Mapping research connections to environmental justice: Crisis Tree exercise
ModulesMapping research connections to environmental justice: Crisis Tree exercise
This micromodule invites researchers and students to reflect on their work in relation to intersectional environmental justice using a visual “Crisis Tree”.
By the end of the module, participants should be able to:
- Identify systemic factors (e.g., public policy, health equity, urban inequality) that shape research impacts and responsibilities.
- Map research linkages to climate justice, interspecies justice, and gendered (urban) contexts using the “Crisis Tree”.
- Articulate how their research connects with environmental and climate justice using intersectionality-based thinking.
What is this about?
Background, symptoms and root causes of the “Crisis Tree”
Please go through the PowerPoint presentation (summary from chapter 6 of the Coloring Connections, Verdonk et al., 2024). (Please click on the bottom right of the slides to expand it to full screen and improve your experience).
Crisis Tree
Look closely at the image and reflect on the issues that might be affecting your research. Hover over the image to reveal example reflection questions that can help you reflect on your research.
Please match the key terms related to the Crisis Tree with their descriptions
Match the key terms related to the Crisis Tree with their descriptions
Explore the following additional terms through the lens of the Crisis Tree
Reflect: Linking theory and visual practice
Note the most important issues that might be affecting your research
References
1. Main source
Verdonk, P. (Ed.). (2024). Coloring connections: Researching gender, intersectionality and health in the climate crisis. Dutch Society Gender & Health & Amsterdam UMC. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14047986
2. Intersectionality framework (IBPA foundation)
Hankivsky, O. (2014). Intersectionality 101. The Institute for Intersectionality Research and Policy, Simon Fraser University. https://womensstudies.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2021/06/Intersectionality-101.pdf
3. Climate justice (intersectional urban perspective)
Amorim-Maia, A. T., Anguelovski, I., Chu, E., & Connolly, J. (2022). Intersectional climate justice: A conceptual pathway for bridging adaptation planning, transformative action, and social equity. Urban Climate, 41, 101053. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2021.101053
4. Intersectionality in climate change (theoretical grounding)
Kaijser, A., & Kronsell, A. (2014). Climate change through the lens of intersectionality. Environmental Politics, 23(3), 417-433. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2013.835203Remarks
After completing this module:
- explore “Incorporating gender, health, and climate justice in your research: A reflexive question card exercise” to deepen reflexive and intersectional thinking (the Crisis Tree showed the system and this module will help you locate yourself within it)
- continue with “Doing research with communities affected by climate change: Climate-conscious methodologies matrix (for researchers and ethics reviewers)” to apply systems insights to research design (after mapping problems with the Crisis Tree, this module will show you how to redesign your methodology accordingly)
- revisit “Planetary health, human well-being and environmental justice” to strengthen conceptual understanding of justice (this module explains the “why” behind what you mapped in the Crisis Tree)
