Digital Commons Network^™

Accounting For Climate Impacts In Decisionmaking, Mark S. Squillace

Publications

Every significant decision made by government agencies, and many made by private organizations, impacts climate change. Ignoring those impacts is increasingly unacceptable. But how to account for a decision’s impact on the climate is far from clear. This article seeks to answer that question in the context of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that will likely result from a proposed action and begins with a detailed description of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process. EIA is crucial to understanding the likely consequences of a proposed action, including the climate-related consequences. EIA also serves as the primary vehicle for estimating GHG …

Unequal Homes, Unequal Health: Applying The Loss Of Chance Doctrine To Landlord-Tenant Cases, Delaram Takyar

Publications

Low-income families and families of color in the U.S. are disproportionately likely to live in homes that are negligently maintained by landlords, with significant implications for their physical health. Despite suffering harm, tenants often cannot seek legal relief without ruling out all possible alternate causes of their injuries. For example, if a tenant develops asthma after being exposed to black mold in her home and can show that her landlord had knowingly refused to remediate the mold, the tenant would still be barred from relief if she were genetically predisposed to developing asthma or could have also been exposed to …

Building A Macrosystems Ecology Framework To Identify Links Between Environmental And Human Health, Felisha N. Walls

Theses and Dissertations

The structure and functions of natural systems continue to be degraded by human activities such as land-use change. One potential consequence that has received relatively little attention is a corresponding decline in human health. Altered ecosystems can present a host of risks to human health. Yet the consequences of environmental degradation are rarely considered in national-scale research on human well-being. The guiding objective of this work is to compare stream health and socioeconomic metrics with spatially congruent human health metrics throughout the conterminous United States, then to identify potential links between environmental health, socioeconomic factors and human health. Environmental health …

Assessing The Knowledge On Sustainability And Barriers To Daily Sustainable Practices Among Faculty And Students In Higher Education: The Case Of Eastern Illinois University, Joel Edem Holison

Masters Theses

The concept of sustainable development gained prominence with the publication of the Brundtland Report, which emphasized economic progress without jeopardizing future generations' well-being. Following that, the Education for Sustainability (EfS) program was created by the United Nations to raise sustainability awareness. However, the transition to sustainable living is fraught with difficulties, including a lack of knowledge, financial constraints, infrastructure gaps, and political ideologies. This study focuses on sustainable practices among Eastern Illinois University (EIU) students and faculty, as well as the barriers to daily sustainable behaviors. As independent variables influencing sustainable practices, the study evaluates sustainability knowledge/awareness, personal financial situation, …

Grey To Green: The Impact Of Environmental Policy On Us Crime Rates, Kassandra Gonzalez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the social implications of climate change and environmental degradation on deviant and criminal behavior. This study employs general strain theory to examine the effectiveness of city-level climate change mitigation actions in reducing crime rates. Through a systematic approach, this study reviews literature on environmental harms and community strain and explores the impact of local pro-environmental policies on crime reduction. Focusing on the United States, UCR crime rate reports and UN-guided Sustainable Development Goal data are analyzed at the US county level. The findings suggest that sustainable practices, especially those related to local infrastructure and community engagement, could …

Pachamama Over People And Profit: A Case For Indigenous Ecology And Environmental Personhood, Hilda Loury

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

Nepantla/Coatlicue/Conocimiento, Gerald Torres

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. By Gloria Anzaldúa.

Faulty Foundations: An Investigation Into Toxic Homes In The Blackfeet Nation, Kathleen Elyse Shannon

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In 2002, a class action lawsuit came out of the Blackfeet Nation. The plaintiffs were residents of a federally-funded housing project called Glacier Homes, and they were suing Blackfeet Housing and the Department of Housing and Urban Development because their homes were making them sick. The case got some local media coverage for a couple years. But it was ultimately forgotten and the plaintiffs never got a remedy.

This long-form audio project revives this story and asks listeners to think about these plaintiffs’ arguments in a modern light. The Glacier Homes offer a lens through which to think about several …

Stories From Superfund, Rachel M. Neal

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Superfund sites are the most contaminated places in the nation, but they do not exist in isolation. Stories from Superfund examines Superfund sites in three different communities, sharing the stories of people with varying relationships to these sites.

An audio story explores how the largest Superfund complex in the U.S., the Clark Fork River, serves as a living laboratory. Researchers and agency staff explain what we can learn from the nation’s most contaminated places.

A graphic, written piece uses data to understand environmental justice in a community in Southeast Georgia. Environmental inequities are visualized through graphs and maps showing demographic …

Public Participation In Georgia’S Environmental Permitting Process, Joyce A. Stanley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is no meaningful way for Georgia residents to participate in the environmental decision-making process before environmental permits are approved. As a result, hazardous waste facilities are disproportionately placed in African American communities, exposing them to poor air quality and a higher prevalence of heart and respiratory diseases than Whites. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and better understand how African American residents living in Stonecrest, Georgia felt about the hazardous waste site being placed in their community without an opportunity to provide input into the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s (GEPD) decision-making process before a decision …

Local Leadership Strategies To Mitigate The Effects Of The Public Charge Rule And Covid-19 Among Undocumented Immigrants, Amos Onyango Oketch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractScholars have focused on the effects of implementing the federal-level Public Charge Rule (PCR) and COVID-19 on undocumented immigrants' health and socioeconomic well-being. Researchers have demonstrated that many federal assistance programs that benefit the general population in the wake of the pandemic exclude undocumented immigrants due to PCR restrictions; thus, they are disproportionately affected and suffer social and socioeconomic disparity. Researchers have yet to establish consensus strategies and interventions at the local and state levels to fill the gap and support disadvantaged communities during the pandemic to ensure equitable care and mitigate harm. Thus, this study aimed to identify the …

Relationships Between K-12 In-Service Teachers’ Personal Environmental Education Teacher Efficacy, Environmental Identity, And Concern For Implementation Of California’S Environmental Principles And Concepts, Dean Matthew Reese

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Significant environmental impacts such as climate change, reduction in biodiversity, increasing food scarcity, impacts on water supply and availability, and exacerbation of human health problems are occurring and are expected to increase. Despite these environmental challenges the teaching of California’s environmental literacy standards, the California Environmental Principles and Concepts (CA EP&Cs), in the K-12 public education system is infrequent and inadequate. The purpose of this study was to use a mixed methods approach to examine relationships between environmental identity (EI), personal environmental education teacher efficacy (PEETE), and peak stage of concern (SOC) for implementing CA EP&Cs for K-12 in-service teachers …

Litigation To Protect The Marine Environment: Parallels And Synergies With Climate Litigation, Randall S. Abate, Nadine O. Nadow, Hayley-Bo Dorrian-Bak

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

This paper reviews recent successes and obstacles in using litigation as a tool to address issues in several contexts in the marine environment. It surveys developments at the international, national, and sub-national levels and offers lessons from creative climate litigation strategies as a way to enhance litigation to protect the marine environment. It also recommends ways in which the ocean-climate nexus can provide mutual benefits in advancing the agendas of climate change regulation and ocean stewardship.

Environmental Health Justice Across The Globe., Arnita Gadson, Rochelle H. Holm

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Community Participation, Experience, And Perceptions Of The Solar Over Louisville Solarize Program, 2022-2023. A Technical Report Prepared For Louisville Metro Government, Angela Storey, D. Johnson, J. Chatellier, Lauren Heberle, A. Smith

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Mai Bhago And Amrita Devi Bishnoi: Women Of Strength, Sowmya Ayyar

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Mai Bhago (1670-1720), also known as Bhag Kaur, distinguished herself on the battlefield to defend the Sikh faith. Amrita Devi Bishnoi (d. 1730) is said to have sacrificed her life with 362 others to protect the Khejari trees in the Rajasthan desert. Both women continue to inspire social justice and ecological activism.

Energy Insecurity Mitigation: The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program And Other Low-Income Relief Programs In The Us, Andrea Nishi, Diana Hernández, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

Energy insecurity, defined as the “inability to meet basic household energy needs,” can be both a chronic and an acute problem. Chronic energy insecurity manifests as an inability to access or afford adequate supplies of energy, while acute energy insecurity arises when infrastructural, maintenance, environmental, or other external sources disrupt or impede access to energy. A substantial number of individuals and families across the United States experience energy insecurity, which can lead to a variety of adverse consequences including residential instability and poor health outcomes.

Deconstructing Orthorexia In An Age Of Healthism And Social Media, Maddison Paul

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Orthorexia, a pathological fixation with healthy eating, has recently emerged as a construct of interest in the field of clinical psychology. Despite its growing recognition, the origin of this construct remains unclear. This dissertation aims to contribute to the understanding of orthorexia by examining its emergence and contextual factors through a constructivist lens. The study found that the cultural, economic, and moralistic landscape of healthism and social medially have played a role in the development of orthorexia. The dominant clinical perspective of orthorexia was also deconstructed, revealing potential biases that may lead to pathologizing the experiences of those who demonstrate …

To Change Everything, We Need Everyone: Belonging, Equity, And Diversity In The U.S. Climate Movement, Clara Changxin Fang

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Climate change affects everyone but lack of racial diversity in the climate movement makes it challenging for it to be truly inclusive, champion solutions that are equitable, and affect transformative change. This dissertation describes a two-part study of diversity in the climate movement using a survey of 1,003 climate activists and interviews with 17 people of color who work or volunteer in the U.S. climate movement. The study analyzes differences between Whites and people of color in terms of their (a) demographics, (b) engagement in climate action, (c) experience of climate impacts, (d) worries, (e) challenges and barriers to participation, …

New York Environmental Legislation In 2022, Michael B. Gerrard, Edward Mctiernan

Faculty Scholarship

Several significant environmental bills were enacted by the New York legislature and signed by Gov.Kathy Hochul in 2022, and several others were vetoed. As a result of measures enacted last year, New York will see $4.2 billion invested in environmental protection, restoration, climate resiliency and clean energy projects; potential disproportionate and inequitable impacts on disadvantaged communities will become a key factor in determining whether environmental permits are issued; and apparel containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) will no longer be sold in the state. In addition, important changes were made to New York’s brownfield and wetlands laws. These …

New York Adopts Nation’S Strongest Environmental Justice Law, Michael B. Gerrard, Edward Mctiernan

Faculty Scholarship

On March 3, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the strongest environmental justice (EJ) law in the United States. While federal guidelines and the laws of some other states — notably California, Massachusetts, and Washington — require analysis, disclosure and consideration of EJ issues, only a New Jersey law adopted in 2020 imposed substantive limitations, as we discussed in our May 12, 2021, column. New York’s new law—building on enactments in 2019 and 2020 — is even more restrictive.

The new law — which we’ll call the EJL — provides that the Department of Environmental Conservation(DEC) “shall not issue an …

Survey Of 2022 Cases Under State Environmental Quality Review Act, Michael B. Gerrard, Edward Mctiernan

Faculty Scholarship

The courts in New York issued 43 opinions in 2022 under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). Of these, the largest number — 27 — upheld agency decisions not to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS), and eight overturned such decisions. Six cases upheld actions that had been the subject of an EIS; none overturned such actions. Two cases can’t be classified in this fashion.

These numbers are in line with the longstanding pattern that a project’s greatest litigation vulnerability under SEQRA is the failure to prepare an EIS; if an EIS has been prepared, very rarely will the …

The Prosecution Bar, William Ortman

Scholarly Works

The American legal profession needs a prosecution bar. Before lawyers are permitted to appear for the government in a criminal case, they should be licensed not just to practice law, but to practice prosecution. The two are not the same. Regulating them as if they were fosters injustice and fortifies the carceral state.

“Doing justice” is the orienting creed of prosecutorial ethics, in theory, while on the ground, American prosecutors routinely indulge in unjust practices. This Article argues that prosecutors’ membership in an undifferentiated legal profession is the key to understanding the contradiction. Lawyers’ training, socialization, and professional regulation fixate …

The Impact Of Covid-19 Quarantine On Lifestyle Indicators In The United Arab Emirates, Sharifa Alblooshi, Maryam Alfalasi, Zainab Taha, Farid El Ktaibi, Alia Khalid

All Works

Introduction: COVID-19 is a virus that has spread rapidly and brought economic and social crises all around the world. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 quarantine on dietary habits, physical activity, food purchasing, smoking, and sleeping patterns in the United Arab Emirates. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire between November 1st, 2020 and the end of January 2021. Citizens and residents of the UAE aged ≥ 18 years old were asked to complete an anonymous electronic questionnaire created via Google Forms and distributed on various platforms, such as WhatsApp, Twitter, and email. …

Mundane Desires, Aileen Schretzmayer

Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Strategies To Secure Water For Great Salt Lake, Lisa W. Welsh, Joanna Endter-Wada, Karin M. Kettenring

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Great Salt Lake is the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere (Wilsey et al. 2017) and plays an important role in Utah’s economy, environment, and ecology (Baxter and Butler 2020; Great Salt Lake Advisory Committee 2021). It has a long history of commercial and recreational activities including mineral production, brine shrimp harvesting, waterfowl hunting, boating, and sightseeing (Utah Department of Natural Resources 2013a, 2013b). The Great Salt Lake ecosystem supports over 10 million birds representing 338 species and acts as an important stopover for migratory birds between North and South America (Great Salt Lake Ecosystem Program; Wilsey et al. …

Annotated Legal Bibliography

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Synthesizing Energy Transitions, Danielle Stokes, Nadia Ahmad, Uma Outka, Hannah Wiseman

Law Faculty Publications

This Article assesses the growing and cross-disciplinary literature on energy transitions to explore how it can guide law and policy reforms for the energy sector. The modern conception of energy transition centers primarily on clean energy—a shift away from fossil energy dependence. It also, however, incorporates equity as a core principle, as an increasing emphasis on energy justice and just transition seeks to create guiding norms for the energy sector’s current state of change. The concept of energy transition is critical for describing and giving meaning to a fundamental societal shift at the local, regional, national, and global scales, aligned …

ศึกษาและวิเคราะห์ความสอดคล้องระหว่างแนวคิดว่าด้วยการจัดการทรัพยากรร่วมโดยมีชุมชนเป็นฐานกับพระราชบัญญัติป่าชุมชน พ.ศ. 2562, ปลายฟ้า โตศักดิ์สิทธิ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ในการศึกษาและวิเคราะห์ความสอดคล้องระหว่างแนวคิดว่าด้วยการจัดการทรัพยากรร่วม โดยมีชุมชนเป็นฐานกับพระราชบัญญัติป่าชุมชน พ.ศ. 2562 มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาและวิเคราะห์ หลักการสำคัญของพระราชบัญญัติป่าชุมชน พ.ศ. 2562 และเพื่อศึกษาความสอดคล้องกันระหว่าง หลักการจัดการร่วมที่มีชุมชนเป็นฐาน (Community-Based Co-Management) กับพระราชบัญญัติ ป่าชุมชน พ.ศ.2562 รวมทั้งเพื่อเสนอแนวทางการพัฒนากฎหมายป่าชุมชนเพื่อให้เกิดความ สอดคล้องกับหลักการจัดการร่วมที่มีชุมชนเป็นฐาน ทั้งนี้ การตราพระราชบัญญัติป่าชุมชน พ.ศ. 2562 เป็นการสอดรับบทบัญญัติมาตรา 43 (2) ของรัฐธรรมนูญแห่งราชอาณาจักรไทย พุทธศักราช 2560 ในเรื่องสิทธิของชุมชนในอันที่จะจัดการ บำรุงรักษา และใช้ประโยชน์จากทรัพยากรธรรมชาติ สิ่งแวดล้อม และความหลากหลายทางชีวภาพ อย่างสมดุลและยั่งยืน จากการศึกษาการจัดการทรัพยากรร่วมกันได้อย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ ในศึกษา กรณีพระราชบัญญัติป่าชุมชน พ.ศ. 2562 พบว่ามีประเด็นทางข้อกฎหมายดังต่อไปนี้ 1) ประเด็นเรื่องสิทธิในจัดการทรัพยากรป่าไม้ในป่าชุมชน 2) ประเด็นเรื่องความหมายของป่าชุมชนตามพระราชบัญญัติป่าชุมชน พ.ศ. 2562 ตามมาตรา 4 พื้นที่ที่จะนำไปจัดตั้งเป็นป่าชุมชนได้นั้น ต้องเป็นป่าที่อยู่นอกเขตป่าอนุรักษ์หรือพื้นที่อื่นของรัฐนอกเขตป่าอนุรักษ์ เป็นการให้อำนาจแก่กรมป่าไม้เข้ามาจัดการและควบคุมกำกับการจัดการป่าชุมชน 3) ประเด็นเรื่องการจัดตั้งป่าชุมชนตามพระราชบัญญัติป่าชุมชน พ.ศ. 2562 ในการขออนุญาตเพื่อจัดตั้งป่าชุมชนตามพระราชบัญญัติป่าชุมชน พ.ศ. 2562 นั้น ชุมชนจะต้องมีการจัดเตรียมเอกสารมากมาย ตามมาตรา 33 รวมไปถึงการตรวจสอบจากสำนักจัดการทรัพยากรป่าไม้แห่งท้องที่อย่างเข้มงวด และได้รับการอนุมัติจากคณะกรรมการป่าชุมชนประจำจังหวัดในการพิจารณาคำขอจัดตั้งป่าชุมชน แผนจัดการป่าชุมชน และรายงานผลการตรวจสอบซึ่ง แสดงให้เห็นถึงการตรวจสอบจากรัฐและยังคงไว้ซึ่งการรวมอำนาจในการจัดการทรัพยากรธรรมชาติไว้ที่รัฐ ซึ่งขัดแย้งต่อการรับรองสิทธิของชุมชนตามรัฐธรรมนูญแห่งราชอาณาจักรไทย พุทธศักราช 2560 ในมาตรา 43 (2) 4) ประเด็นเรื่องการขาดการมีส่วนร่วมของชุมชนในป่าชุมชน ตามมาตรา 16 ผู้ที่มีอำนาจควบคุมกำกับการจัดการป่าชุมชนไม่ใช่ตัวแทนจากภาคประชาชนที่อยู่ภายในพื้นที่เขตป่าชุมชน แต่เป็นตัวแทนของรัฐจากส่วนกลาง ทำให้ขาดความใกล้ชิดกับสภาพปัญหา สภาพภูมิศาสตร์ และเศรษฐกิจในพื้นที่ รวมถึงวัฒนธรรมความเชื่อ ส่งผลให้ภาคประชาชนไม่ได้ร่วมมือร่วมใจกันในการจัดการควบคุมการใช้และการอนุรักษ์ทรัพยากรธรรมชาติและสิ่งแวดล้อม 5) ประเด็นเรื่องการกระจายอำนาจ (Decentralization) ให้แก่องค์กรปกครองท้องถิ่น ตามพระราชบัญญัติกำหนดแผนและขั้นตอนการกระจายอำนาจให้แก่องค์กรปกครองส่วน ท้องถิ่น พ.ศ. 2542 ในมาตรา 16 (24) บัญญัติให้กระจายอำนาจให้ อบต.หรือเทศบาล มีอำนาจ จัดการ การบำรุงรักษา และการใช้ประโยชน์จากป่าไม้ …

Characterizing Particle Number Size Distributions And Source Contribution For Public Elementary School Classrooms In Bangkok, Hnin Phyu Phyu Aung

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study characterizes particle number size distributions (PNSD) and source contributions for public elementary school classrooms in Bangkok. Using Scanning Mobility Particle Sizers (SMPS) and Optical Particle Sizers (OPS), measurements covered particle sizes from 10 nm to 10 µm during regular school hours on weekdays and under various experimental conditions on weekends. The particle number concentrations (PNC) showed significant fluctuations for all four schools with peak levels observed during morning rush hours coinciding with students' arrival and indoor activities. The findings revealed predominant Aitken mode particles both indoors and outdoors. During weekdays, the PNSD was significantly unimodal, with sigma (σ) …