Environmental Studies Commons^™

Biodiversity Monitoring And Volunteer Motivations: A Case Study On The Imagined Communities Of Citizen Scientists In Meinung, Taiwan, Serena May Calcagno

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Asia Pacific’s biodiversity is under threat. One significant step that can improve conservation is gathering data on what species exist in different areas over time, which can provide insight into ecosystem health. This is especially important in biodiversity hotspots, where high levels of endemism and anthropogenic risk overlap. Though it is one of the few places in the Pacific not classified as a biodiversity hotspot, Taiwan has an unusually high saturation in terms of biodiversity data points. Investigating the motives of biodiversity monitoring volunteerism is already a topic of growing scholarly interest, but relatively few studies have focused on …

Agency, Sense Of Place, And Knowledge On The Zumwalt Prairie: A Social Study Of Place-Based Conservation And Resilience, Dana Elyse Hellman

Dissertations and Theses

Shifting and often diminishing environmental conditions, due to climate change, resource loss, and ecosystem degradation, pose a significant concern to both social and ecological systems. The field of conservation science has attempted to address environmental threats through varying approaches, transitioning from fortress conservation and complete human exclusion to community-based and co-managed models which incorporate human actors and social dimensions in the conservation process. The latest iteration of conservation scholarship, place-based conservation, is deeply rooted in interdisciplinary, social scientific thinking, and calls for significant practitioner engagement with local knowledge, practices, social constructions, and place meanings. It is an approach which emphasizes …

Western Fires Are Burning Higher In The Mountains At Unprecedented Rates: It’S A Clear Sign Of Climate Change, Mojtaba Sadegh, John Abatzoglou, Mohammad Reza Alizadeh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Western U.S. appears headed for another dangerous fire season, and a new study shows that even high mountain areas once considered too wet to burn are at increasing risk as the climate warms.

Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. West is in severe to exceptional drought right now, including large parts of the Rocky Mountains, Cascades and Sierra Nevada. The situation is so severe that the Colorado River basin is on the verge of its first official water shortage declaration, and forecasts suggest another hot, dry summer is on the way.

Warm and dry conditions like these are a recipe …

Aicpa Guide: Attestation Engagements On Sustainability Information (Including Greenhouse Gas Emissions Information), Timothy Coville

Journal of Global Awareness

No abstract provided.

Recreation And The Sacred: A Case Study Of Diné Bikéyah, Brian Andersen

Master's Theses

The relationship between indigenous groups and outdoor recreation is something that has been analyzed by various scholars. In the North American context, scholars have primarily focused on conflicts regarding land use, particularly as it relates to the concept of the sacred. Although these works speak to general truths, the complexity of the relationship between outdoor pursuits and Native American groups is often over-simplified. This thesis analyzes the potential of outdoor recreation as a means of economic empowerment for the Navajo people. The work draws on the various initiatives currently underway to promote outdoor recreation in the Navajo Nation. These initiatives …

Important Factors For Changing Plastic Consumption Among Highly Educated People In China, Shen Shen

Master's Theses

As the global plastic pollution situation is getting much more serious, how to change the trend of plastic pollution to save humankind itself has become an urgent issue. In China, the country with the world's fastest-growing economy and the largest population, solving the problem of plastic pollution presents a serious challenge. This thesis draws on a survey of highly educated people in China to investigate how these people's understanding and awareness of plastic pollution, willingness to change their behavior and perceptions of who is responsible for addressing the problem might inform strategies for reducing plastic pollution in China. The analysis …

Ideas And Perspectives: Biogeochemistry – Some Key Foci For The Future, Thomas S. Bianchi, Madhur Anand, Chris T. Bauch, Donald E. Canfield, Luc De Meester, Katja Fennel, Peter M. Groffman, Michael L. Pace, Mak Saito, Myrna N J. Simpson

Advanced Science Research Center

Biogeochemistry has an important role to play in many environmental issues of current concern related to global change and air, water, and soil quality. However, reliable predictions and tangible implementation of solutions, offered by biogeochemistry, will need further integration of disciplines. Here, we refocus on how further developing and strengthening ties between biology, geology, chemistry, and social sciences will advance biogeochemistry through (1) better incorporation of mechanisms, including contemporary evolutionary adaptation, to predict changing biogeochemical cycles, and (2) implementing new and developing insights from social sciences to better understand how sustainable and equitable responses by society are achieved. The challenges …

Neonicotinoid Use, Bee Toxicity, And Actions For California Landscapes, Kendra Mann

Master's Projects and Capstones

Neonicotinoid insecticides are toxic to bees and enhance biodiversity loss due to decreased pollination. Despite the toxicity of neonicotinoids to bees, they are being applied in increasing amounts across California landscapes. To determine what measures can mitigate neonicotinoid effects on bees, I conducted a comparative analysis of toxicity for honey bees (Apis mellifera) vs. wild bees (e.g., Bombus spp. and Osmia spp.) in agriculture and urban landscapes. Then I analyzed alternative actions and current pesticide policies. While more studies are conducted in agricultural landscapes, neonicotinoids are also found at high levels (10 ng/g per bee; 11.2 ng/g in …

Planting Power Or Planting A Paradox? Urban Agriculture, Gentrification, And Community Development In Oakland, California, Elissa M. Mann

Master's Projects and Capstones

Urban agriculture has long been used as a tool for promoting food justice and urban sustainability in municipalities across the globe. From vertical and rooftop growing operations to community and residential garden plots, the idealistically transformative nature of urban agriculture is becoming an increasingly popular subject among scholars, city planners, policymakers, and activists alike. A handful of cautionary scholars, however, have begun to uncover the elusive role that food justice oriented urban agriculture projects can play in facilitating gentrification and displacement in low-income communities. My capstone project focuses on the relationship between urban agriculture and gentrification, specifically asking: How does …

An Equitable Transformation Of The Energy System: The Role Of State-Level Incentives For Distributed Energy Resources, Trinidad A. Kechkian

Harvey M. Applebaum ’59 Award

One of the great obstacles to the transition to clean energy is that not everyone has an equal opportunity to participate. While previous research has demonstrated that the distribution of solar photovoltaic and battery storage technologies is correlated with race and ethnicity, income, educational attainment, and other variables, it has failed to perform similar analyses on specific clean energy incentive programs. This study evaluates the equitability of past and current state-level incentive programs for solar photovoltaic and battery storage systems in California and Massachusetts using multiple linear regression models. Among the most notable results, for the California programs that are …

How Should We Set Pandemic Capacity Limits For Restaurants And Bars?, Eric A. Schiff

Population Health Research Brief Series

Restaurants and bars are places where airborne diseases like COVID-19 are easily transmitted from one patron to another. However, the connection between the capacity limits and the community infection rate has not been quantified and can appear arbitrary. This data slice describes calculations that could be used to help government officials determine restaurant and bar capacity limits to help limit risk.

Integrated Resource Plan - Duke Energy Progress, Govinda Hira, Maaz Haider

Master's Projects and Capstones

This report profiles an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for Duke Energy Progress (DEP), a public utility subsidiary of Duke Energy. The goal of this IRP is to model the optimal portfolio of demand- and supply-side resources to cater to the projected energy demand and system reliability requirements while satisfying the considered policy and regulatory obligations under different developed scenarios. DEP is required by North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) Rule R8-60 and subsequent orders, the Public Service Commission of South Carolina (PSCSC) and The Energy Freedom Act (Act 62) in South Carolina, to submit an IRP every two years with an …

Urban Lakes: Ecosystem Services And Management, Laura Costadone

Dissertations and Theses

Lakes provide a variety of ecosystem services and benefits that greatly contribute to urban sustainability. Despite the growing interest in integrating freshwater systems into management and policy decisions, urban lakes are often overlooked in land-use planning. Nutrient and pollutant runoff from the surrounding urbanized watershed result in water quality deterioration that negatively impact the lake ecological functions and related ecosystem services. The vulnerability and degradation of these urban ecosystems should be a matter of concern, especially considering that, in rapidly growing metropolitan areas, the demand for aesthetic and recreational services provided by urban lakes is increasing. The overall goal of …

Finding Better Words: Markets, Property, Rights, And Resources, Andrew P. Morriss, Roger E. Meiners, Bruce Yandle

Washington Journal of Environmental Law & Policy

To use or conserve environmental and natural resources effectively is complex. Many economists believe that institutional solutions built around markets and property rights can help improve results. This approach addresses what Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto termed the “missing lessons of U.S. history”— institutions whose designers may not have understood the outcomes that would occur, but the results were generally beneficial. However, technical economic analysis generally fails to persuade many at the policy level. Adding a focus on the practicality of solving issues by voluntary action will enrich the policy discussions. To do so requires economists to provide concrete examples …

A Bibliometric Analysis Of Research Trends Of Inter Linkages Between Disaster Management And Law, Shashikala Gurpur Dr, Manika Kamthan Dr, Vartika Tiwari Ms.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study is the bibliometric analysis of research publications that focus on highlighting the inter linkages between disaster management and laws. The main objectives of the study are to determine the frequency of such publications and also to establish that inter linkages between disaster management and law have not received enough attention from the researchers. The data was collected from the Scopus database using VOSviewer software. Literatures written from 2000 to 2020 were perused. The study consisted of a total of 1649 documents which are classified into articles, letters, editorials conference papers, and reviews. Data collected is analyzed and presented …

A Bibliometric Analysis Of Research Trends Of Inter Linkages Between Disaster Management And Law, Shashikala Gurpur Dr., Manika Kamthan Dr., Vartika Tiwari Ms.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study is the bibliometric analysis of research publications that focus on highlighting the inter linkages between disaster management and laws. The main objectives of the study are to determine the frequency of such publications and also to establish that inter linkages between disaster management and law have not received enough attention from the researchers. The data was collected from the Scopus database using VOSviewer software. Literatures written from 2000 to 2020 were perused. The study consisted of a total of 1649 documents which are classified into articles, letters, editorials conference papers, and reviews. Data collected is analyzed and presented …

When Half The Neighborhood Is Missing: How To Overcome Systemic Poverty And Gentrification Following The Models Of Dudley Street And Mission Waco, Kevin A. Brown, Kevin A. Brown, Kevin A. Brown

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

Abstract

By following the examples of Mission Waco and The Dudley Street Initiative, it is possible to renew a sense of beloved community by changing the narrative of poverty and gentrification by rebuilding the village through empowering the poor and marginalized.

Mission Waco and The Dudley Street Initiative are comprehensive sustainable communities because they combine numerous social and economic interventions under developed strategic plans. The principal question that this dissertation seeks to answer is whether these models can be implemented in local communities to help overcome gentrification and poverty. Implementation can be successful if we can identify the problem, rethink …

Refugee Camps Can Wreak Enormous Environmental Damages: Should Source Countries Be Liable For Them?, Leonard Hammer, Saleh Ahmed

University Author Recognition Bibliography: 2021

While it may seem that much of the world has been locked down during the past pandemic year, more than 80 million people are currently on the move – unwillingly.

Facing conflict in Syria, human rights violations in Myanmar and violence in Eritrea, among other hot spots, refugees are trying to relocate to North America and Western Europe, or at least to neighboring countries.

Off-Grid Solar Energy Systems Adoption Or Usage - A Bibliometric Study Using The Bibliometrix R Tool, Amartya Ghosh, Dr. V. K. Satya Prasad

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Over the years, off-grid solar energy system usage has gained traction around the world - primarily due to the environmental benefits offered, and also facilitating decentralized generation and consumption of electricity in the remote-most pockets. Subsequently, the research on the variety of solar-powered off-grid system applications has attracted much attention and has led to an expansion in the literature. Through a bibliometric analysis, this study aims to identify the most influential research done by academic stakeholders who have contributed in the field of solar off-grid system adoption or usage. To achieve the objectives of the study, peer-reviewed journal articles indexed …

Iso 14000 Publication: A Bibliometric Analysis (2011-2020), Ilham M.Said

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study explain about ISO 14000 itself is an international standard that discusses environmental management systems in general. This study aims to visually map publications in the field of ISO 14000 at the global level indexed by Scopus using Bibliometric analysis. This research utilizes the analysis features on the Scopus website and visualizes the bibliometric network using VOSviewer. The research data used is to use indicators in the form of keywords related to ISO 14000 in the Scopus database with the results obtained as many as 136 academic documents that have been published from 2011 to 2020 at the global …

How Do Novel Seat Positions Impact Usability Of Child Restraints?, Patrice Dolhonde Tremoulet, Aditya Belwadi, Brendan Corr, Shreyas Sarfare, Tom Seacrist, Sophia Tushak

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Autonomous driving technology and changes in regulations may create an environment that allows novel vehicle interiors. It is important to consider impact on all types of passengers when contemplating interior design, particularly for vehicles that may be used by families with children. We developed a fixture that enables us to change the orientation of each of 4 car seats and used it to simulate three different vehicle interiors. Ten families with children aged 3 months to 7 years interacted with each of the simulated interiors as part of a usability study. Times to install and remove child restraint systems were …

Assessing Sustainability At Ccu, Savannah Billings

Honors Theses

An assessment of sustainability initiatives and culture at Coastal Carolina University, recommending stronger institutional support for sustainability.

Youth As Coalitional Possibility In The Youth Climate Movement: An Analysis Of The Climate Justice Rhetoric Of Hilda Nakabuye, Autumn Peltier, & Greta Thunberg, Kristopher Samuel

Masters Theses, 2020-current

In 2019, Greta Thunberg delivered her “How Dare You” speech that captivated the social and political world. Throughout her speech she tethered ideas of extinction, future generations, and coalitional movements. These topics encouraged the Political and Social world to contemplate the reality of climate crisis and generated support for the Youth Climate Movement. However, Thunberg garnered a lot of attention that ultimately overshadowed the worksof other youth activists, particularly BIPOC activists. I analyze the rhetoric of fellow climate activists Hilda Nakabuye and Autumn Peltier utilizing psychoanalytic terms and analysis. Nakabuye and Peltier advocate for climate justice through a lens of …

Ecofascist “Snakeoil” And The Imperative Of Racializing Environmental Justice For The 21st Century: A Burkean Rhetorical Criticism Of Contemporary Ecofascist Manifestos, Lantz Shifflett

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Ecofascism of the 21^st century is a revival of centuries-old white nationalist fascism integrated with a concern for environmental issues from the last few decades. Designated by their writers as “manifestos,” three ecofascists have widely disseminated their documents online just before committing acts of racially motivated terrorism in three different countries. Furthermore, these manifestos provide a lens into contemporary ecofascist conspiracies as well as their own concocted “snakeoils” that present their ecofascist agendas in the form of rhetorical “curatives” to environmental issues of pollution. These “cures” are grounded in a new “green nationalism” that attempts to disguise the white …

International Migration From The Latin American-Caribbean Region: Taking Environmental Indicators Into Consideration, Chelsea Wepy

Student Theses and Dissertations

International migration, the act of leaving one’s country to permanently settle in another country, is driven by many socio economic/political factors, such as lack of economic opportunity, access to education, governmental corruption, and violence. These factors have proven to be the reason that many citizens within the Latin American-Caribbean region either choose or are forced to relocate internationally. While these factors are important to consider independently; these issues are often exacerbated by changes in the natural environment. The objective of my paper is to highlight the importance of considering changes in the natural environment. In doing so, I hope to …

Energy Efficiency Management Across Eu Countries: A Dea Approach, Kiril Simeonovski, Tamara Kaftandzieva, Gregory Brock

Economics: Faculty Publications

We examine energy efficiency in the European Union (EU) using an integrated model that connects labor and capital as production factors with energy consumption to produce GDP with a limited amount of environmental emissions. The model is a linear output-oriented BCC data envelopment analysis (DEA) that employs variables with non-negative values to calculate efficiency scores for a sample of 28 EU member states in the period 2010–2018. We assume variable returns to scale (VRS) considering the natural inclination of countries to adopt technologies that allow them to produce higher outputs over extended periods of time, which we observed through the …

Water Elites’ Perceptions Of Water Security In The Middle East And North Africa Region, Ghaleb Akari

Dissertations

The Middle East and North African region continues to face significant water security challenges. The purpose of this dissertation is to gain a deeper understanding of water elites’ perceptions of water security in the MENA region. It is not meant to generalize the findings. Instead, the intention for the research is to identify, explain, and analyze by national elites' contrasting perceptions in Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and Tunisia.

The study examines water elites’ perceptions in four areas: current knowledge level of water security, water resource management, water service delivery, and water-related risk mitigation. These elites’ perceptions of water security will help …

How Do We Build Community Resilience To Disasters In A Changing Climate? A Review Of Interventions To Improve And Measure Public Health Outcomes In The Northeastern United States, Abigail Abrash Walton Phd, Janine Marr, Kathleen Bush Phd, Matt Cahillane

Faculty Articles

Climate change-related natural disasters, including wildfires and extreme weather events, such as intense storms, floods, and heatwaves, are increasing in frequency and intensity. These events are already profoundly affecting human health in the Northeastern United States and globally, challenging the ability of communities to prepare, respond, and recover. This paper examines the peer-reviewed literature on community resilience interventions and metrics that may apply to the Northeastern region of the United States. The overarching goal of this document is to inform local public health practitioners and planners about the availability of evidence-based strategies to strengthen and measure community resilience to climate …

Curb To Compost: A Feasibility Study Of Curbside Organics Collection In Upper Providence Township, Delaware County Pa, Evelyn Parts, Jennifer Pfluger

Environmental Studies Practicum Reports

In an effort to educate residents of Upper Providence Township about composting and create an opportunity for residents to conserve valuable resources and divert their organic waste from the Covanta Delaware Valley incinerator, this “Curb to Compost” feasibility study was conducted with support from Lars Seufert, a member of the Upper Providence Township Environmental Commission. The intent of this study was to determine the feasibility of a municipal curbside food scrap and yard waste collection program in Upper Providence Township, beginning with a pilot program for one hundred residents and ending with a permanent, township-wide program. Precedent for this proposal …

What Makes A Country Environmentally Friendly?, Sophie Plantamura

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

No abstract provided.