crowd For UMass Energy Transition Institute Launch

The Energy Transition Institute at UMass (ETI) held its formal launch in a hybrid meeting online and at the Old Chapel on campus on February 28, 2022. The hour-long program can be viewed here. Over 300 people registered for the event, which consisted of introductory remarks by Faculty Director Erin Baker and a panel discussion. UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and U.S. Senator Ed Markey also provided remarks.

The ETI is a multidisciplinary institute supporting research examining the convergence of climate change and social justice. As Baker pointed out in her opening remarks, most existing organizations concentrate on either technological aspects or social aspects of climate change, but few take both into account. This is the gap that ETI aims to fill. For instance, Baker pointed out that poor communities are much more affected by pollution from power plants than wealthy ones. Also, subsidies for solar panels are only available to those who own homes with sunny roofs, although the subsidies are paid through everyone’s electric bills.

Supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, ETI is sponsoring programs in local communities to devise energy conservation programs that fit the community. For example, anthropologists and engineers are working with community leaders in Holyoke to promote a transition to renewable energy, and UMass economists have published a list of the worst polluters in the U.S. The ELEVATE program supports graduate students working on climate justice.

The panel discussion was moderated by W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of Afro-American Studies Amilcar Shabazz and included Elvis Mendes, Director of Neighbor-To-Neighbor, author Danielle Dean-Ryan, Director of Equitable Climate Solutions at the Bezos Earth Fund, and Cielo Sharkus, a graduate student in engineering in the Elevate program.

Shabazz noted the need for an equitable and clean energy future, as illustrated by the numerous climate emergencies in Africa over the past year, including floods, storms, locust infestations, and droughts. Mendes pointed out that the current climate crisis, economic inequality, and political polarization are all made worse by racism. Dean-Ryan said that science and equity are intertwined with everything we do regarding climate change.

In response to a question about how engineers should interact with under-resourced, underserved, and overburdened communities, Mendes suggested approaching the community from a perspective of cultural humility by relinquishing the stand as an expert and learning from the community. Sharkus said researchers should ensure that everyone’s voice is heard. 

When asked about the role of environmental philanthropy, Dean-Ryan said that 20 years ago philanthropists wanted to solve the climate problem before the equity one. However, in California, environmental justice organizations had enough power to get climate justice written into climate mitigation laws. But even then, very little climate funding was directed to equity. With the murder of George Floyd and the rise in Black Lives Matter, this support has been increasing lately. It is now widely accepted that both climate change and social inequity must be solved together.

In a call to action, Baker encouraged more involvement both on the UMass campus and from community partners. She also spoke for more funding as the campus transitions to clean energy and for an endowment for the institute. 

ETI is sponsoring a symposium on May 3 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. More information on the symposium will be forthcoming.