This event is part of the Climate Justice Series, hosted by the UBC Sustainability Hub. The 2024-25 series focuses on the question ‘What is Climate Justice?’, which explores how climate justice intersects with multiple disciplinary perspectives and examines what working towards climate justice could look like across different areas. It showcases how climate justice is an integral part of climate research and teaching.
What is the role of businesses in working towards climate justice?
This expert panel will discuss the opportunities, constraints and responsibilities that corporations have in adapting their business practices to address the unequal impacts of climate change, considering their different emissions contributions. Speakers will examine the extent to which businesses are able to —and should—be socially and environmentally responsible.
The roundtable discussion will be followed by a Q&A, moderated by Kookai Chaimahawong, Executive Director, Centre for Climate and Business Solutions, UBC Sauder School of Business.
PANELISTS
- Stephanie Bertels
Founder, Embedding Project and Professor, Beedie School of Business, SFU
- Carol Liao
Co-Director, Centre for Climate Justice; Chair, Canada Climate Law Initiative; and Associate Professor, Allard School of Law, UBC
- Andrew Jorgenson
Professor, UBC Sociology
- David Hardisty
Associate Professor, UBC Sauder School of Business
Lunch will be provided.
Space is limited. Please register by Tuesday, April 1.
Date: Thursday, April 3, from 12:30 – 2 PM
Venue: BC Hydro Theatre, Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability
Location: 2260 West Mall (Open on Google Maps)
Organized by the UBC Sustainability Hub, Centre for Climate Justice, Climate Emergency Response at UBC, Centre for Climate and Business Solutions at UBC Sauder and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS).
Panel Speakers
Stephanie Bertels
Stephanie Bertels is the VanDusen Professor of Sustainability at SFU’s Beedie School of Business. She founded and leads the Embedding Project, a global public-benefit research project collaborating with leading global companies to develop practical tools that help them to embed sustainability and do their part to support environmental and social resilience. Stephanie regularly supports executives and boards as they embed sustainability into their oversight and decision-making.
Carol Liao
Carol Liao is an Associate Professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law and Co-Director (Academic) of the Centre for Climate Justice at UBC. She is the Chair and Principal Co-Investigator of the Canada Climate Law Initiative, advancing director knowledge on the latest in climate science, climate risk disclosures, and fiduciary obligations. She is also the UBC Sauder Distinguished Fellow of the Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics at the UBC Sauder School of Business. She is an internationally respected expert in corporate law, sustainability, and climate governance.
Andrew Jorgenson
Andrew Jorgenson is a Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of the Climate and Society Lab at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He is also a Faculty Associate at UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, and a Faculty Affiliate of both the Centre for Climate Justice and the Climate Solutions Collective. As an environmental macrosociologist trained in global political economy, Andrew conducts research on the human dimensions of global and regional environmental change, with a focus on the societal causes and consequences of the climate crisis.
David Hardisty
David Hardisty is Associate Professor and SMEV Chair of Marketing and Behavioural Science at UBC Sauder School of Business. David studies consumer behaviour change, especially in the domains of sustainability and financial decision making. He co-founded the Decision Insights for Business and Society (DIBS) group, and the Interdisciplinary Biodiversity Solutions (IBioS) research cluster. He teaches courses on decision making, consumer behaviour, ethics & sustainability, experimentation, and statistics at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels. He currently chairs UBC Sauder’s committee on Academic Programs, Teaching, and Learning.
Moderator
Kookai Chaimahawong
Kookai Chaimahawong is the Executive Director of the Centre for Climate and Business Solutions at UBC Sauder School of Business, known for her expertise in impact investing and ESG strategies. Her career includes launching a successful social enterprise startup, establishing SDG partnerships at the United Nations, and leading investments in sustainability-focused ventures through Venture Capital and Private Equity funds. Additionally, she serves as a Sessional Lecturer in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Kookai is a member of the ESG Advisory Council of the ESG Centre of Excellence within the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development, and Innovation (JEDI) for the Province of British Columbia. She is also the board chair at the Vancouver Entrepreneurs Forum and is a regular speaker and mentor in global climate-tech startup and responsible investment communities.
