“California is not just a national leader but a global leader looking at mitigation and adaptation policies around climate change,” Michael Méndez says. Mimi Ko / UCI

The month, Michael Méndez, assistant professor of urban planning & public policy, will receive the International Studies Association’s Harold and Margaret Sprout Award for his book, Climate Change from the Streets: How Conflict and Collaboration Strengthen the Environmental Justice Movement. In the book, Mendez draws from his own experiences as public policy as an advisor, senior legislative consultant, lobbyist and as a gubernatorial appointee during the passage of California’s climate change laws. “California is not just a national leader but a global leader looking at mitigation and adaptation policies around climate change,” Méndez said. “I look at how environmental justice groups in communities of color, who are suffering the worst from climate change with things like air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, are working to address some of the needs.”