Climate Justice: Values & Vulnerability Lab
CJV2 examines how a diverse sample of coastal and sea-facing communities—past and present—experience climate change amid social, cultural, economic, and political inequalities.
The CJV2 project addresses two main questions
- How are vulnerable and historically marginalized populations affected by warming oceans and changing climates?
- What competing notions of value are embedded in the ways people and communities engage the ocean, envision a good life, and weigh livelihood strategies in the face of enduring colonial approaches to the ocean as a place for extraction?
Climate change exacerbates injustice
- Climate justice recognizes that climate change disproportionately affects marginalized communities. It integrates social, economic, and environmental justice, emphasizing equitable responsibilities, rights, and accountability in both mitigating climate impacts and adapting to climate change.
Our Research Projects
Labour Transformation and Ocean Territorialization in the Development of Modern/Colonial Capitalism
Fisheries Value Chains and Ocean Extractivism
Warming Oceans, Changing Livelihoods
Politics and Policies of Climate Induced Displacement and Vulnerability
Places where we are researching
Our research is based out of Kjipuktuk, on unceded and unsurrendered Mi’kmaq territory, also known as Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The scope of the research spans the globe. Some of our historical and contemporary case studies focus on Mi’kma’ki and various Caribbean locations formerly part of the British colonial system. Our work on fisheries labour follows people working on high seas and coastal waters around the Americas. Our work on migrant workers follows individuals working in Atlantic Canada, many of whom originate from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Our research on politics and policies of climate displacement is documenting Canadian and international cases of environmentally driven migration.
CJV2 remains a dynamic project, and additional locations may be included as the research evolves.
Research Benefits
- Integration of Indigenous, marginalized and vulnerable communities’ perspectives into climate justice scholarship and policy debates
- Critical examination of coloniality as a cause of the ecological crisis and as an obstacle for just and ecologically viable futures
- Advancing knowledge, tools and strategies to support fair, sustainable, and ethical marine industry practices
- Clarifying the role of climate stressors in the motivations to migrate, working conditions, health and wellbeing of temporary foreign workers in Atlantic Canada
- Helping shape policies to address climate-driven migration within and to Canada
- Transformative and interdisciplinary student training in political ecology and climate justice
Our Team
We are an interdisciplinary team of researchers collaborating with one another and with community partners. Our team includes professors, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate and undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds and academic programs.
Our Community Partners
This research project is made possible in part by funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund for the Transforming Climate Action research program, led by Dalhousie University through the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI), in partnership with Memorial University (co-founder of OFI), Université du Québec à Rimouski, and Université Laval, with further support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Recent Publications
Structured exclusions, partial inclusions: Transnational care chains and temporary foreign workers in Atlantic Canada
Bryan, C., & Fitting, E. (2025) | Dialectical Anthropology | Published March 13, 2025
Recent News & Resources
Rethinking coastal authority in Nova Scotia: Part 1
Although the coast is a common space for people in Nova Scotia, its meaning is far from universal. The way individuals, communities, and institutions understand and use coastal areas is shaped by a range of social, economic, political, and cultural values. And because these perspectives often pull in different directions, conflicts between coastal stakeholders are inherently present.
Want to Get Involved?
If you want to connect with us, learn more about the project, or bring something to our attention, please reach out.
1376 Lemarchant St, Halifax, NS
B3H 3P9