This chapter takes as an issue the absence of material conceptualizations of the climate and environment in higher education research, a situation that presents urgent limitations to the possibility of advancing social justice projects given their necessary entanglement with environmental and climate justice. The chapter begins with a critical examination of theories of justice and whether or how they work to explain or understand the intersection of social and environmental justice in higher education. This review leads to the adoption of a capabilities approach to justice as it emphasizes the freedom and ability of individuals to achieve well-being within both social and environmental contexts, providing a comprehensive lens for analyzing higher education’s role in fostering equitable and sustainable futures. Through the lens of a capabilities approach to justice, the chapter then places in conversation three areas of interdisciplinary scholarship: (a) campus climate frameworks from the higher education field, (b) environmental and sustainability studies in higher education, and (c) conceptual foundations of just sustainability. The final third includes an illustrative conceptual framework analysis that explores how integrating social and environmental dimensions can reveal new possibilities for transdisciplinary research and policy as praxis, advocating for adaptive and reflective approaches that align institutional practices with the urgent need for fostering more just and sustainable climate futures.