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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
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- Climate change (2)
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- Agriculture (1)
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- Animal sanctuaries (1)
- Armenians (1)
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- India (1)
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- Kenya (1)
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- Mwea Irrigation Scheme (1)
Articles 1 - 16 of 16
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Ungrading For Cartographic Education: Reflections From Small Undergraduate Classes, Heather Rosenfeld
Ungrading For Cartographic Education: Reflections From Small Undergraduate Classes, Heather Rosenfeld
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Climate Change And Labor Reallocation: Evidence From Six Decades Of The Indian Census, Maggie Liu, Yogita Shamdasani, Vis Taraz
Climate Change And Labor Reallocation: Evidence From Six Decades Of The Indian Census, Maggie Liu, Yogita Shamdasani, Vis Taraz
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Fossil Fuel Divestment In U.S. Higher Education: Endowment Dependence And Temporal Dynamics, Alexander R. Barron, Rachel C. Venator, Ella V.H. Carlson, Jane K. Andrews, Junwen Ding, David Deswert
Fossil Fuel Divestment In U.S. Higher Education: Endowment Dependence And Temporal Dynamics, Alexander R. Barron, Rachel C. Venator, Ella V.H. Carlson, Jane K. Andrews, Junwen Ding, David Deswert
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
Since 2012, students and others have pushed U.S. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to divest their endowments from fossil fuel producing industries. In the past decade, fossil fuel divestment has become the fastest growing divestment movement in history, with over 140 U.S. HEIs announcing divestment commitments. We conduct a quantitative analysis of the three phases of U.S. 4-year HEI divestment announcements (as well as rejections of divestment) to better understand the dynamics. Announcements began (2012-2017) with a number of schools divesting, followed by a second phase where new divestment announcements slowed. The current phase, which began around 2019, shows a renewed …
Public Works Programmes And Agricultural Risk: Evidence From India, Vis Taraz
Public Works Programmes And Agricultural Risk: Evidence From India, Vis Taraz
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
The agricultural sectors in many low-and middle-income countries remain highly vulnerable to weather risk, a vulnerability that will only intensify under climate change. The globally trending public works programmes have the potential to impact weather-related agricultural risk. I explore the impact of India's National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) on weather-related agricultural risk. My empirical strategy explores the staggered roll-out of NREGA and random weather fluctuations. Using a nationwide panel of data, I find that NREGA makes crop yields more sensitive to low rainfall shocks. I posit that these results are consistent with a labour market channel, by which NREGA …
The Impact Of Weather Shocks On Employment Outcomes: Evidence From South Africa, Harriet Margaret Brookes Gray, Vis Taraz, Simon Halliday
The Impact Of Weather Shocks On Employment Outcomes: Evidence From South Africa, Harriet Margaret Brookes Gray, Vis Taraz, Simon Halliday
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, such as drought and heat waves. In this paper, we assess the impact of drought and high temperatures on the employment outcomes of working-age individuals in South Africa between 2008 and 2017. We merge high-resolution weather data with detailed individual-level survey data on labor market outcomes, and estimate causal impacts using a fixed effects framework. We find that increases in the occurrence of drought reduce overall employment. These effects are concentrated in the tertiary sector, amongst informal workers, and in provinces with a higher reliance on tourism. Taken together, our …
A Climate Of Confessionalization: Famine And Difference In The Late Ottoman Empire, Matthew Ghazarian
A Climate Of Confessionalization: Famine And Difference In The Late Ottoman Empire, Matthew Ghazarian
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
After the 1877–78 Russo-Ottoman War, the Ottoman Empire saw the rise of ethnic and sectarian clashes in Anatolia, the Balkans, and elsewhere, and the task of explaining that rise remains unfinished. Many have examined the intellectual formations of ethnic and sectarian solidarities after 1878, but the availability of new ideas cannot alone account for their widespread uptake. Why after 1878 did ordinary people respond more to calls upon ethnic and sectarian solidarity? Drawing on sources surrounding the 1879 famine in the Ottoman East, this article steps away from imperial metropoles to examine overlapping environmental, financial, and technological disjunctures. Adopting the …
Meeting U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Goals With The International Air Pollution Provision Of The Clean Air Act, Mei Yuan, Alexander R. Barron, Noelle E. Selin, Paul D. Picciano, Lucy E. Metz, John M. Reilly, Henry D. Jacoby
Meeting U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Goals With The International Air Pollution Provision Of The Clean Air Act, Mei Yuan, Alexander R. Barron, Noelle E. Selin, Paul D. Picciano, Lucy E. Metz, John M. Reilly, Henry D. Jacoby
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
We explore economic, distributional and health consequences of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions objectives that could be achieved using Section 115 of the Clean Air Act (international air pollution), which has only recently received detailed legal analysis as a potential U.S. climate policy tool. Under it a national emissions target could be allocated among the states. This illustrative analysis considers 45% and 50% reductions of energy and industry-related CO2 emissions by 2030, below 2005 levels, via a model rule. Different approaches (based on legal precedent) for the interstate allocation are considered, along with alternative rates of technology improvement. The detail needed …
Beyond A Liberal Reading Of Insurgent In Transformative Planning Practices, Efadul Huq
Beyond A Liberal Reading Of Insurgent In Transformative Planning Practices, Efadul Huq
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Carbon Neutrality Should Not Be The End Goal: Lessons For Institutional Climate Action From U.S. Higher Education, Alexander R. Barron, Maya Domeshek, Lucy Metz, Laura Draucker, Aaron L. Strong
Carbon Neutrality Should Not Be The End Goal: Lessons For Institutional Climate Action From U.S. Higher Education, Alexander R. Barron, Maya Domeshek, Lucy Metz, Laura Draucker, Aaron L. Strong
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
Aggressive climate action pledges from governments, businesses and institutions have increasingly taken the form of commitments to net carbon neutrality. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are uniquely positioned to innovate in this area, and over 800 U.S. colleges and universities have pledged to achieve net carbon neutrality. Eleven leading U.S. HEIs have already attained this status. Here, we examine their approaches to achieving net carbon neutrality, highlighting risks associated with treating emissions reduction approaches such as carbon offsets, renewable energy certificates, and bioenergy as best practice in isolation from broader policy frameworks. While pursuing net carbon neutrality has led to important …
Meeting Potential New U.S. Climate Goals, Mei Yuan, Alexander R. Barron, Noelle Selin, Paul Picciano, Lucy E. Metz, John Reilly, Henry Jacoby
Meeting Potential New U.S. Climate Goals, Mei Yuan, Alexander R. Barron, Noelle Selin, Paul Picciano, Lucy E. Metz, John Reilly, Henry Jacoby
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
We explore the performance of a potential addition to U.S. climate policy using authority under Section 115 of the Clean Air Act, with special attention to distributional effects among the states. This portion of the Act concerns trans-boundary air pollution, and under its provisions a national greenhouse target could be allocated among the states, with the details of state implementation optionally guided by a model rule as under other provisions of the Act. With trading allowed among the states, such a measure could lead to a national price on the covered gases. While we adopt features of a possible Section …
Witnessing Pandora: Doing “Undone Science” At Chicken Sanctuaries, Heather Rosenfeld
Witnessing Pandora: Doing “Undone Science” At Chicken Sanctuaries, Heather Rosenfeld
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
Farmed animal sanctuaries rescue, rehabilitate, and care for animals bred for use in agriculture. Because of the structure of veterinary training, regulations on species considered agricultural, and for other reasons, rescued animals such as chickens fall out of spaces of veterinary care and medical knowledge production. Given these knowledge and research gaps, this paper investigates how sanctuaries develop medical knowledge about chickens, focusing on hens bred for egg production. I develop the concept of “witnessing” as it has been used in science studies, feminist theory, and animal activism, arguing that sanctuary science and medicine can be understood as queer witnessing. …
Carbon Pricing Approaches For Climate Decisions In U.S. Higher Education: Proxy Carbon Prices For Deep Decarbonization, Alexander R. Barron, Breanna J. Parker, Susan Stratton Sayre, Shana S. Weber, Dano Weisbord
Carbon Pricing Approaches For Climate Decisions In U.S. Higher Education: Proxy Carbon Prices For Deep Decarbonization, Alexander R. Barron, Breanna J. Parker, Susan Stratton Sayre, Shana S. Weber, Dano Weisbord
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
Given the slow policy response by governments, climate leadership by other institutions has become an essential part of maintaining policy momentum, driving innovation, and fostering social dialogue. Despite growth in carbon pricing in government and the private sector, our review suggests low, but growing, adoption of internal carbon prices (ICPs) by higher education institutions (HEIs), who may be uniquely suited to implement and refine these tools. We analyze the range of ICP tools in use by eleven U.S. HEIs and discuss tradeoffs. Our analysis identifies several reasons why proxy carbon prices may be especially well-suited to decisions (especially at the …
What Does It Take To Reduce Massachusetts Emissions 50% By 2030? Challenges Meeting Climate Goals Under Current Legislation (S.2500), Lucy E. Metz, Alice I. Bell, Talia W. Deady, Alexander R. Barron
What Does It Take To Reduce Massachusetts Emissions 50% By 2030? Challenges Meeting Climate Goals Under Current Legislation (S.2500), Lucy E. Metz, Alice I. Bell, Talia W. Deady, Alexander R. Barron
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
Executive Summary: To do its part in the global fight against climate change, Massachusetts must achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, and aggressive intermediate goals are essential to ensure that the state is on track for net zero. Senate bill 2500, “An Act setting next generation climate policy,” stipulates that 2030 emissions must “not be less than 50% below the 1990 emissions level.” In 2017, Massachusetts carbon dioxide emissions were 22% below 1990 levels, so the state will need to reduce annual emissions by an additional 28% of 1990 levels by 2030. If enacted, S.2500 would give the …
Exploring Embodied Carbon Within Smith College Construction: Utilizing The New Neilson Library As A Case Study, Larissa Holland, Rebecca Miller, Lydia Sheyda
Exploring Embodied Carbon Within Smith College Construction: Utilizing The New Neilson Library As A Case Study, Larissa Holland, Rebecca Miller, Lydia Sheyda
Other Student Projects
According to the Carbon Leadership Forum, the built environment contributes to almost 40% of CO2 emissions worldwide each year. While much of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted from structures is a result of the energy required to operate the lighting, heating, and cooling of existing buildings, it has been calculated that embodied carbon will be responsible for roughly half of the total new construction emissions between now and 2050. At an institutional scale, Smith College has made great progress in improving the energy and structural efficiency of building operations and expanding renewable energy initiatives. However, with construction being responsible for …
Policy Insights From Comparing Carbon Pricing Modeling Scenarios, Alexander R. Barron, Marc A.C. Hafstead, Adele C. Morris
Policy Insights From Comparing Carbon Pricing Modeling Scenarios, Alexander R. Barron, Marc A.C. Hafstead, Adele C. Morris
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
Carbon pricing is an important policy tool for reducing greenhouse gas pollution. The Stanford Energy Modeling Forum exercise 32 convened eleven modeling teams to project emissions, energy, and economic outcomes of an illustrative range of economy-wide carbon price policies. The study compared a coordinated reference scenario involving no new policies with policy scenarios that impose a price on all fossil fuel-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the U.S. The CO2 price scenarios begin in 2020 at $25/ton or $50/ton and rise each year over inflation at one percent or five percent. The scenarios also vary by the use of the …
Relationships Between Institutional Success And Length Of Tenure In A Kenyan Irrigation Scheme, Camille Washington-Ottombre
Relationships Between Institutional Success And Length Of Tenure In A Kenyan Irrigation Scheme, Camille Washington-Ottombre
Environmental Science and Policy: Faculty Publications
In a global context of climate change and increased water scarcity, the development of efficient irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa where rainfed agriculture still prevails could significantly support food security. However, developing efficient irrigation schemes is highly challenging and necessitates the resolution of a number of collective action problems. Since the 1980s, a large body of research has explored the conditions needed for successful collective action, sustainable use of the resource in irrigation schemes, and the development of efficient institutions. Although there is no agreed-upon definition of what successful, sustainable, or efficient governance schemes or institutions are, there is a …