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Corporate Environmental Responsibility: Navigating Policy, Impact, And Equity, Tyler Halligan

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This master's portfolio, "Corporate Environmental Responsibility: Navigating Policy, Impact, and Equity," explores the profound impact of corporations on environmental degradation. It comprises three key pieces:

The first piece, "Understanding Factors Shaping Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility: Navigating a Path Towards Greater Accountability," examines seven critical areas influencing corporate conduct: legal frameworks, global trade, multilateral development banks, international investment laws and agreements, corporate lobbying, transparency and environmental accountability, and economic growth priorities. The analysis covers historical contexts and contemporary challenges, advocating for robust regulatory measures and ethical business practices.

The second piece, "Treatment as a State (TAS) under the Clean Air …

A Just, Sustainable Transition At Fordham University, Ethan Shepard

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper takes a deeper look at Fordham University’s environmental impact and concludes with a strategy outline that works towards a just, sustainable future on the university campus and surrounding areas. New York City is an area already facing the adverse effects of climate change, and there are several threats that have the potential to cause grave consequences moving forward. Prior to constructing a climate action plan, it is integral to understand the past and present status of The Bronx under a socio-environmental lens. Chapter One focuses on the current status of Fordham’s Rose Hill Campus from a sustainability perspective …

Water Equity And Planning: Acid Mine Drainage In Deckers Creek Watershed, Brooke O. Waters, Lennon Jewell Auvil, Grace Dever

Undergraduate Scholarship

When mines close, they simply do not disappear. They cannot be buried or forgotten about. The implications of mining leave a lasting history and impact not only on our lands but on the people as well. Abandoned mine lands are areas of our community and environment that have been destroyed due to the extraction of coal and other minerals. Mining results in the destruction of landscapes, contamination of waterways, and the emission of harmful chemicals to our communities.
Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is a resultant water pollutant that is derived from mining practices, active or abandoned. This pollutant forms from …

Water Security And Justice: Community Pfas Exposure In Monongalia County, Selena A. Melendez, Ilan Rice, Grace Dever

Undergraduate Scholarship

Water security and justice is the right of all people to have reasonable access to clean and safe water. Pollution in the form of toxic discharge from various industries poses a significant risk to public and environmental health. Among these toxic pollutants are per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as "forever chemicals” that compromise water quality in our communities. Despite the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1974 aimed at ensuring clean drinking water for WV, there is still an alarming pattern of neglect and injustice to communities related to race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and language barriers . Non-compliance …

Family Medicine’S Role In Addressing The Intersections Of Redlining And Climate Change, Daryl O. Traylor, Eboni E. Anderson, Brianna Clark, Alex M. Smith, Cooper K. Allenbrand

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

Redlining, the practice of discriminating against specific neighborhoods based on race and socioeconomic status, leads to persistent environmental hazards and socioeconomic inequalities that have lasting adverse health effects on their populations. Health disparities are further exacerbated through the concentration of environmental hazards, as well as the escalating impact of climate change, which poses an increased risk of respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, mental health issues, heat-related illness, infectious diseases, food insecurity, and socioeconomic difficulties in redline neighborhoods.

This paper examines the interplay of redlining, climate change, and health disparities, with an emphasis on the enduring consequences for these marginalized communities. Through …

Forced To Bear The Burden And Now The Children: The Dobbs Decision And Environmental Justice Communities, Mia Petrucci

Washington Journal of Social & Environmental Justice

No abstract provided.

Islam And The Environment, Jon Armajani

The Journal of Social Encounters

This is a transcript of a presentation at the Thirty-Fourth Annual Peace Studies Conference at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University on September 18, 2023. The presentation provides (1) some background information about Islam; (2) related ideas about Christianity; (3) a discussion of some verses in the Quran, which relate to the environment, and some Islamic interpretations of them; (4) an analysis of Ibrahim Abdul-Matin’s ideas on Islam and the environment; and (5) a tribute to Father Rene McGraw, OSB.

Corporate Climate Litigation And Environmental Justice: How Green Amendments Can Be Used To Advance Accountability And Equity, Noah Hines

Indiana Journal of Law and Social Equality

The term “Green Amendment” was first coined by author Maya van Rossum in her 2017 book The Green Amendment: Securing Our Right to a Healthy Environment, in which she argues that modern environmental protection laws are fundamentally failing the most vulnerable people in society and proposes the creation of new constitutional rights as a solution. The provisions van Rossum argues ought to be added to state constitutions as “Green Amendments” are also sometimes called “Environmental Rights Amendments,” and generally enumerate the right of all citizens to a clean or healthy environment. Green Amendments currently exist in Pennsylvania, Montana, Illinois, Hawaii, …

Environmental Justice In West Louisville, Ky, Ashley Wright

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

It is evident that West Louisville and Rubbertown are experiencing environmental exposures and related health impacts. It is important for environmental justice (EJ) areas like West Louisville and Rubbertown to gain increased awareness, due to EJ areas commonly being overlooked and forgotten about because of unjust treatment and lack of involvement. Furthermore, all of the data used for this project was publicly accessible. Community residents and the general public can access these data sources to identify which facilities are emitting toxins, as well as specific hazardous substances that are being released, the location of hazardous sites, cleanup status, and more. …

Identifying The Disproportionate Impacts Of Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Katrina, And Covid-19 On African Americans: A Pandemic Within A Pandemic, Daniella Plaza

Dissertations (2016-Present)

African Americans have endured a disproportionately high amount of exposure to natural and man-made calamities. The racial inequities against African Americans following the hurricanes Katrina, Harvey, and the Coronavirus were examined in this study. Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Harvey took place in two different states, but the low-income vulnerable populations encountered the same outcome which manifested as deteriorating health, lack of rapid assistance from the government, and, the exacerbation of pre-existing conditions. Literature reviews have uncovered political apathy and systemic racism. These people have lost faith in the government as evidenced by Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Harvey, and COVID-19. The results …

Breaking The Loop: Strategies For Fighting Climate Change On U.S. Farms, Ashley Barry

Honors Capstones

Climate change is an increasingly urgent area of research due to the hardships it causes for lands and communities across the globe. Specifically in regard to the United States (U.S.), climate change has many concerning implications on our agricultural system. Increased weather hazards, decreased crop production, and drought are just a few of the hardships American farmers are facing in their fight to keep their farms alive and feed their communities, despite a rapidly changing climate. This study investigates how farmers can fight and prevent climate change through the use of specific mitigation and adaptation strategies on their farms. Semi- …

Judicial Activism As A Pathway To Environmental Justice In Africa’S Mining Industry: The Case Of Nigeria And South-Africa, Onyekachi Eni Dr, Dr. Ngozi Chinwa Ole

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

Africa’s mining industry embodies the tension between socio-economic development, and environmental protection. On account of their abundant mineral resource endowments, Nigeria and South-Africa constitute Africa’s mining hub with the attendant environmental burdens evident in the distortion of natural environmental equilibrium, disruption of ecosystem services and dislocation of the people from their cultural moorings contrary to extant global and regional instruments on development and human rights. Notwithstanding the negative externalities of mining, the incidence of poverty and the absence of basic amenities in many mining communities often combine to frustrate the effort of mining-affected persons to obtain redress for the violation …

Land Education And Young People Working Toward Salamander: Collective Well-Being In Response To Bioindicators Of Socioenvironmental Justice, Rachael Arens, Ricardo Martinez

Democracy and Education

Our planet is facing many environmental challenges, including climate change, loss of biodiversity and habitat, and pollution, while many of our populations are also experiencing marginalization due to poverty, race, gender, language, ability, and environmental injustices. Environmental hazards and policies often impact those in society who are most at-risk, creating a need for an environmental education (EE) movement that encourages students to challenge and regain control of a system that impacts them. Teachers can implement a reflection tool known as the SALAMANDER Collective Well-Being in Response to Bioindicators of Socioenvironmental Justice Framework to prompt students and other educators to place …

Review Of Making Livable Worlds: Afro-Puerto Rican Women Building Environmental Justice, Ava L. Corey-Gruenes

Feminist Pedagogy

Making Livable Worlds: Afro-Puerto Rican Women Building Environmental Justice, by Hilda Lloréns, highlights Black Puerto Rican women’s efforts to create equitable futures for their communities in the face of capitalism, racism, colonization, and ecological collapse. This review covers key concepts in Making Livable Worlds, including matriarchal dispossession, decolonizing ethnography, the myth of a homogenous Puerto Rico, and myths of inherent economic self-interest. Analyses of these concepts through an absence lens are suggested to enrich formal and informal feminist learning spaces.

Indigenous Influence On The Rights Of Nature Movement, Vanessa Racehorse

Faculty Scholarship

The growing recognition of the rights of nature is a blend of both modern conservation efforts and principles reflected in traditional Indigenous stewardship that should be an essential component of the discourse around environmental justice. This article provides an overview of the laws that invoke the rights of nature that Indigenous perspectives and practices regarding environmental preservation have influenced. This discussion pays particular attention to the White Earth Band of Ojibwe's "Rights of Manoomin" law and Manoomin v. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (White Earth Band of Ojibwe Tribal Ct. 2021), the first rights of nature case filed in a …

Free, Prior Informed Consent And Extractive Industry: Indigenous Action Is The Past, Present, And Future Of Global Environmental Justice, Paige Bellamy

Environmental and Earth Law Journal (EELJ)

Free, Prior Informed Consent ("FPIC") from the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been central to global Indigenous action against extractive industries’ harmful practices. Yet, it is often not fully recognized as a sovereign right, which hinders Indigenous peoples’ ability to use it to its full potential. Historically, FPIC has been deemed a consultation right, not a right to “veto” industry action on Indigenous land. Countries that have interpreted FPIC as a mere consultation right have allowed further exploitation of Indigenous peoples, usually leading to environmental and humanitarian disasters. However, when courts have respected the right to …

Artificial Light At Night And Social Vulnerability: An Environmental Justice Analysis In The Us 2012-2019, Qian Xiao, Yue Lyu, Meng Zhou, Jiachen Lu, Kehe Zhang, Jun Wang, Cici Bauer

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) is an emerging health risk factor that has been linked to a wide range of adverse health effects. Recent study suggested that disadvantaged neighborhoods may be exposed to higher levels of ALAN. Understanding how social disadvantage correlates with ALAN levels is essential for identifying the vulnerable populations and for informing lighting policy.

METHODS: We used satellite data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Black Marble data product to quantify annual ALAN levels (2012-2019), and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) to quantify social disadvantage, both at …

Towards Cfd Investigations Into Particulate Air Pollution Of A Desert Urban Environment, Prosun Roy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation has explored computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques for studying particulate air quality in the Las Vegas urban area. The dissertation is based on three research tasks:

• • High time-resolution fenceline air quality sensing and dispersion modeling for environmental justice-centered source attribution. (Chapter 2)
• • Pollen dispersion and deposition in real-world urban settings: A computational fluid dynamic study. (Chapter 3)
• • Effects of urban canopy parameterizations on modeling pollen dispersion and exposure. (Chapter 4)

In Chapter 2, we investigate the facilitation of low-cost air quality sensors (LCAQS) and CFD technique on exposure assessment of environmental justice (EJ) communities and …

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, Environmental Quality And Public Health, Suraj Ghimire

Economics ETDs

Using dairy farm data, this dissertation investigates the environmental and health implications of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in New Mexico. It seeks to answer three primary research questions: (1) the relationship between environmental justice indicators and proximity to dairy farms; (2) the overall health consequences of dairy air pollutants; and (3) the viability of implementing an anaerobic digester (AD) system as a potential solution to externality concerns while maintaining dairy farm economic sustainability.

The first study demonstrates that foreign-born populations and Hispanics disproportionately experience emissions from CAFOs, with living near dairy farms or in areas with elevated ammonia levels …

Three Rivers: Plan Analysis And Recommendations Including An Environmental Justice Addendum, Gerardo Arregui

City and Regional Planning

This document examines the existing Three Rivers Community Plan in order to find shortcomings, missing information and to recommend appropriate format and content for future iterations. The final section of this document has been designed to be a model for the Environmental Justice section for the Three River’s future community plan update because the current plan is silent on this topic.

The True "New Eve": Ben Wildflower's Magnificat And The Second Creation Story, Mary L. Parks

Obsculta

Images of the Virgin Mary have provided comfort to Christians for almost two thousand years. Many of these images have depicted the Mother of God as gentle, demure, pure, and obedient. Ben Wildflower’s woodcut, Magnificat, imagines another side of Mary’s story. This paper considers the second creation story, “New Eve” typology, and church teaching about current social and environmental issues to demonstrate why Magnificat is an ideal portrait for the true “New Eve”.

Living And Dying In 'Cancer Alley': Using Human Rights Law And Environmental Justice To Create A Litigation Framework For Marginalized Communities, Neeharika Sistu

Honors Scholar Theses

Cancer Alley, Louisiana is a poignant example of the intersection between environmental justice, legal harm, and human rights abuses. This thesis dissects the laws and policies underpinning the creation of Cancer Alley with special attention to how they constitute human rights abuses under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

Then, by performing a comprehensive analysis of litigation surrounding environmental justice in Louisiana, this thesis scrutinizes the efficacy of environmental law in creating environmental justice and suggests the integration of international human rights law and environmental …

Urban Water Quality: Socio-Economic Distribution Of Stream Degradation, And The Influence Of Climate On Bmp Performance, Isabelle Horvath

Dissertations (1934 -)

Urban water quality impairments have long burdened urban aquatic ecosystems in a phenomenon termed “urban stream syndrome”. The symptoms of this “syndrome” include physical changes in stream morphology and water level, biologically stressed environments, and perturbations in ecosystem processes. Despite years of research and costly investments in restoration and rehabilitation, urban waterways are still plagued by degradation. Improvement in urban water quality will require multi-faceted efforts, including progress on 2 key fronts 1) increased understanding of current impairments, and 2) increased knowledge about urban stormwater infrastructure like best management practices (BMPs). Towards both topics, engineers have quantified the influence of …

Considerations For Solar Development: Comprehensive Assessment Of Solar Production Benefits And Consequences In Portugal, Jonathan Ramos Marcuse

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this paper, the potential for solar energy development in Portugal is explored, with a focus on the Alentejo region of Portugal. The Fernando Pessoa Photovoltaic plant that is approved for construction in the Santiago do Cacém municipality is analyzed. The size of the plant and the location are considered when studying the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the project. The possibility of a centralized solar array in Sines is also explored as an alternative, taking into account the environmental and social impacts on local communities. Additionally, the feasibility and benefits of implementing a decentralized energy grid, utilizing scattered …

Prepare For, Respond To, Recover, And Learn From Disasters: Using Data-Driven Methods To Model And Understand Disaster Resilience, Jinwen Xu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Community resilience reflects the ability of human communities to prepare for, respond to, recover, and learn from disastrous events. Community resilience carries different meanings in different phases of disaster management (i.e., preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation). With the emergence of new geospatial data sources, human activities now can be captured through social media, mobile signals, and nighttime illuminations, which makes it possible to describe the conditions among various communities before, during, and after disasters. Therefore, this dissertation explored the use of different types of geospatial data sources (social media, nighttime light remote sensing, land-use data, and census survey data) during …

Land, Belonging, And Relationality: Black & Indigenous Environmental Justice Activism In The Twin Cities, Angelina Papakee

Tapestries: Interwoven voices of local and global identities

Statement of Purpose:

This essay is a culmination of my personal experience as an Afro-Indigenous person while living in the Twin Cities for the past few years. As a descendant of the Meskwaki Nation of Iowa and of African-American/Black ancestry, the formation of my identity has shaped the way I approach my research in views on culture, relationality, and past/present histories. I was often taught in my youth to attempt to separate these identities and communities, to not draw many parallels between the two. But, in my development in this new space, I have found the communities in the Twin …

Environmentalism: Flint Michigan Water Crisis, Zamzam Mohammed

Religion: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

This essay examines the public health hazard of Flint Michigan that affected tens of thousands of individuals predominately Black and African Americans. This event was not only systematic, but it portrayed a sense of racial bias and environmental injustice. Not only were Flint residents getting sick due to the unhealthy supply of water source but they were silenced. Unfortunately Black and African Americans felt undermined and oppressed. The underdevelopment and unethical abandonment of the city portrays how much power and authority the city officials possess. Their disregard for the health hazard proves that they care more about monetary gain than …

Climate Chauvinism: Rethinking Loss & Damage, Nadia B. Ahmad, Victoria Beatty

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Rather Than To Seem: Black And Indigenous Narratives In A Stormy, Swampy South, Jennifer Denise Peedin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

I examine the narratives of the South that have been historically overlooked, ignored, or hidden in order to establish a dominant narrative of the region. The narratives examined here are by southern Black and Indigenous authors who restore lost knowledge and offer histories that help complete the South culturally and ecologically. The conceptual methodology develops from LeAnne Howe’s tribalography which explains that Indigenous people create stories and histories that transform the space around them and offer an understanding of the world around us. Another methodology used is Anthony Wilson’s ecocritical swamp studies; each chapter analyzes a narrative centered around a …

It's Hard To Believe There Are People There, Lily Rose Peña

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College.