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Articles 1 - 9 of 9
Full-Text Articles in Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment
Evaluating The Impact Of Wildfires On Mixed Conifer Forest Regeneration And The Effectiveness Of Usfs Management Strategies On Restoring Ecosystem Services, Wyatt Farino
Master's Projects and Capstones
Wildfires are increasing in frequency, duration, and severity across Western North America. 20,438,720 acres (20.1%) of California has burned at least once since 2010. Projections suggest a statewide increase in burned area between 36% and 74% by 2085, with some forested areas in Northern California exceeding 100% in all modeled scenarios. Fire regimes have deviated far from their historical norm, significantly increasing the risk of type conversion from forest to other ecosystems. Californians rely on the myriad of ecosystem services produced by these forests to meet their basic needs. Access to these fundamental services will be severely reduced if appropriate …
Composite Climate Risk Exposure In High-Emitting California Industries, Nicholas M. Graves
Composite Climate Risk Exposure In High-Emitting California Industries, Nicholas M. Graves
Master's Projects and Capstones
The correlation of anthropogenic carbon emissions and changes in the global climate system is unequivocal. Governments are enacting policy from the local, state, federal, and international levels that present major transition risks for businesses. In parallel, legacy emissions are already causing discernible changes in the climate system via increased frequencies of drought, wildfire, flooding, and extreme heat; these changes present material physical risks to existing business infrastructure. Taken together, these risks form the foundation of proposed regulations for climate risk disclosure by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Existing literature has not provided an at-scale screening methodology for climate …
Sustainability Analysis: Large-Scale Desalination Implications For Coastal California, Elizabeth H. Whitford
Sustainability Analysis: Large-Scale Desalination Implications For Coastal California, Elizabeth H. Whitford
Master's Projects and Capstones
In response to prolonged drought, desalination is gaining popularity as an alternative water production method for fresh water. However, water desalting technology poses concerns; the process is energy intensive, creates brine waste, and has the potential to damage sensitive coastal ecosystems. Significant research is available on the technological, economic, and energy efficiency aspects of desalination, while only a small percentage of the current literature focuses on environmental impacts. This research analyzes the desalination literature holistically in terms of both energy consumption and environmental impacts by conducting 1) a historical and current state review of the sector, 2) a technology analysis …
Possible Impact Of Additives In Artificial Turf On Aquatic Life In The San Francisco Estuary, Elena Galkina
Possible Impact Of Additives In Artificial Turf On Aquatic Life In The San Francisco Estuary, Elena Galkina
Master's Projects and Capstones
The use of artificial turf fields as a replacement for natural turf has been increasingly promoted as a green solution to reduce water usage, maintenance costs, and the need for pesticides. However, the potential environmental impacts of artificial turf fields are poorly understood, particularly in the context of the San Francisco Estuary, which is one of the largest and most polluted estuaries in the United States. This paper investigates the potential contribution of artificial turf from sports fields to the microplastic and chemical pollution of the San Francisco Estuary during artificial turf’s use and maintenance life stage. The study synthesizes …
The Bay Area Rail System: A Sustainable Network Or A Social Equity Phenomenon?, Whitney Libunao
The Bay Area Rail System: A Sustainable Network Or A Social Equity Phenomenon?, Whitney Libunao
Master's Projects and Capstones
Sustainable transportation, as it relates to sustainable development, aims to achieve economic stability, social equity, and environmental preservation via transit projects. However, gentrification processes and transit-oriented developments or TODs have attracted more households inward toward reinvested transit-centric areas. The San Francisco Bay Area, California has continued to see positive economic growth, with that, higher-income households inhabiting more centralized locations. Native low-income residents have started to feel displacement pressures on both a social and economic scale. Over time, displacement risk inevitably leads to residential displacement where low-income families are forced to relocate to distant, more affordable neighborhoods. As more distance separates …
The Impact Of Extreme Heat On Environmental Justice Communities In California: Assessing Equity In Climate Action Plans, Karishma S. Becha
The Impact Of Extreme Heat On Environmental Justice Communities In California: Assessing Equity In Climate Action Plans, Karishma S. Becha
Master's Projects and Capstones
Climate change projections suggest extreme heat events will be more frequent over the next few decades. Extreme heat has both negative environmental and social impacts as it affects energy security, public health by increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses and stresses food and crop supply through prolonged droughts. The impacts of extreme heat will also disproportionately affect communities of low economic status. Because of this, there is a need for better climate action plans that can adapt to and mitigate the impacts brought upon by extreme heat that does not disproportionately impact vulnerable communities. This research analyzed local government Climate …
Embodied Carbon: A Framework For Prioritizing And Reducing Emissions In The Building Industry, Natalie C. Wheating
Embodied Carbon: A Framework For Prioritizing And Reducing Emissions In The Building Industry, Natalie C. Wheating
Master's Projects and Capstones
Global climate change is one of the most impactful environmental issues in modern times, and the construction industry is known to be one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions—one of the key causes of climate change. Embodied carbon emissions of buildings are an often overlooked, but significant, influencer of a building’s overall carbon footprint. This gives rise to the need for improved life cycle analysis of buildings and identification of opportunities to reduce the total carbon footprint of a building throughout its life cycle. This paper analyzes the current state of the building industry that limits the consideration of …
Rebuilding Silicon Valley - An Assessment Of The Silicon Valley Corporate Campus And The Potential For Suburban Sustainability, Eden Lindeman
Rebuilding Silicon Valley - An Assessment Of The Silicon Valley Corporate Campus And The Potential For Suburban Sustainability, Eden Lindeman
Master's Projects and Capstones
Silicon Valley is the San Francisco Bay Area’s economic powerhouse and is herald for its innovation and success. However, Silicon Valley’s urban design is unsustainable and characterized by remote and large corporate campuses that contribute to job sprawl and heavy traffic congestion. Many of the buildings are also not performing at an efficient level and are due for deep overhauls to cut back energy consumption and costs. The inevitable effects of climate change continue to loom large over the world, heightening the importance for the built environment to be reformed into an environment that can mitigate and adapt to climate …
Ecodistricts In San Francisco: The Implementation Of Neighborhood Regional Planning And Its Potential Effects On Environmental Resilience, Elizabeth M. Juvera
Ecodistricts In San Francisco: The Implementation Of Neighborhood Regional Planning And Its Potential Effects On Environmental Resilience, Elizabeth M. Juvera
Master's Projects and Capstones
Ecodistricts, or neighborhood-scale, community-driven areas of sustainable development, have emerged internationally and within the U.S. to create models of adaptive environmental design and advanced urban infrastructure. Central SoMa is the first ecodistrict to be planned and implemented in San Francisco, with the intention of revitalizing and greening this urbanized region of the city. At this time, the Central SoMa area has very low biodiversity levels, inefficient infrastructure, and poor water management capabilities. Through the implementation of ecodistricts in San Francisco, the city can integrate physical and behavioral sustainability measures from existing ecodistricts such as permeable surfaces, green roofs, stormwater management, …