Data Justice for Climate Sciences in the

This course examines how data are produced, governed, and used in climate and social research, and how these processes shape power, equity, and decision-making. Students engage with Critical Data Studies and data justice frameworks to interrogate Earth observation, modeled estimates, and community-generated data commonly used in climate and social research contexts. A central focus of the course is the tension between hyper-local, participatory data practices often associated with data justice and co-production, and the scale, automation, and volume of data produced in the AI era. The course examines when scaling data systems is necessary to address compounding climate, affordability, and basic-needs challenges, and when that same scale risks reproducing inequities or weakening accountability.