Digital Commons Network^™

Climate Change Meets The Law Of The Horse, J.B. Ruhl, James Salzman

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

The climate change policy debate has only recently turned its full attention to adaptation - how to address the impacts of climate change we have already begun to experience and that will likely increase over time. Legal scholars have in turn begun to explore how the many different fields of law will and should respond. During this nascent period, one overarching question has gone unexamined: how will the legal system as a whole organize around climate change adaptation? Will a new distinct field of climate change adaptation law and policy emerge, or will legal institutions simply work away at the …

Climate Change Meets The Law Of The Horse, J.B. Ruhl, James Salzman

Duke Law Journal

The climate-policy debate has only recently turned its full attention to adaptation—how to address the impacts of the climate change that we have already begun to experience and that will likely increase over time. Legal scholars have in turn begun to explore how the many different fields of law will and should respond. During this nascent period, one overarching question has gone unexamined: How will the legal system as a whole organize around climate change adaptation? Will a new, distinct field of climate adaptation law and policy emerge, or will legal institutions simply work away at the problem through unrelated, …

Water, Climate, And Social Change In A Fragile Landscape, William L. Hargrove, David M. Borrok, Josiah Mc C.C. Heyman, Craig E. Tweedie, Carlos Cabrera Ferregut

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We present here and in the companion papers an analysis of sustainability in the Middle Rio Grande region of the U.S.-Mexico border and propose an interdisciplinary research agenda focused on the coupled human and natural dimensions of water resources sustainability in the face of climate and social change in an international border region. Key threats to water sustainability in the Middle Rio Grande River region include: (1) increasing salinization of surface and ground water, (2) increasing water demand from a growing population in the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez area on top of an already high base demand from irrigated agriculture, (3) …

Landscape Configuration And Urban Heat Island Effects: Assessing The Relationship Between Landscape Characteristics And Land Surface Temperature In Phoenix, Arizona, John Patrick Connors, Christopher S. Galletti, Winston T. L. Chow

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The structure of urban environments is known to alter local climate, in part due to changes in land cover. A growing subset of research focuses specifically on the UHI in terms of land surface temperature by using data from remote sensing platforms. Past research has established a clear relationship between land surface temperature and the proportional area of land covers, but less research has specifically examined the effects of the spatial patterns of these covers. This research considers the rapidly growing City of Phoenix, Arizona in the United States. To better understand how landscape structure affects local climate, we explored …

The University Of San Francisco Fact Book And Almanac 2013, Alan Ziajka

USF Fact Book and Almanac

No abstract provided.

Home Is Where The Health Is: The Convergence Of Environmental Justice, Affordable Housing, And Green Building, Kevin C. Foy

Pace Environmental Law Review

The issues this paper discusses–housing affordability, environmental equity, indoor and outdoor air quality, responsible use of natural resources, transportation and neighborhood character–are all connected. Green affordable housing is especially important in the context of the disproportionate effects that low-wealth households experience from environmental degradation, including air, water, and noise pollution.

To frame this discussion, Part II of this paper discusses the concept of environmental justice, a relatively new topic in the arena of American environmental concerns. It looks at how the concept has evolved over time, to the point that it is no longer concerned only with disparate impacts of …

Braid Tales, Center For Performing Arts

Center for Performing Arts Memorabilia

Promotional material and playbill insert for the January 26, 2013 performance of Braid Tales by FootworKINGz and Kuumba Lynx Adult Ensemble.

Biomarkers Of Maternal And Fetal Exposure To Organochlorine Pesticides Measured In Pregnant Hispanic Women From Brownsville, Texas, Ken Sexton, Jennifer J Salinas, Thomas J Mcdonald, Rose M Z Gowen, Rebecca P Miller, Joseph B Mccormick, Susan P Fisher-Hoch

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Biomarkers of organochlorine pesticides were measured in both venous and umbilical cord blood from 35 pregnant Hispanic women living in Brownsville, Texas, USA. Gas chromatography with an electron capture detector was used to analyze specimens for 30 individual pesticides or their metabolites. Results indicate that blood concentrations were relatively low for most individual compounds, but that high-end (upper 10th percentile) values for total DDT were comparatively high. Although health effects associated with measured blood concentrations are uncertain, there is concern that fetal exposure to low levels of these OC compounds, either individually or in combination, might contribute to subsequent health …

Publications On Chronic Disease In Coal Dependent Communities In Central Appalachia, Susan Meacham, Phd, Suporn Sukpraput, Phd, Thomas Taber Oms I, Diana Metzger

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

CONTEXT:

Agency and nonprofit reports have traditionally been the source of health information in Appalachia. Recently, publications have appeared in the literature associating coal mining, specifically mountain top mining, with numerous chronic health conditions spurring debate among environmental and industry interest groups. Publication quantity and quality were objectively assessed. This article reports on a literature review and analysis of publications on chronic disease in coal dependent communities in Appalachia.

OBJECTIVE:

To conduct a review and analysis of original, peer reviewed research publications on chronic health conditions in communities dependent on coal mining with a focus on central Appalachia and report …

The University Of Utah's Integrated Core: A Case Study From A "Commuter Campus", Karen Paisley, Callie Spencer, Mary Sarah Wells, Keri Schwab

Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration

This paper describes the Integrated Core (IC), the University of Utah’s version of integrated curricula. We begin with a rationale for the IC, providing a background on the unique student demographics, and University-wide requirements that propelled our design. Our IC focuses specifically on active living, sustainability, and social justice as target outcomes of parks, recreation, and tourism services and experiences. This rationale is followed by an outline of both the structure and implementation of the IC, including a discussion of sample assignments (incorporating both experiential learning and community engagement). Following a discussion of feedback after two years of delivering the …

Medicine Creek Shoreline Stabilization Project: Final Environmental Assessment And Finding Of No Significant Impact

United States Bureau of Land Management: Staff Publications

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has independently reviewed the Environmental Assessment of the Medicine Creek Shoreline Stabilization Project, Frontier County, Nebraska (August 2013), prepared by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC), and has determined that the document meets agency quality and accuracy standards for an Environmental Assessment under 40 CFR 1508.9. Pursuant to Interior’s NEPA Regulations under 43 CFR 46.320, Reclamation has adopted the Environmental Assessment of the Medicine Creek Shoreline Stabilization Project, Frontier County, Nebraska (August 2013), for purposes of a finding of no significant impact for the agency decision to approve NGPC’s proposal to implement shoreline stabilization …

Our Failing Food System: Productivity Versus Sustainability, Alyson Murphy

Student Theses 2001-2013

The United States food system is a complex intersection of the activities, people and resources that are involved in feeding the American population. Americans’ relationship with food includes our perception, consumption, and production of it—all of which are aspects that affect the quality of our overall food system. However, our current food system is by no means perfect; rather, it is crucially flawed and requires vast improvements in order to become a healthy and truly nourishing organism. With significant changes in the direction of sustainability, the American food system can become beneficial to the American people, land, and economy by …

Trash Talk: Solid Waste Disposal In New York City, Alexander Williams

Student Theses 2001-2013

In 2010, Americans produced 250 million tons of solid waste. Where does this massive amount of waste go after we throw it out? The majority of the waste is disposed of in landfills where it does not break down, produces poisonous leachate which can contaminate soil and groundwater supplies, and contributes twenty-five percent of America’s methane emissions. The challenges and hazards of solid waste disposal are no more evident than in New York City. New York City residents produce over 50,000 tons of solid waste and recyclables every day. With the closing of the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island …

Giving Back To The Community: Addressing The Environmental Literacy Gap Through Socially And Environmentally Responsible Business Practices, David Garcia

Student Theses 2001-2013

The following paper was inspired by my passion for environmental education and environmental justice. The problem being addressed herein is the environmental literacy gap in the United States caused by the environmental education deficit. After an extensive review of literature and research regarding the issue of environmental education in America, I propose that the environmental and social responsibility movement in business can help augment the environmental education deficit in our country. In order to fully grasp the issues at hand and to understand the full scope of environmental education, I first discuss three disciplines essential to the process of integrating …

Wasting Plates: Addressing Food Waste In The United States, Sarah Geuss

Student Theses 2001-2013

It is estimated that Americans waste over half of their food, depleting natural resources and destroying native ecosystems. Food is wasted daily through a variety of methods, whether through the picking practiced on farms, the selectivity of grocery stores for the best looking produce, and the over-consumption of food by consumers who are unaware of the effects of uneaten food. With the industrial revolution and the “eat more” agricultural tactics pushed post- WWII onto society, the American relationship with food has quickly declined. Urbanization has lent itself to the power of the food industry in transforming farming into another transnational …

The Sustainable Future Of The Metropolis: Greening New York City Building By Building, Lizbeth Sanchez

Student Theses 2001-2013

Due to growth, technology and economic expansion, Western culture has gradually become detached from the natural environment. Industrialism and a culture of consumption have dragged us through a medley of environmental problems, all culminating to our current problem: climate change. The causes and effects of global warming overshadow all of our environmental issues. These problems threaten our way of life, our very existence, and future generations. How can we save the planet without compromising economic growth? Sustainability. In my research I have focused and reported on sustainability pertaining to America’s greatest urban center, New York City, with a spotlight on …

The Colby Oracle 2013, Colby College

The Colby Oracle

Colby College’s yearbook for the Class of 2013.

Mobilization After Repression: Reconsidering The Role Of Testimonies And Exiles In Post-War El Salvador, Angela Elena Fillingim

Societies Without Borders

During the civil war in El Salvador, the Salvadoran military engaged in the systematic disappearance of youth and facilitated their adoptions. Presently Found, a Salvadoran human rights NGO, works to reunite these youth with their surviving biological families. However, a key difference between Found and other similar organizations, is that the former was established in the post-war context. Through a case study of Found, and placed in comparative light with a similar phenomenon in Argentina, I will show that traditional mobilization strategies face new obstacles in a post-war context. Specifically, while Found engaged in many of the same movement tactics …

Advisory Opinion On Responsibilty And Liability For International Seabed Mining (Itlos Case No. 17) And The Future Of Ngo Participation In The International Legal Process, Anna Dolidze

ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law

On February 1, 2011, the Seabed Disputes Chamber of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) issued an advisory opinion in Case No. 17, Responsibilities and Obligations of States Sponsoring Persons and Entities with Respect to Activities in the Area (Case No. 17).

2013-2014 Hccp Year-End Summary, Darby Ray

Year-end Summaries

No abstract provided.

The Force Field Of Tourism, Jorge Ridderstaat, Robertico R. Croes, Peter Nijkamp

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The literature on tourism development has focused on a one dimensional relationship between tourism development and quality of life. The impact of shock events on the relationship tourism development and quality of life seems ignored. Rather less attention has been paid to the multi-dimensional aspects of the relationship between tourism development and quality of life, and the potential impact of shock events on shaping this relationship. This study proposes a conceptual framework describing a triad of relations between tourism development (TD), quality of life (QoL) and shock events, and advocates that a bilateral relation exists between these three constructs. The …

From Military Exercises To Visions Of Wilderness: Constructed Environments In Vieques, Puerto Rico, Ada Smith

Honors Thesis Collection

I hope to tell the story of the contested landscape of a former military training base in Vieques, a small island municipality of Puerto Rico. Military occupation on the island from 1940 until 2003 led to serious environmental and economic devastation. In 2003, the Navy gave two-thirds of the island to U.S. Fish and Wildlife. In effect, toxic wasteland is now under “conservation” where clean-up is impossible given its status as a wildlife sanctuary. This paradox has been kept out of local dialogue and has provided popular media with a platform to dub Vieques as an untouched gem of the …

A Series Of Unfortunate Events In Rio, Or What I Did On My Summer Vacation, Becky Jacobs

College of Law Faculty Scholarship

This essay describes a particular “day in the life” of the author in Rio de Janeiro and explores how it could be perceived as a series of experiential metonyms for a number of concepts related to the authority and influence of law in Brazilian society.

Dynamic Energy Federalism, Hannah J. Wiseman, Hari M. Osofsky

Scholarly Publications

United States energy law and the scholarship analyzing it are deeply fragmented. Each source of energy has a distinct legal regime, and limited federal regulation in some areas has resulted in divergent state and local approaches to regulation. Much of the existing energy law literature reflects these substantive and structural divisions, and focuses on particular aspects of the energy system and associated federalism disputes. However, in order to meet modern energy challenges—such as reducing risks from deepwater drilling and hydraulic fracturing, maintaining the reliability of the electricity grid in this period of rapid technological change, and producing cleaner energy—we need …

Upscaling Natural And Social Capitals For Decentralized Urban Stormwater Management, Olivia Odom Green, William D. Shuster, Ahjond S. Garmestani, Hale Thurston

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

RÉSUMÉ

La gestion publique décentralisée des eaux pluviales, avec utilisation de techniques alternatives dispersées sur le bassin versant, est de plus en plus pratiquée par les collectivités. Mais elle doit répondre à des contraintes uniques liées à l’accès aux terrains et à l’engagement des citoyens. L'accès permanent aux terrains publics et privés est une contrainte qui pourrait être résolue de façon créative dans de nombreuses zones urbaines, grâce à la réaffectation de terrains vacants et de parcs publics. Ces espaces ont un potentiel important de services écosystémiques et notamment la rétention des eaux pluviales par la réalisation de jardins pluviaux …

Getches Wilkinson Center Newsletter, Winter/Spring 2013, University Of Colorado Boulder. Getches-Wilkinson Center For Natural Resources, Energy, And The Environment

Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment Newsletter (2013-)

No abstract provided.

Book Review, David R. Boyd, The Environmental Rights Revolution: A Global Study Of Constitutions, Human Rights, And The Environment, Bradford Mank, Suzanne Smith

Faculty Articles and Other Publications

David R. Boyd’s book entitled, The Environmental Rights Revolution: A Global Study of Constitutions, Human Rights, and the Environment, provides a comprehensive overview of nations that have incorporated the right to a healthy environment in their constitutions. Throughout his research, Boyd analyzes the effectiveness of environmental protection provisions in national constitutions and seeks to determine whether constitutional provisions guaranteeing the right to a healthy environment have measurable, positive effects on the environment. His wide-ranging compilation and analysis of environmental rights provisions in numerous countries is an important contribution to international human rights literature. Although Boyd explains that treating the right …

Killing John Wayne: Intertextual Revision In Green Grass, Running Water, Eileen Totter

The Corinthian

Western mythology relies on its presumed supremacy. This reliance is found in both biblical and contemporary cowboy mythology. The tension in Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water derives from the idea that Western myths that glorify white heroes and vilify Native Americans provide no support for the modern Native characters in the text.

Rethinking Civil Rights And Gender Violence, Julie Goldscheid

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Forgotten Farmworkers Of Apopka, Florida: Prospects For Collaborative Research And Activism To Assist African-American Former Farmworkers, Rachel Newcomb

Faculty Publications

Anthropology’s crisis of representation of the 1980s has given way to a millennial crisis of involvement. As neoliberal policies proliferate and intensify wealth and social inequalities, anthropologists have considered ways to conduct engaged research that can contribute to social justice. One possibility is the prospect of collaboration between anthropologists and activists. In this article we examine our own collaborative research with an anthropologist and activist organization. We highlight benefits of long-term community engagement projects for activist-oriented community partners and students.