Fund in memory of Peter Grimes

[Roberts, J. Timmons]

Dear colleagues and friends far and near,

Peter Emmet Grimes died in late August at age 68, back home in East Lansing, Michigan. Peter was a political economist of the environment, seeking in his writing to understand the relationship between global capitalism and climate change. I met Peter at Johns Hopkins in the Sociology department doctoral program, and we were awarded an NSF grant in 1993-1995 to examine how we might apply World-System Theory to the issue of climate change. We eventually published two articles and two edited volume chapters from that work, and working with Peter deeply influenced my own thinking, especially in A Climate of Injustice. In his later work, Peter sought to bring together natural and social sciences, incorporating evolutionary and complexity theory with World-System Theory. One recent example is here

http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/jwsr/article/view/728

In short, Peter was grappling with the very biggest questions, and was deeply concerned about equity, and he sensed that justice and solidarity were critical to resolving big social problems like climate change. He was unflinching in confronting the problems of the world, as seen in this starkly prescient piece "The Horsemen and the Killing Fields: The Final Contradiction of Capitalism," which was published in the volume Ecology and the World-System in 1999. Peter wrote that "The crisis is real, urgent, and global. Popular fear is warranted. But without  correct information, that fear lends itself to manipulation by demagogues preaching isolation and separation for personal gain, thereby erecting barriers of fear to the very cooperation that is so necessary for common survival."

We have an opportunity to remember and honor Peter in another way -- to join with others in supporting EcoEquity, an organization that confronts the issues Peter cared about deeply. EcoEquity is a small, activist think tank founded in 1999 by Tom Athanasiou and Paul Baer. EcoEquity works by emphasizing the importance of equity principles in all aspects of the policy response, by producing political and economic analyses and educational materials that highlight equity issues, and by developing practical proposals for equitable climate policies. I have seen EcoEquity develop and advance these ideas in the UNFCCC climate negotiations--their framework for understanding and addressing climate equity is endorsed by hundreds of climate justice organizations around the world, and by the poorest and most vulnerable countries.

The organization states:  "EcoEquity recently established a fund to honor the memory of Peter Grimes, a scholar and friend whose concerns about climate change and social equity were both prescient and enduring.  Donations made during the remainder of 2021 will be accepted in his memory." You can donate here:  

bit.ly/PeterGrimesFund

I welcome everyone to remember Peter and help advance this impactful work in his memory. I'm happy to answer any questions.

In love and grief, peace,

Timmons

--

J. Timmons Roberts

Ittleson Professor of Environmental Studies and Sociology, Brown University 

Executive Director, Climate Social Science Network

Director, the Climate and Development Lab 

Institute at Brown for Environment and Society 

Brown Department of Sociology

On Twitter @timmonsroberts