RCEI Affiliate Focus on Danielle Falzon, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology
By Aleen Mirza
Who decides the future of a warming planet? More importantly, who is excluded from those critical discussions? As climate change is an increasingly undeniable reality, these questions expose an uncomfortable truth, as explained by RCEI affiliate Danielle Falzon, Assistant Professor of Sociology. The truth is that the power to change the world’s fate is concentrated in the hands of a select few, leaving many without a say in the decisions that affect them most.
Danielle Falzon, an environmental sociologist, first became interested in climate change decision-making as an undergraduate, but her curiosity for the topic grew substantially in graduate school. Her fascination with the negotiation process intensified around the time the Paris Agreement was signed, prompting her to attend her first UN climate conference in 2016 with the help of her advisor. While en route to a dinner during COP22 and stuck in traffic, she spoke with Dr. Saleemul Huq, the late director of the International Centre for Climate Change & Development (ICCCAD). By the end of their conversation, Dr. Huq invited her to work out of ICCCAD’s office in Dhaka to pursue her dissertation research – a moment that led Falzon to discover her passion for studying climate justice.
Through her work, Falzon explores how power and inequality shape decision-making in the United Nations climate negotiations and climate adaptation initiatives in Bangladesh. In both spaces, she assesses how significant disparities in influence and control – at both an interpersonal and organizational level – affect the pursuit of climate justice and deepen existing inequalities.
Since 2016, Falzon has attended the climate negotiations annually, where she consistently observes wealthier, developed nations dominating the discussions. Meanwhile, the voices of smaller countries in the Global South are frequently sidelined, despite being most at risk from the effects of climate change. This disparity stems from institutional frameworks designed by and for the Global North, which often prioritizes its own capabilities and interests over others. For instance, the UN negotiations actively use the passive consensus model, which assumes decisions are agreed upon if no one explicitly objects. This model put resource-limited countries at a disadvantage, as they often lack the capacity to voice opposition or negotiate terms. Language barriers and the need for high levels of technical and legal expertise further hinder the participation of smaller nations. These structural inequalities, Falzon contends, perpetuates a cycle that undermines effective climate action.
In Bangladesh, Falzon examines climate adaptation projects aimed at fostering resilience in local communities. While many are well-intended, these initiatives often serve international funders’ priorities over local needs. External actors dictate adaptation strategies, funding distribution, and project implementation, creating a top-down approach that Falzon argues only exacerbates climate injustice. As a result, vulnerable communities in remote parts of Bangladesh, who are least responsible for climate change, continue to struggle to receive effective support.
In her forthcoming book, tentatively titled Adaptation as Usual, Falzon critiques organizations claiming to promote “locally led” adaptation strategies. Despite their promises, many continue to stick to business-as-usual approaches and fail to meaningfully shift decision-making power to the communities they are meant to serve. Achieving climate justice, Falzon argues, requires dismantling systems of privilege and allowing for self-determination. However, she often grapples with whether change is possible within existing structures or if a complete systemic overhaul is truly necessary, given the urgency of the climate crisis. Her research suggests that transformation is needed as current institutions and organizational structures remain ineffective and unjust.
Beyond the logistical issues of conducting qualitative research, Falzon struggles with the emotional burden of witnessing firsthand the profound impact climate change has on those living in extreme poverty. What frustrates her most is the stark contrast between these lived realities and the detached, sterile discussions taking place in the negotiation rooms. “The injustice of it hits me harder in the UN spaces,” she reflects. “There, you see the extreme privilege of those present, [coupled] with the inaction that [unfolds] each year.”
Amid the dry, technical discussions at these negotiations, Falzon reminisces on occasionally witnessing rare glimpses of humanity. These moments arise when delegates, mainly from island nations, deliver heartfelt statements about the existential threat climate change poses to their people and land. To her, these authentic voices are a powerful reminder of what is at stake and why her work matters now more than ever.
Despite its challenges, Falzon finds great fulfillment in her work, particularly in teaching and inspiring more sociologists to think and talk about climate change critically. “We have a lot of great tools in sociology to understand how power can work in invisible ways,” she says, “and how inequality can be produced and reproduced not only through these more obvious mechanisms like overt racism but also through covert mechanisms like how organizations are structured or how [societal norms] lead to unequal outcomes.”
Falzon strives to not only contribute to her field but also to inspire her students to actively engage in meaningful conversations about the urgent need for climate action and justice. As she stresses, “Climate change is going to affect everyone’s research and all of society. No matter what you study, you are going to have to think about climate change in some way, shape, or form.”
Image Credits: All photos are courtesy of Danielle Falzon, Rutgers University.
Aleen Mirza is an Office of Climate Action Intern and a member of the Class of 2026, majoring in Environmental Policy, Institutions, and Behavior, within the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.