Basav Sen joined the Institute for Policy Studies as the Climate Justice Project Director in February 2017. His work focuses on climate solutions at the national, state, and local level that address racial, economic, gender and other forms of inequality.

Prior to joining IPS, Basav worked for about 11 years as a strategic corporate campaign researcher at the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). He has also had experience as a campaigner on the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and global finance and trade issues. As a member of a grassroots neighborhood-based environmental group, he has been involved in local struggles on energy justice in Washington DC.

Latest

How the U.S. Transportation System Fuels Inequality

Transportation policies prioritizing private vehicle use leave the poor and people of color behind.

Fossil Fueled Foreign Policy: Why COP26 Flopped

Western observers want to blame India for the failure of the UN climate talks. Not so fast.

Rain and Sunshine and Wind

How an Energy Transition Could Power Nebraska

How to Truly ‘Build Back Better’ on Climate

The Build Back Better program isn’t just inadequate on climate—it may be a disaster. Here’s what movements are demanding next.

Why Did a U.S. Envoy Meet With the Head of a Fascist Militia in India?

The fact that India is well on its way to full-fledged authoritarianism hasn’t factored into the Biden administration’s approach to the “world’s largest democracy.”

Biden Made Big Compromises on Climate — and Movements That Backed Him Are Livid

The climate crisis rages on as Biden prioritizes bipartisanship on an infrastructure bill that guts climate action.

Biden Should Reject the Infrastructure Plan Written by Exxon and Invest in Saving the Climate Instead

As disaster after disaster unfolds, any plan that doesn’t tackle the climate crisis with urgency isn’t worth taking seriously.

Fossil Fueled-Crackdowns Are Part of the Assault on Democracy

As more communities rise up to resist the well-known danger of fossil fuel extraction, the industry has been radicalizing against democracy.

Fund Public Transit, Not More Roads

We should stop subsidizing sprawl and spend those savings on our resource-starved mass transit systems.

Green Jobs Are the Wave of the Future

Solar energy, in particular, shows potential to create inclusive, well-paying union jobs that working Americans need.

Community Hearing on Transit Equity 2021: Findings and Recommendations

Findings from the Transit Equity 2021 report highlight organizing successes, existing inequities, and policy solutions for U.S. public transit.

The Fossil Fuel Industry Is Lining up Behind Far-Right Authoritarians

As climate change intensifies and countries turn to clean energies, Big Oil will take increasingly desperate measures to survive.

Law Enforcement’s Dangerous Double Standards on Protest

We’re getting an up-close look at how law enforcement treats left and right protests differently. But the solution is protecting protest, not supercharging law enforcement.

Fossil Fuels Caused the Texas Freeze

The state’s fossil-fuel heavy electric power grid simply couldn’t handle the peak load.

Fossil-Fueled Fascism

How the oil, gas, and coal industries support and fund white supremacy and far-right politics.

Paying Politicians to Criminalize Protest

More communities are protesting pipelines. The fossil fuel industry wants to make that a felony.

I was Invited to Join the G20 Think Tank Summit. Here’s Why I Declined.

My participation in a session on climate and energy policy hosted by the Saudi government would have “greenwashed” the summit.

Muzzling Dissent

How Corporate Influence over Politics Has Fueled Anti-Protest Laws

This Is a Climate Emergency. We Need More Than Half-Measures from Democrats.

How to get the Democrats’ climate policy from “better than the Republicans” to “sufficient to save the planet.”

Key Oil and Gas Pipelines Are on Their Last Legs — That’s Good News

A systematic program of investment in renewables and energy efficiency will create many more jobs than pipelines and pose far less threat to life on our planet.

Project Director

Climate Policy

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    Climate and Labor, Climate Change, climate justice, Climate Organizing

    Ep 14: Climate Justice with Terry Gibson and Basav Sen

    Trippin on the Shoestring | June 2, 2023

    Biden Administration Invests in Carbon Capture

    Associated Press | May 17, 2023

    The KPFA Evening News (Sunday)

    KPFA Evening News | April 23, 2023

    ‘Stop Funding Oil and Gas Projects

    Independent Uganda | April 18, 2023

    ‘Wrong Way on Climate’

    My Green Pod | April 11, 2023

    More...