Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Climate Change Impacts And Projections For The Greater Boston Area: Findings Of The Greater Boston Research Advisory Group Report, Ellen Douglas, Paul Kirshen

School for the Environment Publications

During the writing of the inaugural Boston Research Advisory Group (BRAG) report both NASA and NOAA announced that 2015 was the warmest year on record, beating the previous record set in 2014, by 0.29 °F. Just five years later (during the writing of this report), NASA announced that 2020 had tied 2016 for the warmest year, breaking the previous record by a stunning 1.84 °F, and that the last seven years have been the warmest seven-year period on record.

These observations support the assertion made in the sixth and most recent assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , …

Marshfield Harbor, Rivers, And Waterways Management Plan, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Marshfield Waterways Committee

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This Waterways, Rivers and Harbors Plan is an initiative of the Marshfield Waterways Committee (the Waterways Committee) whose mission is to “recommend procedures, policies and regulations to the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Marshfield on matters affecting the safety, navigation, recreational activities, fishing interests, natural resources and the planning and management of Marshfield's waterways.”

This plan provides recommendations to address safe navigation, natural resource protection, improvements to public access, safe recreational boating, protection of working waterfronts and related infrastructure, improvements to water quality, preparation for impacts from changes in sea level and climate, opportunities for collaboration, and clarification …

Cosee Ocean Inquiry Group Report: Opportunities For Creating Lifelong Ocean Science Literacy, Paul Boyle, Vince Breslin, Lisa Craig Brisson, John Fraser, Alan J. Friedman, Katie Gardner, Sarah Schoedinger, Jerry Schubel, Steve Uzzo, Steven Yalowitz

School for the Environment Publications

This Inquiry Group Report for the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence Ocean Communities in Education And Social Networks (COSEE OCEAN) provides a fresh look at how broader ocean science literacy can be developed, especially through less-recognized channels such as opportunistic learning, the private and “third” sectors, and the enormously varied activities under the heading of informal science education. The 10 authors of this report (see Contributors section) have been working together for two years to find and review a range of issues and resources for current and potential ocean science literacy providers, both professional and volunteer.

Several chapters provide …

The Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) is a public policy and applied-science research center focused on issues affecting urban waterfronts and coastal and ocean resources. Our mission is to increase understanding of the marine environment, improve management practices, and promote informed decision making at the local, state national, and international levels. UHI employs a multidisciplinary approach in all its research and education projects, blending science, policy, and management.

Coastsweep: The Massachusetts Coastal Cleanup Program, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Volunteers in communities throughout Massachusetts turn out in large numbers each September and October for COASTSWEEP, the statewide coastal cleanup program sponsored by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and coordinated by the Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) University of Massachusetts Boston. COASTSWEEP is part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) organized by Ocean Conservancy in Washington, DC. Through the efforts of the ICC, volunteers from all over the world collect marine debris and record information about the trash they collect. This information is then analyzed and used to identify sources of debris and to develop education and policy …

Global Environmental Outlook 5, United Nations Environment Programme: Chapter 17, Global Responses, Maria Ivanova, Ivar Baste, Bernice Lee, Satishkumar Belliethathan, Ibrahim Abdel Gelil, Joyeeta Gupta, Peter M. Haas, Zerisenay Habtezion, Achim Halpaap, Jennifer Clare Mohamed-Katerere, Peter King, Marcel Kok, Marcus Lee, Trista Patterson, Vivien Campal, Bradnee Chambers, Melissa Goodall, Slobodan Milutinovic, Felix Preston

Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance Faculty Publication Series

Global environmental change such as climate change and the degradation of ecosystem services is heightening risks and reducing opportunities, especially for poor and vulnerable populations. Such change is taking place in an increasingly globalized, urbanized, interconnected and fast-moving world amidst shifting geopolitical power balances. Burgeoning flows of goods and services, capital and technology, information and labour all fuel a growing global population with implications for patterns of consumption and production. The scale and persistence of global environmental problems require sustained collective efforts to meet internationally agreed goals. Responses at national and regional levels are already available, but addressing the underlying …

Florida Boating Access Facilities Inventory And Economic Study, Including A Pilot Study For Lee County: A Report To The Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Bordner Research, Inc., Recreational Marine Research Center Of Michigan State University, Center For Urban And Environmental Solutions Of Florida Atlantic University, Environmental Economics, Inc., Planning And Zoning Center Of Michigan State University, Resource Economics Research, Llc

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This report describes the work program and results of the "Statewide Boating Access Facilities Inventory and Economic Study Including a Pilot Study for Lee County, Florida" commissioned by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in 2005. The study was funded in part by a grant to the FWC from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and by Lee County. The scope and objectives of the study are summarized in the introduction, and the subsequent sections report on the various components of the study.

For many years, Florida has been among the fastest growing states in the nation, which …

Green Pond Harbor Management Plan (Draft), Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

Green Pond is one of a number of coastal ponds in Falmouth. It covers over 135 acres and is an important natural and recreational resource for the people of Falmouth and visitors. Most of the area around the pond is private residential property interspersed with a few commercial businesses and open space. As with other areas of Massachusetts, the tidelands around the pond fall within the jurisdiction of Chapter 91 (the Massachusetts Public Waterfront Act). Through Chapter 91, the Commonwealth seeks to preserve and protect the rights of the public, and to guarantee that private uses of tidelands and waterways …

Boston Harbor Islands Renewables Planning Guide, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Island Alliance

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This document presents a summary of findings and recommendations from a predevelopment study of the feasibility of establishing renewable energy power generation on several of the grid-tied Boston Harbor Islands. The scope of the study was to investigate the factors and issues associated with installing a mix of renewables — wind, solar, wave and tidal/current power generating facilities — with a combined output of between one and ten megawatts at sites on or around five of the Boston Harbor Islands. Four of these islands are presently grid-tied: Long Island, Moon Island, Spectacle Island, and Thompson Island. A fifth island, Peddocks …

Weir River Estuary: Land Protection Plan, Chantal Lefebvre, Michelle Portman

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

If economic growth were the only measure of a community’s health and vitality, then the communities of Cohasset, Hingham, and Hull are fairing well. But this economic success is generally accompanied by changes in the physical landscape that can be unsettling for residents, especially when it means more development and expansion at the expense of culturally and socially important open space areas such as parks, woods, and marshes. The rapid pace and fragmented nature of such sprawling development gives communities little opportunity to come to terms with the long-term impacts, which in turn can lead to a sense of powerlessness …

South Shore Vessel Pumpout Evaluation & Outreach Plan, Final Report, Dan Hellin, Chantal Lefebvre, Michelle Portman, Samantha Woods

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

During the course of this study, 413 boaters, seven pumpout facility operators and a number of state and municipal officials either were interviewed or completed questionnaires focused on the boat sewage pumpout facilities along the South Shore of Massachusetts.

The aims of the boater survey were to:

• collect data on how boaters disposed of their sewage waste;
• learn how well informed boaters were regarding the location of sewage pumpouts;
• determine if boaters were able to find operational pumpout facilities when they needed them;
• learn what common problems had been experienced when using pumpouts;
• determine if there were adequate facilities to …

The Tide Is High For The Boston Beaches, Marissa Glowac

New England Journal of Public Policy

In 1993, Massachusetts Governor William Weld and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino approved the “Back to the Beaches” project, a seven-year, $30.5 million public project to restore nineteen Boston Harbor beaches. Today, these sites have new, cleaner sand, improved access, and new amenities and facilities now ready to offer additional opportunities for recreation. People are coming back to the Boston Harbor beaches in numbers significantly higher than a decade ago. This study concludes that the implementation and success of the “Back to the Beaches” project can be attributed to several factors — an increased public awareness of the value of open …