Social Movements and Climate Action

Paul Almeida is a Professor of Sociology and Environmental Systems at the University of California, Merced. His research investigates the efficacy of collective action across local, national, and global contexts, particularly how marginalized groups mobilize to safeguard essential socio-economic rights like environmental quality and health care. Almeida's recent work emphasizes locally-based challenges related to climate change. Since 2018, he has conducted representative surveys in various towns within the San Joaquin Valley to assess community needs and climate action initiatives. He is also the Coordinating Editor for the upcoming Oxford Handbook of Climate Action.

He is a founding member of the UC Merced Community and Labor Center and is affiliated with the Climate Social Science Network at Brown University and the UC Climate Justice Center. Almeida co-directs the Valley Plan on Climate Investments, Jobs, and Technologies and serves on the Climate Change steering committee of the University of California's Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, as well as on the Decarbonization Board of UC Merced. He also mentors students in the UC-Mexico Climate Research Program. He teaches various courses related to climate change, social movements, political sociology, and organizational behavior, among others.