Digital Commons Network^™

Repurposing Fossil Infrastructure, Heather E. Payne

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

Our built environment includes infrastructure dedicated to fossil fuels: wells, pipelines, compressor stations, refineries, fossil gas storage caverns, gas stations. One challenge as we decarbonize is how we will repurpose these locations and networks as we move toward a decarbonized world.

This Article imagines the outcomes for three distinct pieces of our fossil fuel infrastructure and how each could be a part of our decarbonized future. First, given the challenges seen building long distance transmission, local sources of renewable electricity will become even more critical. In many places, the most plentiful of these is rooftop solar, but it faces a …

Natural Gas Or National Gas–Would A Statewide Natural Gas Ban In New Development Violate The Commerce Clause?, Madison D. Montague

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Article analyzes: (1) the contours of a natural gas installation ban, how municipalities have incorporated these bans, and how the state government may pass a statewide ban; (2) the likelihood that these bans would place a substantial burden on interstate commerce; (3) who, if anyone, would have standing to sue to end these bans; and (4) whether anyone could prevail in an action against a ban on new gas development.

Building Climate Resilience: How Climate Groups Can Channel Anxiety And Grief Into Action, Martin J. Lemke

University Honors Theses

As the impacts of climate change increasingly stress the ecological and social systems of the planet there is also a greater incidence of psychological struggles related to climate instability. Climate change is a significant source of psychological distress for many individuals, often manifesting as climate anxiety and grief. This thesis explores research and therapeutic experience that has been generated as the discipline of psychology seeks to meet this rising challenge. In particular, the fields of ecopsychology, psychodynamic therapy, existential psychology and Indigenous knowledge contributed the majority of the insight to the conclusions drawn along with contributions from potentially applicable emotions …

Remote Sensing-Based Analysis Of Urban Heat Islands And Historical Housing Discrimination In Boston, Ma, Lily Gray

Geography Undergraduate Senior Theses

Since 2020, annual average temperatures for Boston, Massachusetts, have ranked within the top 10 hottest years, with 2021 becoming Boston’s hottest year on record (Northeast Regional Climate Center, 2023). Heat is more extreme in urban areas because of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, a temperature difference between urban and suburban areas. This effect is visible between neighborhoods within urban areas, as more densely built regions are often multiple °C hotter than greener areas (Marando et al., 2021). Neighborhoods affected by discriminatory housing policies are often correlated with higher temperatures, which can disproportionately expose certain groups to heat-related hazards. This …

The Dartmouth Land Ethic: Synthesizing Environmental Ethical Beliefs In Hanover And Beyond, Conor M. Roemer

Environmental Studies Senior Theses

In this thesis, I seek to explore the nature of an environmental ethical paradigm at Dartmouth. In order to do so, I have chosen to begin with an examination of Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic. This watershed essay has inspired many environmental ethical inquiries in the last eighty years. Leopold’s Land Ethic urged human beings to view the environment beyond what might be extracted for anthropogenic use and to see the land as a summation of everything that lies within it: not just the plants and animals, but the mountains, rocks, rivers, and soil as well. In turn, scores of philosophers …

Carbon Pricing In Action: Evaluating The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Evelyn M. Hatem

Environmental Studies Senior Theses

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is one of the longest-standing emissions trading schemes for carbon dioxide in the United States. “Cap-and-trade” describes an emissions trading scheme where emissions are capped at a specific level, allowances are allocated beneath that cap, and emitters can trade allowances. In RGGI, the cap lowers over time, and the allowances are distributed via a quarterly auction. While RGGI includes 10 member states across the Northeast United States, there is risk of carbon leakage whereby the carbon price signal in RGGI states reduces carbon emissions in those states, but there is increased generation in neighboring …

College Athletes, Social Justice, And The Role Of Social Workers In Advocating For Change, Lauren Mccoy, Evie Oregon, Dana J. Sullivan

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Social justice activism from college athletes is considered a rare occurrence often due to the intensity of negative public response and the possibility of athletic repercussions. The likelihood of negative reactions did not stop the unique, highly publicized protests at Grambling State University and the University of Missouri. These protests set the tone for college athlete unionization and a new era of college athlete activism. College athletes recognize their power as corporate brands and standing as a group made it so their voices had to be heard or else face financial consequences. While these protests achieved their initial goals, their …

Embedding Racial Justice In The Work Of Environmental Non-Profits, Patience Crowder, Tom Romero

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

All Power To All The People: Community Organizing Within One Northside, Angelina B. Smith

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

ONE Northside is a non-profit community-based organization. ONE commits itself to building neighborhoods from the inside out. My role in this organization is to build consciousness in youth populations and help them to organize effectively. This presentation will display my work with the organization’s Education Coordinator. My work helps to support children, women of color, and future educators. Though these populations face many obstacles, homelessness is all too common within many of them. This presentation will discuss my role in addressing the intersections of these causes and ONE Northsides organizing efforts.

The Renewable Future: Protecting Workers In A Green Economy, Casey Mosley

Tennessee Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Untouchable Sovereign Debts: Towards A New Model Of Transitional Justice And Global Finance, Cosmas Emeziem

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

Who bears the cost of peace in societies transitioning from oppressive regimes? Who is responsible for paying back the debts incurred by dictators? These questions are crucial in transitional justice situations, yet the discipline discusses debts and transitional justice separately. While sovereign debts are viewed within markets and global economic frameworks, transitional justice is considered within citizens and human rights frameworks. This approach is flawed as it marginalizes human dignity and social justice considerations.

To rectify this schism, this Article brings these two legal spheres together in an epistemic dialogue using sovereign debt as the point of intersection. In transitional …

Factors Of Preparedness For Flooding In Shoreline Communities: A Case Study Of Ocean Gate, Roy D. Voss

Theses and Dissertations

Factors are often described as one that actively contributes to the production of a result. With communities more at risk of severe flooding due to factors such as climate change in the near future, it is vital to community preparedness and their resilience that we understand those factors that make a community resilient or vulnerable. This study seeks to identify the salient factors that contribute to community and individual preparedness for flooding events. The study examines the shoreline community Ocean Gate in New Jersey to identify common factors that either facilitate or do not facilitate preparedness. This study found that …

Fighting Erasure And Dispossession In The San Francisco Bay Area: Putting Archaeology To Work For The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, Lee M. Panich, Monica V. Arellano, Michael Wilcox, Gustavo Flores

Faculty Publications

The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe has long been involved in the archaeology and stewardship of their ancestral homelands, both through their own cultural resource management (CRM) firm and though collaborations with academic and CRM archaeologists. In this article, we build on the past 40 years of archaeological collaborations in the southern San Francisco Bay region and offer examples of how archaeologists can support tribal heritage and environmental stewardship by using the traditional purview of material culture in combination with a broader array of evidence and concerns. As presented in our brief case studies, the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe and scholars are working …

Introduction: Concise Collection On Teaching The Works Of Phillis Wheatley Peters, Mona Narain, Sarah Ruffing Robbins

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

This short essay introduces a two-part Concise Collections special issue on teaching Phillis Wheatley Peters. It discusses how the life and works of the poet can be taught in various educational settings.

Reading Phillis Wheatley’S Catastrophist Poetics: Heroic Couplets And Environmental Justice, Katarina O'Briain

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

This essay offers suggestions for reading Phillis Wheatley as an early poet of environmental justice by tracing the figure of catastrophe that runs throughout her works. The essay recounts teaching Phillis’s early poems in an upper-level undergraduate seminar on “Ecocriticism: Environmental Justice Literature” as well as in a graduate seminar called “Global Georgics: Land and Labour Across the Long Eighteenth Century.” Looking closely at moments where she describes “pestilential vapors,” or when “Heav’n quakes, earth trembles, and the shores resound,” I argue that Wheatley’s carefully ordered heroic couplet poems speak calamity more than regularity, catastrophe more than gradualism. This pedagogical …

Navigating The Climate Crisis: Q&A With Dr. Deepshikha Sharma, Population Council

Climate and Environmental Changes

No abstract provided.

Front Matter And Table Of Contents

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

As-976-24 Resolution On Sustainability Learning Objectives, Academic Senate Sustainability Committee

Academic Senate Resolutions

Replaces the Sustainability Learning Objectives and Statement on Sustainability with the attached as written; and further resolves that this change takes effect in the next catalog cycle.

A Declaration Of Commitments Toward Agroecology Pluralities, Katia Aviles, Kenzo Esquivel, Aidee Guzman, Hannah Duff, Ana Fochesatto, Karen Crespo Triveño, Angie Carter, Et Al.

Michigan Tech Publications

No abstract provided.

Illinois Clean Energy Policy And Procurement, Katherine Ambrose

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

This presentation describes my applied research experience with the Illinois Power Agency (IPA) in our vision to enhance the state’s clean energy portfolio by equitable and cost-effective means. Over the Spring 2024 semester, I produced reports on program expansions and aided administrative operations of the Planning and Procurement Bureau, particularly providing research support on energy storage distribution grid impacts for the 2024 IPA Policy Study and researching alignment between federal and state definitions of environmental justice communities. Throughout this experience, I gained insight into state policy frameworks and stakeholder collaboration to advance a clean energy transition.

Exploring The Relationship Between Microplastics And Neurotoxicity, John Stathopoulos

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

This presentation will look at the relationship between microplastics and neurotoxicity, focusing on the limits of our current knowledge. Despite being an especially relevant topic of conversation in the realms of environmental and public health, little is known about the effects that microplastics have on the brain. As a neuroscience student with interests in medicine, neurodegeneration, and public health, I found the lack of research shocking. Throughout this semester, I looked at primary research and news articles to explore the extent of our knowledge and limits of current microplastic research, as well as their potential neurotoxic effects and future steps.

Development Of Environmental Education Materials For Columbus Park, Abbey Y. Haynes

Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium

The lack of environmental education and access to nature is a significant deficit that impacts everyone, particularly youth. This project aims to respond to the correlation between access to environmental education and environmental justice. Folks from marginalized communities tend to have less access to nature education. A survey given to youth after the Forest Preserve Experience in summer 2023, hosted by Friends of the Forest Preserves, was analyzed. The survey included questions about different aspects of program effectiveness. This qualitative data drew connections between socioeconomic disparities and access to nature and environmental education. To address this issue, I have compiled …

Front Matter And Table Of Contents

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.

2024 Commencement Exercises, Benjamin N. Cardozo School Of Law

Commencement Programs

Order of Exercises

Processional:

Felix Wu, JD, PhD, Vice Dean, Professor of Law, Herald

Presiding:

Selma Botman, PhD, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Yeshiva University, Chief Marshal

Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President, Yeshiva University

National Anthem:

Cantor Ira W. Heller, JD, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Class of 2008

Remarks:

Melanie Leslie, JD, Dean, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Class of 1991

Commencement Address:

Hon. Ronnie Abrams, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York

Student Remarks:

Meriem Sennoussi, LL.M. Class Speaker, Class of 2024

Polina Pittell, J.D. Class …

An Assessment Of Equity, Compounding Disasters, And Climate Change In Hazard Mitigation Planning For The Portland Metro Region, Chris Lower

Geography Masters Research Papers

Hazard mitigation plans (HMPs) are strategic documents or policies developed by governments, communities, and organizations to identify risks and reduce the impacts of natural and human- made hazards. These plans aim to minimize loss of life, property damage, and disruption from floods, wildfires, snowstorms, heatwaves, and other disasters. While useful, these plans infrequently and unevenly address the lived experiences of marginalized populations who bear the disproportionate impacts of recurrent disasters. Technocratic planning goals exacerbate these impacts by failing to center inclusive and equity-focused approaches, thus eroding the resilience capacities of many vulnerable groups including the poor and communities of color. …

Nautilus: Deep Sea Dexterity, Quinn Bates, Saunder Salazar, Morgan Watts, Davis Robertson, Sarah Abruzzo, Ian Staff, Nick Aguilar

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Global warming and climate change are prevalent issues in today's society. As a result, research in the ocean, earth's biggest ecosystem, is imperative in efforts to protect the environment. Santa Clara University's Robotic Systems Lab contributes to this field through work and development on remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Nautilus was built to support geologists and other researchers, primarily in the Lake Tahoe and Monterey Bay area. Thus far the ROV s sole scientific instrument has been its onboard camera, though partner geologists desire the ability to collect physical samples using a robotic arm attachment at depths up to 100 meters. …

Community Connections, June 2024, Fitz Center For Leadership In Community, University Of Dayton

Newsletter: Community Connections

No abstract provided.

Creative Connections: Building Empathy To Foster Ecoliteracy Through Art Education, Jocelyn Salim

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates the potential positive impact of fostering empathy and understanding for the natural world through art education. Through action research, this study examines various teaching approaches, such as incorporating scientific knowledge, employing literature to discuss ecological themes, and engaging in participatory storytelling activities to cultivate empathy among elementary school children. The objective of this thesis is to explore empathy as a potential pathway to encourage children to foster connections with the natural world and develop compassionate traits, attitudes, and behaviors towards nature as they grow. The findings of this study reveal that children exhibit high levels of enthusiasm …

Caste Inequality In Occupational Exposure To Heat Waves In India, Arpit Shah, Sneha Thapliyal, Anish Sugathan, Vimal Mishra, Deepak Malghan

Working Papers

India is a leading global hotspot for extreme heat waves induced by climate change. The social demography of India is centered on its caste hierarchy rooted in endogamous occu pational groups. We investigate the association between caste and climate inequality bystudying occupational exposure during the 2019 and 2022 heat waves. We combine high spatio-temporal resolution heat stress information from satellite imagery with a large na tionally and regionally representative labor force survey with rich socio-economic and demo graphic information (n > 100,000 individuals). The slope of the heat stress dose – workhours curve corresponding to the marginalized caste groups is between …

Cost Modeling Of Provision C.3 Green Stormwater Infrastructure Requirements For Residential Development In Concord, California, James H. Mizutani

Community and Regional Planning Program: Professional Projects

To assist the city of Concord in achieving its housing goals as presented in its general plan, while still meeting the stormwater discharge requirements laid out in the city’s municipal discharge permit, I worked with local developers and consultants to create a spreadsheet modeling tool that allows housing developers to estimate the total cost of green stormwater infrastructure needed to comply with local regulations.

This report contains a summary of the conditions leading to the necessity of this tool, the steps the tool takes that go beyond existing models, a description of how the model operates, instructions on how to …