Linda Westman

Dr Linda Westman is a Senior Research Fellow at the Urban Institute within the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Sheffield, specializing in environmental politics and urban climate governance.

Research Interests: Her work focuses on the intersection of

• Climate justice and transformations
• Epistemological foundations of environmental justice theory
• Urban climate imaginaries in international policy
• Transnational climate governance dynamics
• Decolonial and feminist critiques of climate policy

Projects: Currently leads the PLURALIZE project (ERC-funded) on just transitions in urban China, and previously contributed to the LO-ACT project on climate innovation in Global South cities.

Key Contributions:

• Co-author of Urban sustainability and justice: Just sustainabilities and environmental planning (ZEB Books)
• Chapter Scientist for Chapter 6 of the IPCC Assessment Report 6
• Co-founder of the Urban Working Group within the Earth System Governance network

Awards:

• European Research Council Starting Grant (for PLURALIZE)

Methodological Focus: Combines philosophical frameworks, historical analysis, and geopolitical perspectives to reimagine climate transitions in non-Western contexts.