Digital Commons Network^™

Significant Impacts Under Nepa: The Social Cost Of Greenhouse Gases As A Tool To Mitigate Climate Change, Sydney Hofferth

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

The increased severity of the impacts of climate change demand a re-evaluation of the legal tools that could combat it. The National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) was passed to force government agencies to account for the environmental impacts of their actions. However, as it exists today, NEPA fails to require agencies to consider how their actions will mitigate or exacerbate climate change. This Note argues that agencies should be required to consider the social cost of the greenhouse gases associated with potential major actions at various stages of NEPA analysis. This change would result in increased transparency and public engagement …

Climate Trailblazer Or Corporate Giveaway: An Economic And Political Evaluation Of Cap-And-Trade In California, Benjamin Reicher

Pomona Senior Theses

In this thesis, I conduct an economic and political analysis of California’s cap-and-trade program, the leading national (and international) example of a market-based strategy to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions. I evaluate the program on several economic and political measures of success, especially as contrasted with the performance of various regulatory policies that California also relies on to meet its emissions reduction targets. These regulations exemplify a command and control approach to emissions mitigation as opposed to a market-based approach, and indeed tend to be favored by grassroots activists who may be skeptical about market-friendly policies; my thesis seeks to …

Deep Roots In Eroding Soil: Building Decolonial Resilience Amidst Climate Violence And Displacement In A Louisiana Bayou Indigenous Community, Lia Mcgrath Kahan

Senior Independent Study Theses

The Pointe-au-Chien Indigenous community of coastal Louisiana is fighting for survival as climate change and socio-political factors threaten to displace them from their ancestral home. This project takes an ethnographic and historical approach to exploring how colonization and climate change have influenced Pointe-au-Chien tribal members’ ability to stay on their ancestral land. Climate projections estimate that the bayou this community has lived alongside of for generations will soon be unrecognizable, leading to potential displacement and devastating cultural loss. Due to the increasing severity of climate change, it is crucial to look to the experiences of frontline Indigenous communities to support …

Regulating For Energy Justice, Alexandra B. Klass, Gabriel Chan

Articles

In this Article, we explore and critique the foundational norms that shape federal and state energy regulation and suggest pathways for reform that can incorporate principles of “energy justice.” These energy justice principles—developed in academic scholarship and social movements—include the equitable distribution of costs and benefits of the energy system, equitable participation and representation in energy decision making, and restorative justice for structurally marginalized groups.

While new legislation, particularly at the state level, is critical to the effort to advance energy justice, our focus here is on regulators’ ability to implement reforms now using their existing authority to advance the …

Marx, Critical Theory, And The Treadmill Of Production Of Value: Why Environmental Sociology Needs A Critique Of Capital, Alex Stoner

Journal Articles

This chapter explores the domestication of Marx’s critique of political economy within Marxist-oriented environmental sociology, and treadmill of production (ToP) theory, in particular. The aim is to explicate the theoretical resources for a rigorous critique of capital-induced planetary degradation. Shortcomings of ToP theory pertaining to the conceptualization of capital and value are identified. The reasons for these shortcomings, including how they might be addressed, are elaborated by reconsidering key aspects of Marx’s critical theory of modern capitalist society. The chapter contributes to current discussions in both critical theory and environmental sociology by demonstrating the continued relevance of Marx’s critical theory …

Panel: Climate Change And Climate Justice, Alice Kaswan, Michael B. Gerrard, Monica Esparza, J.B. Ruhl

Faculty Scholarship

This article is a transcript of a panel discussion from the 2022 Richmond Public Interest Law Review's Symposium on Environmental Justice.

Foreword: Probing The Intersection Of Climate Change And Public Health, Ana Santos Rutschman

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Potential And Pathways For Renewable Energy Transformations In Orleans, California, Malcolm Prescott Moncheur De Rieudotte

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In what is now known as the state of California in the United States, the Karuk Tribe is interested in deploying a renewable-powered microgrid in the rural community of Orleans to improve electricity system reliability and resilience to address a wide range of challenges, including extreme events such as wildfires. This study assesses the potential of local distributed renewable energy and battery storage to meet Orleans' energy needs today and in the increasingly electrified future using an energy model. It also identifies existing cultural and social priorities for energy technology along with structural barriers to renewable energy adoption and the …

Responses To Environmental Change, Lisa Reyes Mason, Susan P. Kemp, Lawrence A. Palinkas, Amy Krings

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Communities worldwide are facing environmental crises such as air pollution, water shortages, climate change, and other forms of environmental change and degradation. While technical solutions for environmental change are essential, so too are solutions that consider social acceptability, value cultural relevance, and prioritize equity and social justice. Social work has a critical and urgent role in creating and implementing macrolevel social responses to environmental change. The key concepts of environmental change, environmental and ecological justice, social vulnerability, and social responses are discussed. A description of the roles and skills unique to macro social workers for this effort is given, followed …

Influence Of High Road Labor Policies And Practices On Renewable Energy Costs, Decarbonization Pathways, And Labor Outcomes, Erin Mayfield, Jesse Jenkins

Dartmouth Scholarship

Achieving an economy-wide net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal by mid-century in the United States entails transforming the energy workforce. In this study, we focus on the influence of increased labor compensation and domestic manufacturing shares on (a) renewable energy technology costs, (b) the costs of transitioning the U.S. economy to net-zero emissions, and (c) labor outcomes, including total employment and wage benefits, associated with the deployment of utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV) and land based and offshore wind power. We find that manufacturing and installation labor cost premiums as well as increases in domestic content shares across wind and utility-scale solar …

Urbanization And Climate Change Impacts: A Comparative Analysis Of Adaptability Of Us Coastal Cities, Olaniyi David Olaleye

Dissertations (2016-Present)

The quest to address human and societal developmental requirements has caused urban cities to grow and expand (Zhao, Gao, & Cuo, 2016). Urbanization is a term associated with the physical development of metropolitan cities. The word relates closely to the developmental approach utilized in the formation of urban societies (Fishman, 2017). According to researchers, urbanization contributes to the impacts of climate change and associated natural disasters. Climate change is closely related to societal and environmental carbon footprints and greenhouse gas emissions (Brody, Zahran, Maghelal, Grover, & Highfield, 2007). Development activities and growth of municipal settings have substantial impacts on the …

Addressing The Role Of Climate Change In Agriculture And Mexico-Us Immigration, Xiaoxin Liang

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

Among the greatest threats of climate change is the significant impact on mass displacement, particularly as it relates to Mexico-US immigration. Low crop yields from worsening climate conditions have been linked to increased migration of Mexican farmers. With a projected 4.2 million additional migrants in the foreseeable future, it poses a contemporary environmental, social, and political dilemma. This policy brief analyzes several provision proposals to be adopted into the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), as evaluated under economic cost, equity, environmental impact, and feasibility criteria. My research concludes that the most effective and direct provision proposal is the implementation of adaptive …

Pediatric Climate Change Advocacy: A Call To Action For Health Care Providers, Pragya Rai, John I. Sutter, J Gary Wheeler, Robert G. Byron, Lori G. Byron

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Climate change already besieges us. Using specific examples this paper highlights the impacts of climate change affecting children today, particularly those who disproportionately experience those impacts and beseeches pediatricians and other healthcare professionals in all types of practice settings to engage in climate change advocacy. Examples of organizational, educational, legislative/policy, and cooperative/community advocacy are provided. Pediatricians have been quick to recognize the threat of climate change, but broader engagement is needed from all health professions.

Held V. State, Alec D. Skuntz

Public Land & Resources Law Review

On March 13, 2020, a group of 16 Montana children and teenagers filed a complaint in the First Judicial District, Lewis and Clark County against the State of Montana and several state agencies. These young Plaintiffs sought injunctive and declaratory relief against Defendants for their complicity in continuing to extract and release harmful amounts of greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change. Plaintiffs premised their argument on the Montana Constitution’s robust environmental rights and protections. The Defendants filed a motion to dismiss which the District Court granted in-part and denied in-part. Held provides a roadmap for future litigation by elucidating …

Project Earthrise: Proceedings Of The Ninth Annual Conference Of Invivo Planetary Health, Susan L. Prescott, Ganesa Wegienka, Remco Kort, David H. Nelson, Sabine Gabrysch, Trevor Hancock, Anita Kozyrskyj, Christopher A. Lowry, Nicole Redvers, Blake Poland, Jake Robinson, Jean-Claude Moubarac, Sara Warber, Janet Jansson, Aki Sinkkonen, John Penders, Susan Erdman, Ralph Nanan, Matilda Van Den Bosch, Kirk Schneider, Nicholas J. Schroeck, Tanja Sobko, Jamie Harvie, George A. Kaplan, Rob Moodie, Laura Lengnick, Isaac Prilleltensky, Yuria Celidwen, Susan H. Berman, Alan C. Logan, Brian Berman

Public Health Sciences Articles

The "Earthrise" photograph, taken on the 1968 Apollo 8 mission, became one of the most significant images of the 20th Century. It triggered a profound shift in environmental awareness and the potential for human unity-inspiring the first Earth Day in 1970. Taking inspiration from these events 50 years later, we initiated

What Kind Of Information Does The Era Of Climate Change Require?, Jo Guldi

History Faculty Publications

This article explores the promise of institutions and infrastructures associated with democ- racy to limit the worst consequences of climate change. The article highlights the appar- ent conflict between expert governance on the one hand, and, on the other hand, calls for democratization that reflect the diverse perspectives of groups whose rights and labor have been exploited over historical timescales. Drawing on the history of bureaucracy and governance, this article argues that the apparent contradiction between the two poles of discourse can be reconciled by a system of information infrastructure designed to cre- ate a robust, accountable system of environmental …

Land, Racial Formations, And Power: Exploring The Network Of Power Relationships During Climate Change Planning In Coastal South Carolina, Teresa Norman

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change projections for the coastline of South Carolina predict that by mid-century there will be around 1.2 feet of sea level rise, and potentially up to 4 feet of rise by 2100. Additionally, climate change is linked to intensified hurricanes, a hazard for the South Carolina coastline every year. Both of these scenarios result in increases in the regularity and severity of coastal flooding, making the threat of permanent or temporary displacement (relocation) from coastal lands a reality. This is a particularly pressing matter for African American communities already made vulnerable by the long history of racial discrimination in …

Climate Change, Environmental Justice And Children’S Health: Break The Cycle Of Climate Change By Cultivating Future Leaders, I Leslie Rubin, Nse Obot Witherspoon

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Children are more vulnerable to adverse environmental factors than adults. Children from poor communities, who are predominantly children of color, are most vulnerable to adverse environmental factors and have fewer protective resources. This combination results in adverse health outcomes for the children and impacts their potential for the future. This scenario can be viewed as an intergenerational cycle of heath disparities. Although the scope of the problem is vast, positive changes can be made on small scales, which, collectively have a significant impact in reducing health disparities and promoting health equity for all children. We have developed a program called …

Closer To Earth: Scales Of Planning For Urban Waters, Kristine Holten-Andersen

Nordes Conference Series

Climatic changes of waterbodies calls for new scales and approaches to planning of urban surface waters. Learning from a real-time case of planning practice, I display and discuss how limitations of sectorial logics, operational scales and schemes of planning, in addition to inherent epistemological prisons of dominant dichotomies, are obstacles of an actual reorientation of planning practice. On this background, I call upon further research – of a designerly and transformative kind, to explore novel approaches to municipal planning of surface waters. I speculate how this could evolve around a multidisciplinary rubber-boot approach with landscape architects performing as Sherpas, process …

The Effects Of Cumulative Natural Disaster Exposure On Adolescent Psychological Distress, Gabriella Y. Meltzer, Meghan Zacher Phd, Alexis Merdjanoff Phd, Mai P. Do Md Drph, Nhungoc K. Pham Mph, David Abramson Phd Mph

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and destructive due to climate change and have been shown to be associated with a variety of adverse mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. This study utilizes data from three cohort studies of Hurricane Katrina survivors—including low-income mothers from New Orleans; displaced and highly impacted families from Louisiana and Mississippi; and Vietnamese immigrants in New Orleans—to examine the relationship between cumulative natural disaster exposure and adolescent psychological distress approximately 13 years after Katrina. Among 648 respondents with children ages 10-17, 112 (17.2%) reported that their child had exhibited one or more symptoms of …

Strange Weather We're Having: Save Your Town Together, Today, Ben Mclauchlin

Theses

We don’t talk about climate change with our friends and family and that’s a problem. The systemic harm of climate change will continue to impact us if we continue to avoid addressing what we can do to help. Strange Weather We’re Having is a semi-cooperative board game designed to cultivate conversation, inspire joy, and spread awareness about what you can do to help against climate change. This game accomplishes this through the use of collectively-supportive game mechanics, vibrant visuals, and dialogue designed to spark hope and delight. Players become residents who are susceptible to different stressors caused by climate change. …

Vecinos Para El Bienestar De La Comunidad Costera V. Ferc, Malcolm M. Gilbert

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The D.C. Circuit Court remanded three Brownsville, TX LNG approval orders to FERC for failing to adequately explain conclusions around environmental justice and climate concerns. The Court ordered FERC to reevaluate whether the projects are in the public interest. The LNG terminals and pipeline will disproportionately impact low-income, minority communities, and substantial greenhouse gas emissions from production and export will contribute to anthropogenic climate change. This case note explores the role that environmental justice and climate change play in federal agency decision-making processes, analyzes the legal framework for the Court's decision, and discusses how the outcome of this litigation could …

Elevating Mental Health Disparities And Building Psychosocial Resilience Among Bipoc Children And Youth To Broaden The Climate And Health Discourse, Surili Sutaria Patel, Katherine Robb, C. Pluff, Evelyn Maldonado, Grace Tatar, Tia Williams

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

The co-occurring crises of climate change, a global pandemic, and the social justice movement has put demands on psychosocial resilience. The country and global community has witnessed that those who contribute the least to climate change are the most impacted, and that black, indigenous, and people of color bear the health and financial burdens brought on by a changing climate. Given that eco-anxiety is on the rise amongst young people, such increases in awareness building have not yielded action at the speed and scale necessary to protect the most climate-sensitive among us: children and youth. Raising healthy children and youth …

The Nexus Of Climate Change, Covid-19, And Environmental Justice On Children's Health, Emma Pennea, Laura Anderko, Caroline Moore, Ruth Mcdermott-Levy

Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk

Climate change poses a threat to children, who are increasingly vulnerable, depending on adults to protect them from the impacts of these changes including extreme weather events, poor air and water quality and risk to mental health. Children living in poverty carry additional burdens and risks, living in environments that consistently experience poor air and water quality from polluting industries, compounded by the effects of climate change. COVID-19 has placed additional challenges to children’s health and increases the complexity of addressing climate change and environmental justice. The intersection between climate change and COVID-19 exacerbates these existing disparities by impacting children's …

“Tied To The Land”: Pipelines, Plains And Place Attachment, Christina E. Dando

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

Since first proposed, the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines have been extensively covered by the media, shaping readers’ perceptions of the pipelines, as well as perceptions of the places and peoples impacted by them. Using critical discourse analysis, this paper examines the media coverage, their Plains descriptions, and expressions of place attachment. Through the media’s use of “place talk,” it presents a hybrid Plains: placeless, yet with a strongly place-attached population who are “tied to the land.” As conflicts over environmental and energy projects become increasingly contentious, place and place attachment are important for understanding the conflicts and potentially …

The Sustainability-Peace Nexus In Crisis Contexts: How The Rohingya Escaped The Ethnic Violence In Myanmar, But Are Trapped Into Environmental Challenges In Bangladesh, Saleh Ahmed, William Paul Simmons, Rashed Chowdhury, Saleemul Huq

Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Because of ethnic and cultural violence in Myanmar, approximately a million Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh starting from August 2017, in what the UN has called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”. Those arriving in Bangladesh were able to escape decade-long ethnic violence in Myanmar, but the Rohingya’s immediate destination, Cox’s Bazar district is one of the most climate-vulnerable and disaster-prone areas in Bangladesh. Currently, they have been subjected to extreme rainfalls, landslides, and flashfloods. With the COVID-19 pandemic, they continue to face fear and further marginalization in resource-constrained Bangladesh, as well as increased vulnerability due to tropical cyclones, flashfloods, …

From Glass Ceiling To Green Canopy: An Intersectional Model Of Feminist Sustainability In Fondes Amandes, Trinidad, Rachel Mulroy

Journal of International Women's Studies

The Fondes Amandes Community Reforestation Project is a sustainable model of agro-forestry that emerged contemporaneously with the more globally familiar Permaculture Design. Although the FACRP model has been recognized for their contributions to the Caribbean region and worldwide sustainability and environmental movements, they are not well known in the global North and West. Akilah and Kemba Jaramogi stress the importance of grassroots involvement as critical to adaptation and mitigation in combating climate impacts. However, there is a lack of acknowledgement and reciprocity within the movement that is linked to broader discourses on race, gender, and geography. The influence of these …

Urban Permaculture For Climate-Resilient Farming In Worcester, Massachusetts, Priyanka Shrestha

Sustainability and Social Justice

Climate changes observed over the past several decades are associated with changes in the multiple components of hydrological systems, including changes in precipitation patterns, higher rates of evaporation and increasing soil erosion. In 2019, the city of Worcester declared a climate emergency, stating that climate change threatens the community’s environment. Permaculture can strengthen crucial relationships between nature and human beings, offering long-lasting solutions to protect our planet from risks associated with climate change. This paper focuses on the application of permaculture practices in urban agriculture, including techniques to address changes in hydrological systems. Use of perennial plants, creating swales, drip …

Wicked Problems: Understanding How Cities And Counties In California Are Tackling Climate Change And Homelessness, Guadalupe Michelle Franco

Master's Theses

California continues to endure the detrimental effects of climate change, such as poor air quality, flooding, and heatwaves. Concurrently, the state has seen an increase in the number of unhoused communities due to various ramifications such as rapid urbanization, failed political leadership, and restricted housing policies. While unhoused communities fight to access basic services, they must also now adapt to the looming impacts of climate change. Unhoused populations are especially vulnerable to climate change as they have limited access to shelter, spend the majority of their time outdoors, and lack the economic ability to adapt. While cities and counties are …

The True Cost Of Clothes: Sustainability Issues In The Fashion Industry, Grace Costa

Student Theses 2015-Present

Fashion is one of the most environmentally harmful industries on the planet. From greenhouse gas emissions to toxic chemicals in water supplies, the price that the planet, and vulnerable populations, must pay in the production of the clothing we wear each day is not cheap. This paper discusses the role that the fashion industry plays in environmental degradation today, as well as strategies that can be employed within the industry to make it more sustainable. Chapter 1 provides an overview of and through quantitative data on why and how the manufacturing and sale of clothing is environmentally harmful. Chapter 2 …