
A new policy research center was unveiled this week at the University of California, Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE). Called the Center for Climate and Society, the initiative aims to address climate change with a strong focus on equity and well-being.
According to an announcement from IRLE, the center will be coordinated by Professor Clair Brown of the Department of Economics and Professor Julia Walsh of the Department of Public Health. The stated goal is to produce research and analysis that can guide policymakers in developing policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while taking into account the needs of marginalized communities.
“We researched a bill from the Richmond City Council to end coal exports,” said IRLE spokesperson Ana Fox-Hodess. “We looked at the economic and health impacts of coal exports to support the bill, and in part because of that analysis, the City Council voted to end coal exports in Richmond.” (Local News Matters)
Professor Brown, a former director of IRLE, is the author of Buddhist Economics: An Enlightened Approach to the Dismal Science (Bloomsbury Press, 2017), work the center cites as fundamental to its mission. Professor Brown's book challenges conventional economic assumptions by emphasizing altruism, social interdependence and respect for the environment. An online video linked to the center's website asks, "Our economic focus on augmentation and consumption isn't working. Is there a different model?" (Local News Matters)
Fox-Hodess said the Climate and Society Center would fund academic and community-based projects. “As an endowed research center, that means they’ll be able to invest in funding faculty and collaborations between faculty and community groups, and outreach to policymakers in the form of analysis and proposals,” she noted. “This center will look at the costs and benefits of different policies for vulnerable communities.” (Local News Matters)
The center’s goals include creating an archive of global economic policies that effectively share wealth and reduce suffering. Another project is to assess the net social and environmental benefits of state and national economies, generating data that can support or critique legislative proposals. Local policy analysis is also planned: “We looked at the economic and health impacts of coal exports,” Fox-Hodess reiterated, referencing previous research by IRLE on a Richmond bill that led to a 2020 decision to end coal shipping and storage by 2026. (Local News Matters)
Among the first projects is a review of a proposal to establish a buffer zone between oil and gas facilities and residential areas. “The center is currently studying a new bill that would measure the health and social benefits of maintaining a 3-foot (000-meter) buffer zone between oil and gas sites and homes and schools,” Fox-Hodess said. (Local News Matters)

Preliminary research suggests that Buddhism in the United States, while diverse, has often been associated with values of compassion and mindful living. In the face of growing concerns about climate change, many American Buddhist communities have expressed interest in combining spiritual perspectives and scientific research to foster sustainable practices. In this context, Professor Brown Buddhist Economics aligns with a broader shift among some Buddhist practitioners, who see caring for the environment as part of a compassionate and engaged practice.
However, not all economic theorists agree that divestment from fossil fuels is the most effective path to reducing emissions. Some argue that technological innovation and market incentives play a larger role. Nevertheless, the Climate and Society Center highlights the potential of policy measures to bring about the necessary structural changes.
The new center is expected to work collaboratively across the UC system and with government agencies, IRLE officials say, with the hope of producing findings that will guide decisions to reduce carbon emissions and improve the well-being of disadvantaged communities. Observers note that this approach — which balances scientific knowledge, economic modeling and concern for equity — reflects an emerging trend in public policy thinking.
The center has identified several key research priorities, including studying the public health impacts of climate change and how to mitigate them, ensuring worker health and safety in new climate conditions, and rigorously analyzing proposed climate policies with a focus on distributional outcomes. Additional efforts focus on an equitable transition to a carbon-free economy, as well as “engaging community organizations and policymakers in designing policies that rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the quality of life of vulnerable communities.” (UC Berkeley)
See more
Center for Climate and Society (UC Berkeley)
Pollution Reduction and Buddhist Economic Focus of UC Berkeley's New Research Center (Local News Matters)
Buddhist economics takes focus at new UC Berkeley research center (Patch)
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