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

Brazil Isn’t the Only Far-Right Government Destroying the Planet

As the Amazon burns, the terrifying parallels between the U.S. and Brazilian governments highlight the damage authoritarian leaders are doing.

“Freedom Gas” Will Be Used to Justify Oppression at Home and Abroad

As anti-extraction protests gain momentum, government responds with threats of federal prison time for those who interfere with the fossil fuel industry.

Trump’s War on Science is Grounds to Impeach

Trump’s latest impeachable offense? His administration intends to actively interfere in climate research by federal scientists.

The Terrifying Implications of India’s Elections for People and the Planet

The Modi government’s far-right bigotry is well-known, but its equally disturbing environmental record isn’t.

Beyond the Paris Accord

In an interview with CounterSpin, Basav Sen says the U.S. should fund international climate mitigation and climate adaptation policies.

How Trade Agreements Stand in the Way of an International Green New Deal

To reduce emissions abroad, the U.S. must renegotiate its trade agreements.

Labor Unions Must Lead a Just Transition from Fossil Fuels to Clean Energy

Some labor leaders have already scorched proposals like the Green New Deal even as affected sectors continue to lose jobs.

A Handout for Uber and Lyft Is No Replacement for Public Transit

Transportation network services have resisted regulations on workers’ rights, traffic safety, and the environment. The public shouldn’t subsidize them.

An Open Letter to DC’s Transit Authority: Don’t Subsidize Uber — Restore Service!

Metro’s plan to subsidize its own competition will hurt the planet, public transit, and the working people who rely on it.

The Shutdown as Shock Doctrine

The right wing could use the shutdown as a pretext to accelerate cuts to public services it deems ‘inessential.’

Let’s Honor Rosa Parks by Continuing Her Struggle for Transit Equity

Barriers to public transit access make it harder for people, particularly people of color and the poor, to get to jobs and schools.

Democratic Leaders Failed Their First Big Test on Climate

Kicking the can down the road appears to be a bipartisan sport in Washington.

The Trump Administration’s War On Science Is Worse Than the Inquisition

The White House’s crude deflections on science aren’t simply ignorant — they’re calculated to serve the fossil fuel industry at the entire planet’s expense.

Institute for Policy Studies Statement in Support of Union Drive at Buffalo, NY Tesla Facility

There Can Be No Climate Justice Without Workers’ Rights

A Half-Degree Change in Temperature, a 180-Degree Change in Thinking?

Global temperatures are rising unmanageably quick, but a shift in public consciousness could lead to the climate policy changes we desperately need.

Killing for Coal (Literally)

Shocking as this sounds, the U.S. government is — by its own admission — willing to murder up to 1,600 Americans a year to enrich a few coal billionaires.

The Inequality Crisis Hiding Behind High Utility Bills

Low-income people and communities of color are disproportionately energy insecure. Here’s how energy efficiency policy can address the divide.

Report: Energy Efficiency with Justice

How State Energy Efficiency Policy Can Mitigate Climate Change, Create Jobs, and Address Racial and Economic Inequality

Want to Create Useful Jobs? Reduce Fossil Fuel Use

Energy efficiency creates more jobs than fossil fuels – and at a faster rate and lower cost.

Brett Kavanaugh Would Be A Disaster On Climate

When a literal reading of the law makes it harder to regulate corporations, judges like Kavanaugh stick to a literal reading. When it doesn’t, they get creative.

Project Director

Climate Policy

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

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