Gerald Torres

Affiliations & Roles

Gerald Torres holds dual appointments as the Dolores Huerta and Wilma Mankiller Professor of Environmental Justice at the Yale School of the Environment and Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He is also a life member of the American Law Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Education

• LL.M., University of Michigan Law School, 1980
• J.D., Yale Law School, 1977
• A.B., Stanford University, 1974

Research Focus

Torres' work bridges environmental justice, critical race theory, and indigenous rights. He examines how race impacts environmental policy and advocates for equitable resource management. Current projects include co-management agreements between tribes, states, and the federal government, as well as global food systems and climate change law.

Notable Contributions

His landmark book The Miner’s Canary: Enlisting Race, Resisting Power, Transforming Democracy (2002) reshaped discussions on race and environmental policy. Recent work includes Who Owns the Sky (2001) and Translating Climate Change (2015).

Professional Service

Torres has served on boards for the Environmental Law Institute, EPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. He is currently board chair of Earth Day and a UN consultant on environmental matters.

Grants & Collaborations

Recipient of a major grant for interdisciplinary food systems research, collaborating with institutions in Sweden and Ethiopia. His work on social movements and law-making is influencing legal scholars globally.

Labs/Teams

Leads initiatives at Yale linking environmental justice with indigenous sovereignty and global climate policy.