Empowering Communities in Environmental Justice

Lourdes Vera's talk will give you an overview of what community-based environmental justice is and how we might use it in the Netherlands. Vera is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Department of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Buffalo. As an environmental sociologist and civic scientist, she works with communities living near oil and gas development to monitor their air for contaminants. She also serves on the coordinating committee of the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, envisioning and building digital tools and research infrastructures for environmental data justice. Her interdisciplinary work spans environmental science, social science, and critical theory with articles appearing in Atmospheric Environment, Engaging Science, Technology, and Society and Mobilization.