As climate impacts intensify and governments continue to delay action, more people are turning to protest, disruption, and civil disobedience to demand change. But when laws uphold injustice, is breaking them not only justified — but necessary? Today’s guest is Dr. Kimberley Brownlee, Canada Research Chair in Ethics and Political and Social Philosophy at the University of British Columbia. She is also the author of several books, including Conscience and Conviction: The Case for Civil Disobedience. Kimberley explains what civil disobedience is and presents her argument for why it is a moral right and, sometimes, a duty. We also discuss debates on civil disobedience and climate change prompted by the book How to Blow Up a Pipeline and reflect on the current political climate.

Our global economic system is premised on the idea that gross domestic product needs to constantly grow. But on a finite planet, is green growth possible? And is prosperity possible in a world without growth? Today’s guest is Dr. Tim Jackson, Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Surrey and Director of the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity. Tim is a leading researcher on de-growth, and is the author of several books on the subject including Prosperity without Growth, Post Growth - Life After Capitalism, and his latest The Care Economy. Tim explains the problems with our need for constant growth–how it is not only incompatible with a sustainable future but is also bad for our well-being. He also shares what a post growth society premised on a care economy could look like.

Is tax justice also climate justice? What role does the tax system have in our fight against climate change? We spoke with Franziska Mager, Senior Researcher and Advocacy Lead for Climate and Inequalities at the Tax Justice Network; she leads the Tax Justice Network's work on integrating tax and climate justice approaches in service of reducing inequalities. Franziska explains why taxes are important for climate justice and reprogramming economies off of their dependence on fossil fuels. She also discusses some of the concrete tax measures countries could introduce to solve the climate financing gap while also promoting social and economic justice and correcting climate injustices within and between countries.

The energy inefficiency in our homes is one of the biggest barriers to meeting our climate targets. Heating and electricity make up a huge portion of our greenhouse gas emissions, and those emissions are rising. At the same time, millions of people live in housing that’s drafty, expensive to heat, unhealthy, or even unsafe. Could retrofitting homes at scale be a climate solution that also improves health, lowers energy costs, and promotes housing justice? We spoke with Abhi Kantamneni, the Director of Action Research with Efficiency Canada, an organization that studies the technology, governance, and business systems influencing Canada’s energy future. Abhi has a decade of experience helping communities across US and Canada use clean and efficient energy to achieve local priorities including improving housing, increasing ‘good jobs’ and reducing poverty. In this conversation, Abhi highlights how much energy is wasted in our homes — often without us realizing. From drafty windows to aging heating systems, many people only make upgrades when something breaks, often in moments of crisis. Abhi makes the case for a coordinated, government-led retrofit strategy that supports renters and homeowners alike — not just to reduce emissions, but to lower energy bills, improve health, and address poverty through climate action.

Public transit in Canada is facing a crisis. Between chronic underfunding, dwindling ridership, and outdated infrastructure, it's becoming increasingly difficult for urban residents to rely on transit, while rural areas often have no options at all. Could making public transit free be a climate solution that also addresses social inequities?

Guests Rubens and Christian are organizers with Climate Justice Montreal, a group pursuing environmental and climate justice through education, mobilization and collective action in solidarity with directly affected communities. Rubens and Christian make the case for why public transit shouldn’t just be affordable - it should be free for all. Free transit reduces carbon emissions, eases traffic congestion, and improves noise and air pollution. It removes financial barriers, helping low-income riders, students, and seniors get where they need to go. This episode explores how a fare-free system isn’t just a dream – it’s a practical step towards more just, sustainable cities.

Our social safety nets were designed to protect people from “social risks” like illness and unemployment, and to alleviate poverty. But in the era of climate change, do we need to re-boot the social protection system so that it’s adaptive and responsive to climate risks?

On today’s episode we spoke with Dr. Meghan Bailey, the Head of Social Protection and Health at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. Meghan leads the portfolios on climate-responsive social protection and the climate-health nexus. They are also an adviser on the design of forecast-based financing systems. Meghan holds a PhD on climate change adaptation from the University of Oxford. Meghan explains the need for climate-responsive social protection systems and the promising practices that are already being implemented around the world today – like providing people cash transfers before disaster strikes to prevent people from falling into poverty.

We know that climate change disproportionately affects those of us who are already struggling. But can climate mitigation and adaptation policy be designed in a way that promotes environmental justice? And if so, how? We speak with Anna Shipp, Principal Policy Associate, and Joseph Schilling, Senior Research Associate, from the Urban Institute’s Research to Action Lab about Justice40 — a Biden-era initiative that directed 40% of federal climate spending benefit equity-deserving communities.

The Urban Institute, a nonprofit focused on equity and social mobility, has studied climate justice in depth, including the challenges of implementing Justice40. Although the initiative was repealed under the Trump administration, it remains one of the most ambitious attempts to embed environmental justice into federal climate policy — and offers valuable lessons for future efforts.

The transition off of fossil fuels is important and needs to happen, but it will affect the livelihoods of oil and gas workers and those in fossil fuel dependent communities. How can we make sure the transition is just and people-centered?

We spoke with Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood, a senior researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Hadrian’s work focuses on the social and economic dimensions of Canada’s shift toward a zero-carbon economy, including the necessity of a just transition for vulnerable workers and communities across the country. He is a contributor to the CCPA's Trade and Investment Research Project and Alternative Federal Budget. Hadrian holds a MA in Political Economy from Carleton University. Hadrian explains the concept of a people-centered just transition and the challenges Canada will have to overcome to move away from fossil fuels. We also discussed the policies that are needed to help workers transition into new industries, including the need for green industrial policy.

We spoke with Dr. Samantha Montano, an assistant professor of emergency management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy and author of Disasterology: Dispatches From the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis. In this conversation, Samantha explains the counterintuitive reality that the people who most need support during a disaster tend to get less government assistance, and her suggestions for how emergency management can be reformed to support disaster justice.

Welcome to Season 4 of Pullback, where we’ll be focusing entirely on climate justice — what it means, why it matters, and the policies we can implement today to address the crisis and build a fairer world. In this first episode, hosts Kristen and Kyla explore how climate change is already impacting people around the world, including the ways it’s deepening existing inequalities — especially for communities that are already marginalized.