Environmental Policy Commons^™

Conflicting Discourses Of Participatory Postdevelopment In Community-Led Total Sanitation, Shaina M. Pomerantz Kasper

Honors Projects

The development community perceives the current “sanitation crisis” to be remedied with water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives. While the participatory process of Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) incorporates community involvement, it still imposes globalized sanitation norms and a dominant external worldview. Using discourse analysis of the CLTS handbook, I argue that CLTS structurally advocates for continuing local hierarchies, promotes external technologies, enforces the power of outside development facilitation, and creates a new sanitation paradigm. Communities continue to resist sanitation development such as CLTS because of its top-down structure. I conclude by offering policy recommendations to improve the CLTS process.

Consolidated Public Safety Answering Point (Psap) Feasibility Study For Richland County Ohio, Daila Shimek, Eugene Kramer, Patrick Johnson, Charlie Post

Daila Shimek

This report provides an assessment of the feasibility of consolidation of two public safety answering points in Richland County, Ohio. The report describes the methodology used to assess the feasibility. The findings are that consolidation of dispatch services among the potential participating entities is feasible. Consolidation of services would reduce capital costs expended across the county for public safety emergency dispatching over the long term. Given the proposed investment equipment and staff, the level and quality of service provided by a consolidated dispatch center should exceed those currently being supplied.

Public Participation In Michigan Mining Policy : The Kennecott Eagle Project Case , Andrew C. Orthober

Theses and Dissertations

Public participation is an important component of Michigan’s Part 632 Nonferrous Mining law and is identified by researchers as important to decision-making processes. The Kennecott Eagle Project, which is located near Marquette, Michigan, is the first mine permitted under Michigan’s new mining regulation, and this research examines how public participation is structured in regulations, how the permitting process occurred during the permitting of the Eagle Project, and how participants in the permitting process perceived their participation. To understand these issues, this research implemented a review of existing mining policy and public participation policy literature, examination of documents related ...

Perceptions Of Water Conditions And Management In The Sonora River Basin, Sonora, Mexico, Ellen Brenna

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of climate change are expected to be very severe in arid regions. The Sonora River Basin, in the northwestern state of Sonora, Mexico, is likely to be severely affected. Some of the anticipated effects include precipitation variability, intense storm events, higher overall temperatures, and less available water. In addition, population in Sonora, specifically the capital city of Hermosillo, is increasing at a 1.5% rate and current populations are near 700,000. With the reduction in water availability and an increase in population, Sonora, Mexico is expected to experience severe water resource issues in the near future.

In ...

Shaping Water Policy: Political Influences In The European Union And United States, Christopher Young

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

No abstract provided.

Chagrin River Watershed Partners Needs Assessment And Service Strategy, Daila Shimek

Daila Shimek

This report describes the needs identified by member communities and organizations of the Chagrin River Watershed Partners (CRWP) that could be adopted by CRWP as part of its service strategy. The results suggest that members are pleased with the services provided by CRWP. Additional needs fell into one of eight categories: (1) Information, education, and training, (2) Planning, development, redevelopment, and resolutions/ordinances, (3) Funding and grants, (4) Technical assistance, (5) Regulations and requirements, (6) Storm water infrastructure maintenance, (7) Providing a strategic role in helping manage the watershed, and (8) Managing relationships.

Investment Prospectus: Concentrated Solar Power With Heliostat Tower And Molten Salt Storage, Kyle Herman

Kyle Herman

This article delivers a preliminary overview of Concentrated Solar Technology. It offers data for investors and policy-makers in order to more properly understand and mitigate risks of this renewable energy.

Building Upon Common-Pool Resource Theory To Explore Success In Transitioning Water Management Institutions, Christina M. Hoffman

Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources

Nebraska, like many regions around the world, is faced with the challenge of adapting to a new era in water management. Increasing demands for water resources, mounting concerns over threatened and endangered species, and obligations to abide by interstate water allocation agreements have motivated Nebraska to revisit traditional water management approaches. However, although Nebraska’s water management institutions have undergone much change, little research exists on the influence these changes have had on the ability of water institutions to successfully manage water allocations. This research (1) qualitatively explores the perspectives and experiences of stakeholders in the overappropriated region of the ...

Brief 7: Building An International Court For The Environment: A Conceptual Framework, Philip Riches, Stuart A. Bruce

Governance and Sustainability Issue Brief Series

This issue brief considers the role and nature of existing and potential international dispute resolution fora in relation to international environmental law. It addresses impediments at the international level, such as limited access to justice by non-state actors and the lack of technical and scientific capability. As a conceptual paper, it highlights two possible remedial options: an international environmental tribunal and an international environmental court.

Towards Re-Thinking Ecology: Investigating The Influence Of Behavioral Economics On Ecological Thought, Ned Weidner

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

The current mainstream ecological discourse among environmental activists seems to be focused on changing the current paradigm of ecological thinking towards one focused primarily on sustainability through a deeper connection with the Earth. Often these activists argue this deeper connection with the Earth is best achieved through a paradigmatic change in thinking. It is the argument of this paper that those who champion a paradigmatic shift in thinking towards sustainability need to re-think their plan of action for creating a sustainable relationship with the Earth’s environment because changing society’s way of viewing ecological matters as a way to ...

Ky. Voices: In Disasters, Shared Responsibility Is Government's Role, Aaron W. Hughey

Counseling & Student Affairs Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Attracting Fdi: The Chilean Government's Role Promoting Renewable Energy, Kyle Herman

Kyle Herman

The development and implementation of renewable energy power plants is important for Chile in order to increase energy security, supply remote mines with electricity, and eventually decrease energy costs. The Chilean government has promoted renewable energy and attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to develop large-scale renewable energy projects. However, the policies cannot sufficiently attract FDI in unproven renewable energies such as Concentrated Solar Power, though it is proven elsewhere. This paper examines the Chilean government’s renewable energy policies, related government agencies, and the extent that these provide a stable backdrop for FDI in large-scale renewable energy projects. Following that ...

Preparing For The Rising Tide, Ellen Douglas, Paul Kirshen, Vivian Li, Chris Watson, Julie Wormser

Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Sciences Faculty Publication Series

On October 29, 2012, one of the largest Atlantic basin storms in recorded history hit the East Coast. Although Superstorm Sandy centered around New Jersey and New York when it made landfall, the massive storm system spanned 1,000 miles north to south, over three times the size of a typical hurricane.

Luckily for Boston, Sandy’s storm surge hit the city near low tide, causing relatively minor coastal flooding. Had the storm hit 5½ hours earlier, 6.6 percent of the city could have been flooded, with floodwaters reaching City Hall.

Events such as Superstorm Sandy highlight the growing ...

The Management Of Residential Solid Waste In Mombasa, Kenya, Yen Joe Tan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Residential solid waste management refers to the managing of unwanted materials discarded by households so that these materials are either properly disposed of or reprocessed to reenter the production material stream. This issue is usually the responsibility of the municipal council; however in Kenya just like many other developing countries, this critical issue is often mismanaged, causing environmental pollution and exposing residents to health risks. Through one month of full-time archival research and field work, this study presents the current state of residential solid waste management in Mombasa, examines the roles played by various stakeholders involved in this area through ...

Brief 6: Environmental Emergencies: Challenges And Lessons For International Environmental Governance, Rene Nijenhuis, Carl Bruch

Governance and Sustainability Issue Brief Series

This brief examines the strengths and weaknesses of existing instruments and institutions and addresses the efforts to improve coordination among the international sectors of environmental emergency response. Potential operational, capacity-building, and legal options for strengthening prevailing mechanisms are identified and discussed, including the need for stronger political mandates, the need for a stronger framework to address fragmentation, and the need for procedures to support and facilitate environmental emergency responders. The lessons from this discourse can improve the field of environmental emergency response, while also informing advancements in broader context of international environmental governance.

Chilean Renewable Energy Investment Potential With Technology Transfer, Kyle Herman

Kyle Herman

For potential for investment in Chilean renewable energy investment is promising. After the Chicago boys effectively transformed the Chilean economy into a haven for FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) during the 1980’s, government laws have aligned definitively with neo-liberal policy—in other words, open markets, incentives for investors, public-private partnerships and consistent injections of capital into its financial markets. This article explore these components and highlights investment potential and offers policy advice.

Citizen Participation, Trust, And Literacy On Government Legitimacy: The Case Of Environmental Governance, Myung Jin

The Journal of Social Change

This paper explores the role of direct citizen participation, trust, and environmental literacy and its impact on the legitimacy of government institutions in the context of environmental governance in the U.S. The current knowledge regarding the dynamics of the institutional legitimacy at the policy level is significantly lacking. This paper addresses broadly the effects of direct citizen participation, citizen trust, and environmental literacy on government legitimacy. Findings indicate that citizens prefer government institutions over ordinary people on leading environmental governance. However, the preference was less clear when asked to choose between the government and businesses as to who should ...

Aboriginal People Defend The Environment, Richard B. Philp

Richard B. Philp

Aboriginal peoples in Canada are in the forefront in the battle to protect the environment from unregulated depredations of petroleum and mining interests. Omnibus Bill C-38 exempted oil pipelines from the terms of the Environmental Protection Act, prompting protests from First Nations people through whose reserves it would pass. Omnibus Bill C-45 removes thousands of lakes and rivers from protection of the Navigable Lakes and Waters Protection Act and permits the government sale of native lands without consultation. In response, the Idle No More movement took root and widespread protests have resulted. The persistent lack of consultation between the government ...

The Carbon Frame: Condensed Version, Kyle Herman

Kyle Herman

This paper demonstrates the necessity of changing the policy language, in particular the word "carbon", in order to increase the logical development of renewable energy policy Europe.

Life-Cycle Assessment In Government Policy In The United States, Daniel L. Reed

Doctoral Dissertations

The United States government, both at the Federal and state levels, are continuously relying on emerging technological and methodological tools in order to provide essential information to decision and policy-makers. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a rapidly emerging tool for both the private and public sectors. Governments around the world are aggressively looking towards life-cycle information to guide policy and promote environmental issues. LCA’s beginning in the United States dates back to 1969 at the Coca-Cola Company as a innovative way at looking at their beverage container’s impact on the environment. Since then life-cycle concepts have been slowly adapted ...