Law Commons^™

Climate Change And Environmental Crises In Coastal Cities: Charleston Vs New York City, Nolan Rodriguez

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper addresses the increasing vulnerability that coastal communities face regarding climate crises and rising sea levels. Specifically, this paper investigates the environmental crises facing Charleston, South Carolina, and New York City. The geographical location of these cities places a more severe threat upon their environment, as opposed to urban collectives removed from the immediate effect of rising sea levels. A cross-examination of politics and economics is discussed in order to determine the causal relationship of each city’s engagement with its surrounding environment. This paper examines how each city is affected by climate change, what measures are in place to …

Renovating America's Electrical Grid: Renewable Sources And Resilient Delivery, Justin O'Hare Giffee

Student Theses 2015-Present

Since the late 1800s, America’s electrical grid systems have relied primarily upon fossil fuels for sources of electricity. Due to the outdated structural foundations and glaring holes in distribution networks, the existing electrical grids struggle with electricity escaping, and modern issues such as cybersecurity, resilience, and weather-related events associated with climate change. This essay discusses ongoing problems with current electric grid systems and aims at explaining the importance of incorporating renewables as a solution for these problems into a new grid system. In the first chapter, a detailed explanation is provided regarding the current issues present in America's grid systems. …

A Path To Achieve European Energy Security, Nicholas Wolf

Student Theses 2015-Present

The apparatus of Europe’s energy security has collapsed. The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, hydrocarbon market turmoil, and the ever-growing threat of climate change has thrust the continent into crisis. As the risks of severe recession, acute energy shortages, and climatic disasters have begun to materialize, the member states of the European Union (EU) have been left scrambling to secure novel energy supplies. In the short-term, these developments pose severe risks to the EU and its member states. Yet, opportunity often presents itself in the midst of hardship, and the European Energy Crisis of 2022 is no different. This essay …

Colonial Enclaves In The 21st Century: A Study Of Ethnic Russians In Estonia And Afrikaners In South Africa, Emma Jane W. Konkoly

Senior Theses

Despite decades of disempowerment, some ethnic enclaves of colonial powers –termed colonial enclaves– remain in the decolonized country they once controlled. In international law or United Nations resolutions, there currently are no special distinctions between colonial enclaves and other types of ethnic enclaves or non-state actors. This thesis analyzes the social dynamics of ethnic enclaves and the existing laws that govern non-state actors to then investigate two cases of colonial enclaves: ethnic Russians in Estonia and Afrikaners in South Africa. Based on this case study research, it can be concluded that colonial enclaves have unique social and political dynamics that …

Beauty And The Beast: Plastic Pollution In The Personal Care And Cosmetics Industry, Olivia Frantzeskos

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper explores the history of plastic in the beauty and cosmetics industry, and how this toxic material is irreparably harming our ecosystems resulting from nonrecyclable packaging and a lack of microplastic management. Properly managing harmful plastics found in personal care and cosmetics products (PCCPs) is essential for minimizing toxic wastewater in raw sewage, landfills, and the ocean, as discussed in reports such as “Plastics in Cosmetics” by the UNEP. Furthermore, this paper presents an argument for why the personal care and cosmetics industry should be included in the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which gives the EPA authority to …

Preservation Of The North: Evaluating The Influence Of Indigenous Rights Laws & Commitments On Saami Self-Determination, Courtney Marie Bergsieker

Senior Theses

Despite the Nordic countries’ commitment to robust international Indigenous rights agreements, Europe’s only recognized Indigenous people, the Saami, struggle against the dispossession of their traditional lands in the northern regions of Sweden and Norway. As many states seek to capitalize on the development opportunities presented by the circumpolar Arctic while also recognizing the rights of Indigenous peoples, Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination are widely discussed and relevant issues. How effectively do national laws and international Indigenous rights commitments protect the Saami from these potentially invasive natural resource developments on their traditional lands? In this thesis, I aim to answer this question …

Farm To Boardroom: How Improving Farm Conditions Leads To Sustained And Ethical Profit, Emily Mueller

Student Theses 2015-Present

As a society evolving and innovating at a pace faster than ever before seen in human history, we find ourselves at a crossroads of dealing with planetary boundaries and improving social standards. We are met with a crisis just thirty years away; the crisis of needing to be able to effectively and sustainably feed ten billion people across the globe. The 20th century brought on a booming age for industrializing the food system in order to increase yield and thus profit. The new process was a significant breakthrough at its time, but now we must face the question of when …

Roadblocks Of Retribution: The Problems With Internationalized Criminal Tribunals As A Mechanism For Reconciliation, Elizabeth Anne Weinman

Senior Theses

Since their inception, scholars have questioned the efficacy of internationalized criminal tribunals, or ICTs. ICTs are a tool for the international community to deal with and punish perpetrators of atrocities. More recent ad hoc (or ‘as needed’) tribunals, such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) also stated goals beyond the retributive justice of punishment; they sought to promote reconciliation. I examined why these courts were ultimately unable to promote reconciliation. Through an analysis of the histories, formation, and implementation of the ICTY and SCSL, I found that these …

The Silent Killer, Breanna Dashanae Cavanaugh

Senior Theses

Many people around the world follow the slogan “Go Green” or “keep green and keep our planet green”. Do all countries and people within them follow those slogans? Do all countries uphold the standards of what it means to go green to keep the planet clean? The question can be answered with this simple statistic: The top 20 countries with the most polluted urban areas in order, Pakistan, Qatar, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, UAE, Mongolia, India, Bahrain, Nepal, Ghana, Jordan, China, Senegal, Turkey, Bulgaria, Mauritius, Peru, Serbia and Iran. [1]Now, based off this image you will be able to see the …

Playing By Pinochet’S Rules: Legal And Constitutional Impediments To Progressive Immigration Reform In Chile, William Patrick Schmidt

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the political context of Chile’s current immigration laws and policies, tracing changes through the dictatorship of the late 20th century, the transition to democracy in 1991, and up through the current administration. Using the backdrop of the Venezuelan migrant crisis, focus is given to specific stipulations of current policies and the impact they have on arriving migrants. A comparison with neighboring Argentina highlights key differences in policy reactions and is used to argue that a new constitution is needed in Chile in order to effectively respond to the arrival of over 250,000 Venezuelan migrants. Lastly, consideration is …

There Must Be Something In The Water: Understanding Pfas Contamination Of Groundwater As A National Security Issue, Kylie N. Ford

Student Theses 2015-Present

This report addresses the widespread pollution of domestic groundwater resources with Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) caused by firefighting activities performed at military installations across the United States. Two former military bases in Southeastern Pennsylvania are used as a single case study: the Naval Air Development Center (NADC) in Warminster and the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NASJRB) in Horsham. Chapter 1 gives a history of domestic military bases from the perspective of the infrastructure buildup and downsizing that occurred over the 20th Century, along with the environmental degradation revealed during brownfield redevelopment. The chapter then gives specifics about …

Establishing The Mens Rea Of Genocide Within "Sub-Intentions": A Study Of Systematic Sexual Violence In Myanmar And Bosnia, Perry Joseph Zirpoli

Senior Theses

The aim of this study is to investigate how sexual violence rises to the level of genocide. The thesis puts the ongoing conflict in Myanmar between the Rohingya and Buddhist majority into discussion with the Bosnian conflict between Serbs and Bosnian Muslims during the Yugoslav Wars. In discussing the nature of these two conflicts, this thesis will provide evidence that sexual violence can rise to the level of genocide when it is used to interfere with the free reproduction of a group. The thesis will demonstrate that sexual violence was perpetrated in these conflicts with overall intent to homogenize the …

Striking An International Balance Of Power: Does The United States Undermine The United Nations?, Alexia Dionne Seepersaud

Senior Theses

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of the United States' unilateral actions on the credibility of the United Nations. There is a focus particularly on the United Nations' ability to maintain international peace and security through multilateral decision-making when states decide to take action outside of the organizations' authorization. In order to analyze this stand, the United States' actions in Iraq and Syria are studied. In both 2003 and 2017, the country took forceful action outside of the United Nations in response to threats to international peace and security. Analysis of states' responses to the United …

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

The Ethics Of Environmental Litigation, Jenna Marie Dibenedetto

Student Theses 2015-Present

Abstract

We are raised from the early days of our youth to distinguish right from wrong, evil from good. Though there are many careers that have easily distinguishable ethics from their day of creation, others require spend their entire professional careers floating in a grey area. Being a lawyer can leave you in limbo very often. The ethical battle between prosecuting people whose actions go against everything you believe in and defending someone who actions you struggle to rationalize, looking for a “nail in the coffin” or finding a way to pry it open can play a large role in …

Housing The Homeless: A Framework For Sustainable, Affordable Housing, Brianna Providence

Student Theses 2015-Present

New York City’s building stock is comprised of nearly one million structures. Buildings are responsible for unconscionable amounts of global energy, water, resources, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Thousands of buildings are annually constructed when the truth is that there is a significant stock of buildings that could stand to be rehabilitated. New green developments present an opportunity to increase efficiency while reducing energy use, resource consumption, and waste. If virgin new green developments provide the aforementioned opportunities, then it logically follows that sustainably retrofitting preexisting buildings represents an even greater opportunity to promote environmental sustainability and reduce inefficiencies. As …

From Arrows To Bullets: Sustainable Hunting, Fishing, And Trapping, George S. Apostolopoulos

2014 Student Theses

My thesis paper is on hunting, fishing, and trapping in the state of New York. In this thesis I will go over months of my own personal research and experience on the topic. I will provide information on wildlife populations and biodiversity, as I have recorded it over the last two years.

When discussing the topics of hunting, fishing, and trapping in New York State the focus of conversation is often on the moral wrongness and negative impacts on wildlife that these disciplines have. However, those who oppose hunting, fishing, and trapping not only overlook their environmental educational value, environmental …

Engendering Injustice: Drug Laws, Drug Economies, And The Marginalization Of Women In New York State, Kate Mcgee

American Studies Senior Theses

On November 8, 1983, Elaine Bartlett left her apartment in Harlem, and headed to Grand Central Station. There, she met her boyfriend, Nate. They were headed to the Monte Mario Hotel in Albany. To any bystander, they may have looked like any other couple. But Elaine Bartlett knew different. That’s because she had a four-ounce bag of cocaine stuffed down the front of her pants. In 1983, Bartlett was a twenty-six year old woman with four children. A male friend, George Deets—although she knew him as Chris at the time—told her that if she delivered the drugs, she could earn …