Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Environmental Impacts Of Telemental Health Counseling: Balancing Accessibility, Sustainability, And Climate Concerns, Daniel Bates, Greg Peterson, Vanessa Sinclair

Journal of Technology in Counselor Education and Supervision

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a nation-wide quarantine was mandated, which had a significant impact on the economy, healthcare, and lifestyle. It also dramatically changed the way mental health services were delivered. Many clinicians in private practice and at agencies rapidly transitioned the administration of mental health treatment to an online platform. The rapid upsurge of utilization of telemental health counseling (TMHC) yielded unexpected environmental benefits that have come to light by recent research. Some researchers shared concerns of TMHC efficacy compared to in-person counseling, however, other research comparing TMHC to in-person found comparable therapeutic outcomes. Research has also …

Analyzing Environmental Health: Air Pollution And Human Health Using Geospatial Data Science, Yanhong Huang

Geography ETDs

Air pollution from industrial emissions and wildfire smoke poses growing threats to public health. This dissertation employs geospatial data science to examine these challenges through three interrelated studies. The first study investigates the relationship between maternal residential exposure to industrial pollutants and low birth weight, identifying five chemicals as significant risk factors. The second study assesses the impact of industrial air pollution on lung and bronchus cancer survival, finding that exposure to 1,1,1-trichloroethane and cobalt is associated with reduced survival. The third study explores disparities in wildfire smoke PM_2.5 exposure and its association with asthma exacerbations. Results show disparities …

Unfinished Business: An Analysis Of The Permanent Forum On People Of African Descent, Satang Nabaneh

Journal of African Policy Studies

Communities of African descent worldwide experience persistent structural discrimination, manifested in poverty, underdevelopment, marginalization, social exclusion, and economic disparities. The historical crimes of enslavement, the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans, apartheid, and colonialism, recognized as crimes against humanity and potentially constituting genocide, have left enduring trauma and systemic repercussions. These atrocities are demonstrably linked to current disparities in health, welfare, and the fulfillment of human rights for people of African descent. The International Decade for People of African Descent (2015 to 2024), proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 under the theme “People of African Descent: Recognition, Justice …

Earthjustice: The Role Of The African Regional Human Rights System In Containing Climate Change, Bright Nkrumah, Ebenezer Durojaye, Maria Usang Assim

Journal of African Policy Studies

At the turn of the millennium, the landscape of Africa has been punctuated by intense weather conditions. With a disproportionate percentage of the continent’s population bearing the brunt of climate-induced heatwaves, deluges, and drought, it is expected that this phenomenon will spur regional climate litigation. The essay argues that although there is an evolution of climate cases submitted at the national level, this development has not evolved to the African regional human rights system. The lack of cases at the regional level beckons one to explore why (potential)victims are unable or unwilling to explore these mechanisms given their role in …

The Intersection Between Child Marriage And Climate Change: An Example Of Malawi, Musu Bakoto Sawo

Journal of African Policy Studies

Child marriage affects 39,000 girls daily, totaling 650 million women married before age eighteen globally. While driven by poverty, tradition, and limited education, climate change is emerging as a significant new factor, particularly in developing nations such as Malawi, where 42% of girls marry before age eighteen. An estimated 1.5 million girls in Malawi are at risk due to climate-exacerbated food insecurity and displacement. This paper, using feminist theories of intersectionality, postcolonial feminism, and feminist political ecology, examines the complex link between climate change and child marriage in Malawi. It critiques existing international, regional, and domestic policies, highlighting their inadequacy …

Reclaiming Power: Decolonization And Development For Africa And People Of African Descent, Satang Nabaneh

Journal of African Policy Studies

The journey to this special issue has been a long and significant one for me, as an African deeply invested in the multifaceted realities of global Africa. Africa embodies the global. Its people, culture, and histories transcend borders, reflecting a deeply interconnected world. To speak of global Africa is to reject essentialist notions of African identity, recognizing that to be African is to be unbounded by space, place, or fixed definitions. This special issue, “Reclaiming Power: Decolonization and Development for Africa and People of African Descent,” was born out of the convergence of the 2023 Social Practice of Human Rights …

Environmental Justice And Soil Lead Contamination: Spatial Analysis Across Seven Community Areas, Arsene Lionel Apabaga

DePaul Discoveries

Pb is a pervasive metal with toxicity linked to numerous human health issues. Urban soil is a well-documented environmental sink for Pb, persisting as a legacy pollutant decades after the phaseout of leaded gasoline. This study measured, mapped, and analyzed the spatial distribution of total soil Pb concentrations across seven Chicago Community Areas (CCAs). The objectives were to: (1) assess the relationship between mean soil Pb concentration and mean Community Environmental Justice Index (CEJI) score per CCA, (2) determine the relationship between soil Pb levels and the percentage of industrial land use, and (3) quantify and compare the percentage of …

Strategic Development Plan – San Pedro Dr. Main Street Corridor, Adrian N. Carver

Student Publications

The San Pedro MainStreet Strategic Development Plan is a place-based, community-driven roadmap for revitalizing the San Pedro Drive corridor in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The corridor sits at the intersection of historical significance and present-day opportunity—bridging the old and new alignments of Route 66 while serving a diverse, working-class population. Drawing from urban planning theory, spatial analysis, and community input, this plan identifies challenges and assets related to land use, infrastructure, business development, housing, and cultural identity. Special attention is given to past and ongoing patterns of racialized disinvestment and displacement, with strategies proposed to ensure equitable reinvestment and climate resilience. …

Du Undergraduate Showcase Abstracts: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Kabe Aberle, Nadia Kako, Kateri Mcrae, Brooke Agulnek, Sky Palmon, Yasmine Ramirez, Francisca Aguirre Beltran, Ashley Juarez, Bridget Kim, Tessa Appel, Sterling Kerr, Spencer Ingley, Gabe Meyer, Robin Tinghitella, Dale Broder, Lily Baeza, Chloe Beers, Julia Coakley, Whitney Kelsey, Sydney Gainforth, Gabi Wing, Audrey Martin, Aaliyah Amore Berry, Brooke Watley, Kiruthika Venkatesan, Rachel Bienstock, Annabella Brotherston, Madison Bryant, Mia Burgener, Emma P. Lieb, Rachel A. Johnson, Jennifer L. Hoffman, Kania Campbell, Kiena Campbell, Courtney Cassidy, Sage Krzyzkowski, Maddox Jones, Skylar Abookire, Luke Hawkins, Sunnah Yoon, Andrea Chu, Yan Qin, Nyah Cubbison, Brian Gearity, Daniel Mcintosh, Mariely Cruz, Edward Garrido, Grady Dionne, Nicole Doris, Lyndsie Salvagio, Ann-Charlotte Granholm-Bentley, Anna Dymov, Hannah Eckert, Gabrielle Welsh, Erica Larson, Charlie Ernst, Anna Zhou, Sarah Watamura, Larissa Fedorovich-Klein, Georgie Fields, Kimberly A. Guevara, Aven Mccall, Ben Peltier, Feruz Yahia, Patrick Flores, Jadyn Floyd, Sophia Forcier, J. Von R. Monteza, Peter Sokol-Hessner, Gwendolyn Geiger, Scott Nichols, Camryn Gunter, Kendal Hengst, Charlie Bednarz, Issy Garside, Addison Baker, Rachel Mina, Brooke Hermanson, Amanda Klingler, William Highfill, Sydney Jaques, Kerstin Lewey, Allison Grossery, Daniel Linseman, Ethan Lim, Jagger Livengood, Owen Mantelli, Gabby Pappas, Abby Mcdonald, Madeleine Dierking, Eve Miller, Emma Loeber, Anna Marlow, Michael Kerwin, Ella Mathews, Hillary Hamann, Khadija Mohamed, Vivian Nguyen, Gabri Notov, Ifunayachi Ogbonna-Ukuku, Sunil Kumar, Charles Baysah, Sarah Olson, Don Sullivan, Anna Paradiso, Jay Parrish, Mira Pronobis, Alisha Pravasi, Kerstin Haring, Diego Ramirez, Christopher Reardon, Juliana Ramirez, Casey Doherty, Ella Kestner, Teagan Weindel, Cate Billings, Pablo Torre-Walter, Lucy Rand, Samantha Reynolds, Mark Siemens, Khadeeja Rashid, Laine Satterlee, Piper Heilbronner, Lily Pound, Ben Whitehurst, Anna Respet, Lizzie Lesoing, Sydney Hertel, Aya Saad-Masri, Brooke Ballenger, Max Proske, Hannah Rosenberg, Ellia Nakahara, Sophia Espinoza, Ivan Woolhouse, Simon Ruland, Gorkem Er, Timothy Sweeny, Melaku Saketa, Michela Schenk, Maren Lynch, Madi Hamm, Grace Schroeder, Michelle Rozenman, Rana Seif, Jackson Hall, Marisela Simental, Daniel Paredes, Aaron Mena, Preston Spaan, Evelyn Stovin, David Andrew Swartz, Anh Tran, Daniel Pittman, Luke Farchione, Emily Boyer, Ukari Verner, Lacey Conrad, Jonathan Velotta, James Weiner, Jagger Gossett, Noah Sherry, Sam Proud, Ben Block, Avi Narayana, Zoey Weiss, Alyssa Wilson, Gabrielle Walsh, David Zonana, Keely Wright, Kena Riveria, Lillybelle Deer, Jena Doom, Elysia Davis, Isabelle Yaremenko, Caitlyn Young

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Abstracts from the DU Undergraduate Research Showcase.

The Human Catalyst And Extractivist Fiction: A Close Reading Of Siddhartha Sarma’S Year Of The Weeds And Pundalik N Naik’S The Upheaval, Elwin Susan John Dr

Critical Humanities

Literary narratives have been abetting the various global faces of climate crisis, ever since the disciplines of humanities and social sciences have become vocal about the Anthropocene. The discussions have been mostly centered around the discourses of capitalism, imperialism, rights and subalterity. By reading some of these foundational grips on ecological crisis, the present essay analyses literary narratives on mining and extraction in India from the standpoint of a human catalyst; which is defined as an entity that can cause a chain reaction, that may or may not result in the annihilation of the initial catalyst. The essay will begin …

Highlights Of The Special Collections And Archives At Loyola University New Orleans, Mare Jaguru Lodu, Janine Whitecotton Smith

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This article highlights unique and prominent collections in the Special Collections and Archives at Loyola University New Orleans. It includes a sampling of physical and digital collections that align with Ignatian values and reflect the research needs of the Loyola community and beyond.

Community Members’ Perspectives On A Community-Engaged Process For Supporting Vibrant Greenspaces In Detroit, Alysha D. Matthews, Guilherme Hebling Costa, Karl Erickson, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Amber L. Pearson, Benjamin V. Dougherty

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Greenspaces provide several well-being (Dinnie et al., 2013) and psychosocial benefits (Addy et al., 2004). Community-engaged research affords community partners a voice in the project (Cushman et al., 2004). This study assessed Detroit community members’ perceived benefits of and suggestions for engaging with the community to support greenspaces. Through qualitative analysis, a three-step process for community-engaged planning was revealed. Findings highlight strategies that involve community members in this process to enhance community engagement and well-being.

Adaptation Planning To Mitigate Flood Risk: Bellevue, Nebraska As A Case Study, Michael Nti Ababio

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

Flooding remains one of the most pressing natural hazards in the United States, with increasing frequency and intensity driven by climate change. This thesis explores the adaptation planning strategies employed to mitigate flood risks in Bellevue, Nebraska, a city significantly impacted by the 2019 floods in eastern Nebraska. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines quantitative analysis of flood vulnerability with a critical review of local planning policies using documents, zoning ordinances and institutional frameworks. Spatial analytical tools such as Global Moran’s I and Hot Spot Analysis (Getis-Ord Gi*) were used to detect clustering of inundated buildings during the 2019 …

Reluctant Transitions: Place And Post-Extraction Politics In Southeastern Ohio, Jenna Lynn Haver

Theses and Dissertations

Based on a summer of ethnographic research in a subsection of Appalachian Ohio colloquially referred to as “The Valley,” this research challenges three narratives of this place that formulate a harmful Appalachian imaginary. The first narrative of industrycontrolled coal heritage is complicated by the way local people negotiate control over their own stories of coal and its existence outside of industry domain. The second narrative characterizes this as a space of extraction which is in tension with different social relations to varying types of energy – especially the discontinuity of the coal to fracking shift. The third narrative centers of …

Wild Hogs In The Water: Contested Infrastructural Ecologies Of Reservoir Storage In Texas, Sayd Randle

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Reservoirs are developed to store water in reserve for future use. But once built, reservoir sites inevitably hold more than just water, often serving as a key habitat for a range of species. This paper examines how one such animal has transformed water storage facilities and nearby landscapes into contested ground in urbanising areas of Texas, USA. Living around the reservoirs, feral hogs complicate the process of urbanisation by degrading the stockpiled water and infrastructure at the storage sites themselves and by damaging private property throughout the surrounding landscape. Tracking local efforts to manage the hogs, the case study illustrates …

Political Ecologies Of Storage For The 21st Century, Sayd Randle, Matthew Archer

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

New resource storage arrangements are proliferating rapidly both in terms of physical infrastructures-for the storage of things like "clean" energy, nuclear waste, carbon dioxide, fresh water, and data-and as part of a set of discursive moves that reinforce a vision of a near future world in which problems of climate change mitigation and adaptation in particular (but also issues like energy security, water security, industry growth, etc.) are solved through eco-modernist techno-fixes. This Symposium sketches the contours of a framework we term political ecologies of storage. In doing so, we treat storage as both a potent imaginary and a concrete …

Extractivism And Water Crisis In The Moroccan Draa Oasis: Global South Reflections On Responsibility And Resistance, Ahmed El Khatabi

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract. The Draa Oasis in southeastern Morocco is experiencing severe water scarcity, driven by climate change and intensified by the expansion of watermelon agribusiness and desert tourism. This article explores how external investors, empowered by national agricultural policies, have disrupted traditional water governance systems rooted in collective management. Through ethnographic fieldwork involving interviews, focus groups, and spatial mapping, the study examines the socio-environmental consequences of groundwater depletion and land commodification. It argues that investors fail to assume ethical accountability for the ecological degradation they cause, despite being aware of the oasis’s fragile ecosystem. Meanwhile, local communities and civil society actors …

การให้ความเห็นแนะนำของศาลกฎหมายทะเลระหว่างประเทศเกี่ยวกับการเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพภูมิอากาศกับผลประโยชน์ที่ประเทศไทยได้รับจากความเห็นศาล (The International Tribunal For The Law Of The Sea Advisory Opinion On Climate Change And Benefits That Thailand Receives From The Tribunal’S Advisory Opinion), Pannavit Tapaneeyakorn

Chulalongkorn University Law Journal

บทความวิชาการนี้มุ่งเน้นศึกษาบทบาทของศาลกฎหมายทะเลระหว่างประเทศในการให้ความเห็นแนะนำเกี่ยวกับการเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพภูมิอากาศ โดยเป็นการวิเคราะห์สาระสำคัญของความเห็นแนะนำ Request for an Advisory Opinion submitted by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (Request for Advisory Opinion submitted to the Tribunal) Case No.31 และวิเคราะห์และสังเคราะห์ผลประโยชน์ที่ประเทศไทยในฐานะรัฐภาคีของอนุสัญญาสหประชาชาติว่าด้วยกฎหมายทะเล ค.ศ. 1982 จะได้รับจากความเห็นของศาล โดยผลการศึกษาพบว่าประเทศไทยจะได้รับผลประโยชน์ทั้ง 2 ด้าน คือ 1. ผลประโยชน์ในแง่กระบวนการพิจารณาของศาล และ 2. ผลประโยชน์เกี่ยวกับการออกนโยบายและมาตรการเกี่ยวกับการป้องกัน ลด และควบคุมภาวะมลพิษของสิ่งแวดล้อมทางทะเลและการปกป้องและรักษาสิ่งแวดล้อมทางทะเลจากการเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพภูมิอากาศ

Who Bears The Burden? An Assessment Of Vulnerability And Resilience To Consecutive Disasters In The Portland Metro Region, Idowu Ajibade, Jason Sauer, Matthew Walter, James M. Done, Ming Ge, Elliot Gall, Aswatha Raghunathasami, Paul C. Loikith, Chris Lower, Heejun Chang, Arun Pallathadka, E Mae Sowards

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Climate-related disasters threaten urban areas worldwide, yet gaps remain in understanding how multiple stressors interact to shape resilience. This study examines exposure, vulnerability, and resilience across three consecutive extreme events in the Portland metro area: the September 2020 wildfire-related air pollution, the February 2021 snowstorm, and the June 2021 heatwave. We used geographically weighted regression and Spearman rank correlation analysis to investigate relationships between hazard impacts, the social vulnerability index (SoVI), Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities (BRIC), and proximity to community-based organizations (CBOs) in 416 census tracts. Our analysis reveals strong spatial correlations between wildfire-related air pollution, winter storm impacts, …

"I Have A Very Particular Set Of Skills": Special Cataloging Approaches For Special Collections., Sasha Frizzell, Erin Labove, Natasha Zaleski

Library Scholarship

Cataloging special collections materials requires specialized training that is not always readily available to catalogers. This presentation will explain the workflows and resources used by three different librarians to catalog materials with unique challenges: community cookbooks, government documents, and archival scrapbooks. Participants will gain the knowledge and confidence to catalog niche material types as this presentation introduces specialized MARC fields, databases, websites, controlled vocabularies, and descriptive standards to use as part of their cataloging toolkit.

Leaning In: Diversity, Dialogue, And Whiteness At A Quaker Independent School, Mauricio Thomas Torres

Dissertations - ALL

Diversity has emerged as a hallmark of institutional excellence in several fields. At the same time, it has been vilified and maligned by conservative pundits and politicians as Donald Trump has worked to frame diversity as un-American and unmeritocratic. This tension makes diversity worthy of sociological analysis. Though there is an emerging critical sociology of diversity, much of that work has been primarily concerned with the discursive, ideological, and symbolic dimensions of diversity. In contrast, this dissertation examines how diversity moves through and is contested and supported within the organization and cultural context of Friends Prep (FP), a progressive Quaker …

Towards A Critical Legal Tech Education: A Decolonial Approach, Diego H. Alcalá Laboy

Seattle University Law Review Online

The intersection of law, technology, and decolonial theory offers a critical framework for exposing and challenging power asymmetries embedded in both legal and technological systems. Drawing from his experience as a criminal defense attorney and legal academic, Diego H. Alcalá Laboy critiques how surveillance technologies, often framed as tools for justice, disproportionately harm marginalized communities. Grounded in Latin American decolonial theory, particularly the modernity/coloniality/decoloniality triad and the concept of pluriversality, he argues for reimagining legal scholarship and pedagogy to disrupt Eurocentric and universalist assumptions. Using a colonizer/colonized framework, he advocates for bottom-up knowledge creation that centers the voices of those …

A Spatial Analysis Of Residential Photovoltaic Adoption In New Jersey: Focusing On 2020 With Trends Through 2025, Brandon Mcalister

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

This capstone project seeks to find the relationship between socioeconomic and demographic variables and their relationship to residential photovoltaic installations across New Jersey. The study consists of Geographic Weighted Regression Analyses to construct and socioeconomic index indicating the likelihood of photovoltaic adoption in New Jersey zip codes. Then using the index to predict future photovoltaic adoption across the state. The study found that socioeconomic and demographic variables can predict photovoltaic adoption within one year, but when placed in an index and used to predict future adoption trends, the model under predicts and extremely over predicts. While socioeconomic status is a …

E Ho’Omau Mākau, We Will Continue: The Living Sovereign Entities Of Contemporary Hawaiian Songs, Kēhaulani Lagunero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the relationship between contemporary Hawaiian mele (songs) and Hawaiian ea (sovereignty), focusing on how mele acts as sovereign living entities representing cultural resilience, identity, and resistance to settler-colonial influences. Through semi-structured interviews with Kānaka Maoli, participant observation at cultural events, and close analysis of mele, I identify that these songs are not only expressions of cultural memory, but also living embodiments of ea—sovereignty because they are alive, and they are alive because they are ea. Drawing from the frameworks of cultural survival, survivance, symbolic power, and defiant indigeneity, I explore how mele actively engage …

Cultivating Resilience In The Anthropocene: Evaluating A Gssw Ecological Justice Curriculum, Windy Selig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation in Practice evaluated the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) Ecological Justice Pathway to examine how resilience is conceptualized and cultivated within the curriculum. Grounded in a constructivist paradigm and guided by an ecological justice framework, this evaluation explored the pedagogical and curricular strategies designed to prepare social work students for the emotional, ethical, and professional demands of practicing in the Anthropocene—a time marked by ecological degradation, climate crisis, and compounding social inequities.

Through qualitative methods, including faculty interviews and curriculum document analysis, the evaluation identified both explicit and implicit components that foster student resilience. …

A Fifty-Year Assessment Of Historical Planning Processes And Green Space Distribution (1975-2025): A Case Study Of Portland, Or, Usa, Quadri Olatunbosun Taiwo

Dissertations and Theses

The Portland study examined past planning regulations and greenspace distribution over the period of fifty years, with particular attention given to neighborhood differences between invested and non-invested neighborhoods. This research utilized a mixed-methods approach through the synthesis of qualitative themes from oral narratives and archival records. Furthermore, I examined spatial greenspace using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imagery. I tested the study hypothesis using the GIS Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression test to predict how key sociodemographic characteristics affect the provision of greenspace in non-white disinvested neighborhoods. The key findings indicated a consistent trend of inequity in greenspace, heavily shaped …

Developing Indicators For Comprehensive Evaluation Of Equity In Transportation Systems, Ruqaya Emad Alfaris

Theses and Dissertations

Achieving transportation equity is essential for social inclusion, access to opportunities, and reducing disparities. However, traditional evaluation methods are often fragmented and fail to capture equity’s multidimensional nature. This dissertation develops a comprehensive framework for creating indicators to evaluate transportation equity effectively. It begins with a literature review to comprehend the theoretical background, followed by expert interviews highlight gaps in current evaluation practices. Statistical modeling and machine learning analysis was conducted to first explore indicators’ impact on transportation equity, and then investigate transportation safety disparities in underserved communities. Findings from literature review, interview with professionals, and analysis results are used …

Sunrise At The Salton Sea: Environmental Justice, Land Use Change, And Hydrosocial Dynamics Of Solar Energy Transitions In The Imperial Valley, California, Dustin Mulvaney, James J. A. Blair, Alida Cantor

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

California's Imperial Valley, with lithium-rich geothermal brines, extensive flat agricultural fields with abundant desert sunshine, and access to transmission lines, is a leading case to explore interconnected themes around just energy transitions. Despite being the poorest county in California and one of the smallest, Imperial already provides 15% of the state’s solar electricity, and the region as a whole represents on the order of 25% of the state’s electric power capacity. This paper brings to light frictions over solar energy development that have emerged over the history of solar power development in the southern Salton Sea region. It describes the …

Shedding Light On Inequities Of Power Outages Through Data Transparency, Kelly A. Stevens, Sanam K. Aksha, Mohammad Siddiqur Rahman, Elizabeth Trader, Herbert Longenecker, Rebecca Entress, Thomas Wahl, Christopher Emrich, Kristopher O. Davis

Faculty Publications

In a changing climate, the electricity grid is increasingly exposed to more extreme weather that results in significant power outages. Further, lower income and racial-ethnic minority households are more likely to experience a higher frequency and duration of power outages compared to less socially vulnerable groups. The literature on the unequal impacts of power outages is a new, growing area of research that has been stymied in part due to the difficulty acquiring high spatial resolution, historical power outage data from utilities. In this Perspectives article, we review the availability of power outage data, and what can be learned from …

Shedding Light On Inequities Of Power Outages Through Data Transparency, Kelly A. Stevens, Sanam K. Aksha, Mohammed Siddiqur Rahman, Elizabeth Trader, Herbert Longenecker, Rebecca Entress

Faculty Publications

In a changing climate, the electricity grid is increasingly exposed to more extreme weather that results in significant power outages. Further, lower income and racial-ethnic minority households are more likely to experience a higher frequency and duration of power outages compared to less socially vulnerable groups. The literature on the unequal impacts of power outages is a new, growing area of research that has been stymied in part due to the difficulty acquiring high spatial resolution, historical power outage data from utilities. In this Perspectives article, we review the availability of power outage data, and what can be learned from …