Digital Commons Network^™

The Carbon Frame: Lobbying For Renewable Energy In The European Union, Kyle S. Herman

Master's Theses

This paper demonstrates how using the word "carbon" within global warming debates severely impedes lobbyists in favor of building stronger renewable energy policies in the European Union (EU). Within the EU, carbon is widely used to speak about many of the perils of climate change, global warming, energy policy, and contingent subject matters. In political circles, media outlets, and public debates, carbon acts a the pillar for many policies, discussions, and ideas related to fundamental errors of transferring energy from fossil fuels and nuclear sources. At the same time, however, limiting carbon does not necessarily preclude fossil fuels, such as …

Integrated Waste Management As A Climate Change Stabilization Wedge For The Maletese Islands, Clyde Falzon

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Planet Earth is finding difficulty in dealing with the continuous increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. This is leading to change in climate which leads to extensive damage to communities, ecosystems and resources. This study is focussed on the waste sector which is the second largest greenhouse gas emitter in the Maltese islands after the energy (including transport) sector. Moreover, if practiced according to standards, waste management can lead to emission reduction. This work is based on the stabilisation wedges strategy and specifically focused on the integrated waste management wedge. Moreover in this work a life cycle assessment methodology is …

Modeling The Miocene Climatic Optimum. Part I: Land And Atmosphere, N. Herold, Matthew Huber, R. D. Müller

Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Faculty Publications

This study presents results from the Community Climate System Model 3 (CCSM3) forced with early to middle Miocene (~20–14 Ma) vegetation, topography, bathymetry, and modern CO₂. A decrease in the meridional temperature gradient of 6.5°C and an increase in global mean temperature of 1.5°C are modeled in comparison with a control simulation forced with modern boundary conditions. Seasonal poleward displacements of the subtropical jet streams and storm tracks compared to the control simulation are associated with changes in Hadley circulation and significant cooling of the polar stratosphere, consistent with previously predicted effects of global warming. Energy budget calculations …

Uncertainty, Technical Change, And Policy Models, Erin Baker, Leon Clarke, Jeffrey Keisler, Ekundayo Shittu

Jeffrey Keisler

Both climate change and technical change are uncertain. In this paper we show the importance of including both uncertainties when modeling for policy analysis. We then develop an approach for incorporating uncertainty of technical change into climate change policy analysis. We define and demonstrate a protocol for bottom-up expert assessments about prospects for technologies. We then describe a method for using such assessments to derive a probability distribution over future abatement curves, and to estimate random return functions for technological investment in different areas. Finally, we show how these analytic results could be used in a variety of energy-economic models …

London Free Press And Sun Media: Reader Beware Of Bias., Richard B. Philp

Richard B. Philp

Recent articles in the London Free Press, a Sun Media publication, have attempted to discredit environmentalists concerned about climate change and the environmental impact of the Alberta tar sands. Articles by authors with right wing leanings (but not so identified) have appeared in the news pages rather than in the editorial pages where they belong.These have promoted the tar sands and their related pipelines, suggested an American conspiracy to influence public opinion by funding Canadian environmental groups and attempted to resurrect the so-called e-mail scandal from climate scientists. The present paper offers a rebuttal to these claims with supporting references.

Quantification Of Glacier Melt Volume In The Indus River Watershed, Maria Nicole Asay

Theses and Dissertations

Quantifying the contribution of glaciers to water resources is particularly important in locations where glaciers may provide a large percentage of total river discharge. In some remote locations, direct field measurements of melt rates are difficult to acquire, so alternate approaches are needed. Positive degree-day modeling (PDD) of glacier melt is a valuable tool to making first order approximations of the volume of melt coming from glaciers. In this study, a PDD-melt model is applied to glaciers in the Indus River watershed located in Afghanistan, China, India, and Pakistan. Here, millions of people rely on the water from the Indus …

Global Effects Of Climate Change On Wildfire: Causal Relationships Of Fire, The Natural Environment And Human Activities, Lindon N. Pronto

Lindon N Pronto

Climate change and human activity is significantly impacting the frequency and severity of wildfires across the globe. Although climate change and human population are the overarching factors affecting wildfires in the current dialogue, the issues are more complex and often not fully understood. These issues range from global temperature increases and severe drought cycles to the relatively new phenomenon of the wildland urban interface (WUI). This is the area where structures are integrated with or immediately surrounded by areas of moderate to high fire risk and are directly linked to fuel types and topographic features. Because climate change is such …

Strategies For Sustainable Fisheries In The Indian Part Of The Ganga-Brahmaputra River Basins, K K. Vass, M K. Das, R K. Tyagi, P K. Katiha, S Samanta, N P. Srivastava, B K. Bhattacharjya, V R. Suresh, V Pathak, Ganesh Chandra, D Debnath, Brij Gopal

Ganesh Chandra

Riverine fisheries are of particular importance in the tropical regions as they provide food and nutrition to millions of people and support their livelihood. However, ever-increasing, multiple demands on water for irrigated agriculture, domestic and industrial supplies and hydropower generation have greatly impacted upon the river flows and riverine habitats and consequently the fisheries and riverine-fish-dependent communities. Other anthropogenic activities such as deforestation, mining, urbanisation and various flood control measures have further degraded the river ecosystems. Yet, little attention is paid to the fisheries and issues of conser-vation and sustainability of riverine ecosystems which contribute significantly to the food security …

Exploring The Effects Of Hypoxia On Sulfate Reducing Anaerobes, Annaliese K. Jones

Senior Honors Projects

Exploring the Effects of Hypoxia on Sulfate Reducing Anaerobes

Annaliese K. Jones

Sponsor: Bethany Jenkins, Cell and Molecular Biology

As a student about to graduate with a degree in Biological Sciences, I find myself faced with the need to find my own independent research interests and scientific voice. As a result of my interests in the fields of both microbiology and ecology, I am drawn to questions surrounding the role and behavior of microorganisms in the environment. With climate change being an issue capturing the attention of a large portion of the scientific community, I have chosen to focus my …

Comparing Newspaper Coverage Of Climate Change During Election Campaigns In The United States, Canada And Australia, Dan Rowe

Mass Communications - Dissertations

This study compares newspaper coverage of climate change and global warming during the national elections in Australia, Canada and the U.S. during 2007 and 2008. Using a census of newspaper coverage and in-depth interviews with reporters, editors and columnists in the three countries, the study confirmed the findings of earlier studies that the political agenda shapes the news agenda when it comes to climate change coverage. However, the study did find that coverage of general climate change stories continued during the election campaign periods in the three countries. Reporters who cover either politics or environmental issues or both found it …

Integrated Economic And Climate Modeling, William D. Nordhaus

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This survey examines the history and current practice in integrated assessment models (IAMs) of the economics of climate change. It begins with a review of the emerging problem of climate change. The next section provides a brief sketch of the rise of IAMs in the 1970s and beyond. The subsequent section is an extended exposition of one IAM, the DICE/RICE family of models. The purpose of this description is to provide readers an example of how such a model is developed and what the major components are. The final section discusses major important open questions that continue to occupy IAM …

Potential Effects Of Altered Precipitation Regimes On Primary Production In Terrestrial Ecosystems, Joanna S. Hsu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In addition to causing an increase in mean temperatures, climate change is also altering precipitation regimes across the globe. General circulation models project both latitude-dependent changes in precipitation mean and increases in precipitation variability. These changes in water availability will impact terrestrial primary productivity, the fixation of carbon dioxide into organic matter by plants. In my thesis, I addressed the following three questions: 1.) What will be the relative effect of changes in the mean and standard deviation of annual precipitation on mean annual primary production? 2.) Which ecosystems will be the most sensitive to changes in precipitation? 3.) Will …

Bryoecology In The American Southwest: Patterns Of Biodiversity And Responses To Global Change, John Carroll Brinda

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation combines investigation of the large-scale responses of bryophyte species diversity and distribution with small-scale physiological adaptations to global change. These two areas of inquiry are linked because one way to predict plant species responses to global change is to examine their distribution across current ecological gradients produced by factors such as latitude and elevation. By examining these biogeographic patterns one can identify those species that have a narrow tolerance and therefore are most sensitive to change. Selected bryophytes might then be used as indicator species in long-term monitoring programs. Where historical data exist, these can be used to …

Changing Climatic Conditions In The Colorado River Basin: Implications For Water Resources Management In The Las Vegas Valley, Srijana Dawadi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Climate change affects the water available in a region. It also affects the water demand, because of the increase in temperature. A system dynamics model was developed for the Colorado River Basin (CRB), operating at a monthly time scale, to assess the potential impacts of climate change on streamflow in the Colorado River and its subsequent impact on the water resources management in the Las Vegas Valley (LVV). The effect of climate change on streamflow was evaluated using 16 global climate model outputs for 3 emission scenarios, also referenced in the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. Risk …

The Role Of Coastal Plant Community Response To Climate Change: Implications For Restoring Ecosystem Resiliency, Hannah June Kalk

Theses

Accelerated sea-level rise and increased intensity of tropical storm events have challenged the conventional approaches to conservation and restoration of coastal ecosystems. In coastal communities, where survival will depend largely on the ability of species to adapt to rapidly shifting conditions or become established farther inland, historic assemblages may be lost. Seed banks may be an important component of resilience and recovery in response to altered inundation regimes, should they contain species able to adapt or migrate inland. This study assess the ability of seed banks to act as ecological buffers to storm surge disturbances and to instill ecological resilience …

A System Dynamics Based Integrated Assessment Modelling Of Global-Regional Climate Change: A Model For Analyzing The Behaviour Of The Social-Energy-Economy-Climate System, Mohammad Khaled Akhtar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The feedback based integrated assessment model ANEMI (version 2) represents the society-biosphere-climate-economy-energy system of the earth and biosphere. The development of the ANEMI model version 2 is based on the system dynamics simulation approach that (a) allows for the understanding and modelling of complex global change and (b) assists in the investigation of possible policy options for mitigating, and/or adopting to changing global conditions within an integrated assessment modelling framework. This thesis presents the ANEMI model version 2 and its nine individual sectors: climate, carbon cycle, land-use, population, food production, hydrologic cycle, water demand, water quality, and energy-economy. Two levels …

Is Solution For The Global Environmental Challenge: An Australian Initiative, Helen Hasan, Aditya Ghose, Trevor Spedding

Professor Aditya K. Ghose

There is a complex range of interrelated environmental issues that currently challenge decision-makers across the world. To date the reputation of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry in Australia, and elsewhere, has been quite negative with respect to its effect on the environment. The recent ‘Green IT’ initiatives of the Australian Computer Society to reduce carbon emission are manifestations of this. While not denying the worth of this agenda, the authors of this paper suggest that it is timely to promote a more positive position for ICT as a source of solutions to environmental problems. In this paper, we …

China's "Green Leap Forward" Toward Global Environmental Leadership, Robert V. Percival

Robert Percival

This article argues that China may be on the verge of a “Green Leap Forward” that could make it a global environmental leader. This article argues that two principal forces have contributed to this development. First, Chinese officials now realize that a global shift away from fossil fuels will create enormous business opportunities on a global scale. Chinese companies are now making enormous strides in the development of green technology, such as solar power, wind energy, and electric cars, with the active assistance of the Chinese government. Second, realizing that climate change severely threatens China, and stung by the criticism …

The Internet’S Influence On Environmental Awareness, Jessica Vandrick

College of Communication Master of Arts Theses

This paper examines the influence that the mass media have had on environmentalism issues since the early 1960s, and how the convergence of media on the Internet has changed the way environmental topics are communicated to and perceived by the public. For the purpose of this paper, mass media refers to all media technologies which are used for mass communication including radio, television, newspapers, the Internet, and films. Using BeGreenWeb, a web site about environmentalism, as a case study, this paper will examine the role of media in environmental awareness and how the Internet can be used effectively to inform …

The Limits To Prediction In Ecological Systems, Brian Beckage, Louis J. Gross, Stuart Kauffman

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

Predicting the future trajectories of ecological systems is increasingly important as the magnitude of anthropogenic perturbation of the earth systems grows.We distinguish between two types of predictability: the intrinsic or theoretical predictability of a system and the realized predictability that is achieved using available models and parameterizations. We contend that there are strong limits on the intrinsic predictability of ecological systems that arise from inherent characteristics of biological systems. While the realized predictability of ecological systems can be limited by process and parameter misspecification or uncertainty, we argue that the intrinsic predictability of ecological systems is widely and strongly limited …

Brief 2: Overcoming Fragmented Governance: The Case Of Climate Change And The Mdgs, Oran R. Young

Governance and Sustainability Issue Brief Series

Fragmented governance hampers efforts to address tightly coupled challenges, like coming to grips with climate change and fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals. The way forward is to launch programmatic initiatives focusing on adaptation to climate change and the transition to a green economy that appeal to many separate bodies as win-win opportunities.

Forage News [2011-11], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Brent White is Kentucky Forage Spokesman
• KFGC Presents Awards
• KFGC Nominating Committee Report
• AFGC Coming to Louisville
• Forages at KCA
• Selling & Shipping Hay to Texas and Other Southern Tier States
• Hay Production Changes in Kentucky
• Climate Change Effects on Forage Quality of Kentucky Hay Fields
• Be Alert to Health Risks When Grazing Turnips

Climate Change And The Conservation Of Archaeological Sites: A Review Of Impacts Theory, Caithleen Daly

Articles

This article identifies the current state of knowledge in the literature regarding the possible impacts of future climatic change on archaeological sites and ensembles. Drawing on the literature review a matrix of potential impacts is collated to provide a simplified overview. This theoretical ‘menu’ is then tested by applying it to a vulnerability assessment of the World Heritage site of Skellig Michael in Ireland. The case study results reveal some knowledge gaps, particularly in regard to the impacts of climate change on buried archaeological remains.

Climate Change In The Piscataqua/Great Bay Region: Past, Present, And Future, Cameron P. Wake, Elizabeth Burakowski, Eric Kelsey, Katharine Hayhoe, Anne Stoner, Chris Watson, Ellen Douglas

The Sustainability Institute Publications

Earth ’s climate changes. It always has and always will. However, an extensive body of scientific evidence indicates that human activities are now a significant force driving change in the Earth’s climate system. This report describes how the climate of the Piscataqua/Great Bay region of coastal New Hampshire in the United States has changed over the past century and how the future climate of the region will be affected by human activities that are warming the planet.

Overall, the region has been getting warmer and wetter over the last century, and the rate of change has increased over the last …

Melting Of Major Glaciers In Himalayas: Role Of Desert Dust And Anthropogenic Aerosols, Anup K. Prasad, Hesham El-Askary, Ghassem R. Asrar, Menas Kafatos, Ashok Jaswal

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Books and Book Chapters

The Himalayan and Tibet Glaciers, that are among the largest bodies of ice and fresh water resource outside of the polar ice caps, face a significant threat of accelerated meltdown in coming decades due to climate variability and change. The rate of retreat of these glaciers and changes in their terminus (frontal dynamics) is highly variable across the Himalayan range. These large freshwater sources are critical to human activities for food production, human consumption and a whole host of other applications, especially over the Indo-Gangetic (IG) plains. They are also situated in a geo-politically sensitive area surrounded by China, India, …

The Influence Of Land Use And Climate Change On Forest Biomass And Composition In Massachusetts, Usa, J. R. Thompson, D. R. Foster, R. Scheller, David B. Kittredge

David B. Kittredge

Land use and climate change have complex and interacting effects on naturally dynamic forest landscapes. To anticipate and adapt to these changes, it is necessary to understand their individual and aggregate impacts on forest growth and composition. We conducted a simulation experiment to evaluate regional forest change in Massachusetts, USA over the next 50 years (2010–2060). Our objective was to estimate, assuming a linear continuation of recent trends, the relative and interactive influence of continued growth and succession, climate change, forest conversion to developed uses, and timber harvest on live aboveground biomass (AGB) and tree species composition. We examined 20 …

The Justiciability Of Climate Change: Acomparison Of Us And Canadian Approaches, Hugh Wilkins

Dalhousie Law Journal

Climate change-related disputes, which often include novel, complex,or politically sensitive matters, have experienced a mixed reception by the courts. Defendants both in Canada and the United States have raised the issue of justiciabilitythe question of whether a matter is of the quality or state of being appropriate or suitable for review by a court-with some success in attempts to have these cases summarily dismissed. The author reviews the types ofclimate change cases that have been launched, examines the US and Canadian laws of justiciability analyzes the.paths in which the caselaw regarding justiciability in these countries is headed, and suggests how …

Estimates Of The Social Cost Of Carbon: Background And Results From The Rice-2011 Model, William D. Nordhaus

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

A new and important concept in global warming economics and policy is the social cost of carbon or SCC. This concept represents the economic cost caused by an additional ton of carbon-dioxide emissions or its equivalent. The present study describes the development of the concept as well as its analytical background. We estimate the SCC using an updated version of the RICE-2011 model. Additional concerns are uncertainty about different aspects of global warming as well as the treatment of different countries or generations. The most important results are: First, the estimated social cost of carbon for the current time (2015) …

A Tradable Conservation Easement For Vulnerable Conservation Objectives, W. William Weeks

Law and Contemporary Problems

Weeks talks about tradable conservation easement for vulnerable conservation objectives. The critical conservation objectives in some conservation easements will probably be compromised by the effects of climate change in the relatively near future. Conservation easements broadly intended and drafted to serve those kinds of general purposes are, as a group, unlikely to be so acutely affected by changing ecological conditions that their broad purposes will cease, over time, to be served.

Conservation Easements At The Climate Change Crossroads, Jessica Owley

Law and Contemporary Problems

Owley discusses the conundrum that occurs when climate change leads to a landscape that conflicts with conservation easement terms. A conservation easement that is too changeable endangers the perpetual protection that is the cornerstone of conservation easements. But, forcing the landscape to fit a conservation easement requires active management, something more often associated with fee-simple ownership.