Michael Méndez

Michael Méndez is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy and Planning at the University of California, Irvine, School of Social Ecology. He previously held the inaugural James and Mary Pinchot Faculty Fellow in Sustainability Studies position at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. His work bridges climate change, environmental justice, and policy-making, informed by over a decade of senior-level experience in public and private sectors, including roles as a senior consultant for the California State Legislature, lobbyist, gubernatorial appointee, and Vice Chair of the Sacramento City Planning Commission.

• Education: PhD in Environmental Planning and Policy from UC Berkeley’s Department of City and Regional Planning; graduate degree from MIT.

His research focuses on the intersection of climate change and marginalized communities, particularly communities of color, and has been featured in publications such as Urban Land, Natural Resources Defense Fund Annual Report, and Planning Magazine. He authored the book Climate Change from the Streets (Yale University Press, 2020), which examines environmental justice in California and global climate policy. Méndez also contributes to national policy initiatives, serving on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Board on Environmental Change and Society (BECS) and as a panel reviewer for the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP).