Environmental Studies Commons^™

Basics Of Forest Certification: A Primer For Forest Owners, Miah Maye Pormon, Joan U. Ureta, Marzieh Motallebi, Barry Graden

Forestry and Natural Resources

Forest certification promotes sustainable forest management, enhances market access for forest products, and improves ecosystem services. This article addresses forest owners’ hesitations in certifying their forest lands by providing information on the importance and requirements of the three biggest certification systems in the Southern U.S. This study can serve as a resource to raise awareness towards forest certification systems and encourage greater participation among forest landowners.

Pipeline Politics: A Comparative Analysis Of Environmental Justice Movements In The United States And Canada, Grace Treml

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Using theoretical frameworks from social movement theory, this study describes and comparatively analyzes the emergence and outcomes of the environmental justice movements against the development of the Coastal GasLink pipeline by people of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in Canada and the Keystone XL pipeline by environmental activists in the United States over the past two decades. By using social movement theory to evaluate movement emergence in terms of mobilizing structures, framing, and political opportunity structure, and movement outcomes in terms of representation, policy outcomes, and cultural discourse, a more inclusive argument for future environmental justice movements emerges. Findings synthesized from …

Updating Educational Materials For Dale's Ridge Trail, Hannah Klanderman, Ella Slayton, Hallie Mcclure, Kayleigh Long

Final Reports in ENST 411: Environmental Community Projects

We partnered with the Merrill W. Linn Land and Waterways Conservancy to produce an updated trail brochure for the Dale's Ridge Trail. Working alongside Conservation Coordinator, Rob Roberston, and volunteer graphic designer, Jessica Brothers, we were able to create a final draft of a brochure, currently in the final stages of reviewing before being sent off for printing. This brochure is a condensed version of the previous trail brochure, with more emphasis on visuals than text. Our group has also worked to set up the Conservancy to be able to produce a children's brochure, having led a group of students …

Climate Anxiety Shapes Career And Parenthood Decisions In College Students, Minha Hossain, Patrycja Sleboda-Sobolev

Publications and Research

This study examined how climate anxiety influences future-oriented decision-making among college students, with particular attention to four decision-making domains: career planning, parenthood decisions, sustainability behaviors, and geographic mobility. Although climate anxiety has become increasingly common among young adults, less research has explored how it shapes long-term life decisions within diverse U.S. college populations or how psychological and contextual factors influence these relationships. A sample of 257 undergraduate students from Baruch College completed a Qualtrics survey measuring climate anxiety, climate-related emotions, hope, self-efficacy, migration background, and future-oriented decision-making domains. Results indicated that climate anxiety significantly predicted career and parenthood decision-making, but …

Automation, Migration, And Development: Geography Of Job Precarity In South Asia And North Africa, Keshav Bhattarai, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

This article examines how accelerating automation and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in advanced economies reshape labor markets across the Global South through interconnected channels of production, migration, and remittances. Drawing on the theories and practices of economic geography, labor economics, and development studies, the analysis conceptualizes automation as a transnational shock that contracts demand for migrant labor while simultaneously amplifying employment precarity in labor-surplus economies. The article advances a geographically grounded framework linking technology adoption in core industries with labor displacement, youth unemployment, and urban labor saturation in South Asia and North Africa. It further highlights the macroeconomic …

In-Tsira Healing: Integrating Trauma-Informed Design And Sustainable Design Into Wellness Centers For Survivors Of Gender Based Violence, Eniola Ololade Esther Akinyemi

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Survivors of gender-based violence in Northern Nigeria face layered barriers to recovery, including trauma, stigma, displacement, and loss of livelihood. Yet the built environments intended to support them remain largely unresponsive. This thesis proposes a trauma-informed, climate-responsive wellness campus in Maiduguri, Borno State, grounded in cultural and environmental context.

The research asks how trauma-informed and sustainable design strategies can be implemented in healing centers to reduce re-traumatization, foster safety, and support reintegration through self-supportive, educational, and communal spaces?

How can trauma informed and sustainable design strategies be implemented in wellness centers to foster safety and healing while reducing re-traumatization, and …

Resilience In Recreation: Stories Of A Changing Climate, Casey L. Auberle

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

As the impacts of climate change become increasingly prevalent, the outdoor activities that bond us to our local communities and environments are under threat. In Missoula, MT, drought, rising temperatures, and wildfire smoke change what it means to fish, ski, run, and recreate in our town. In a series of Q&A style podcasts, environmental philosophy graduate student Casey Auberle creates a platform to share stories of a changing climate through the lens of local recreators and climate activists. Capturing these voices invites us to consider our relationship with nature on both an individual and communal scale, to find unity in …

Quantifying Black Carbon Concentrations In Georgia And Analyzing Associated Public Health Risks, Khloe R. Osborne

Honors Theses

Quantifying Black Carbon Concentrations in Georgia and Analyzing Associated Public Health Risks

One of the most daunting challenges of the industrial world is air pollution. Within this broad spectrum, there is an inhalable particle group named PM2.5, which contains black carbon. Black carbon has evidence that supports the generation and worsening of adverse health impacts, which may include birth complications, cognitive deficits in children, pulmonary aggravation, asthma, cardiovascular issues, neurological degenerative patterns, and cancer risk. This is especially seen in vulnerable populations, like children, elderly, and those who already suffer from weakened health, many of which reside in the southern …

The Legacy Of Lead: Lead Exposure's Harmful Effects And Its Concentration In Poc Communities, Layla Sophronia Barber

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis examines the disproportionate burden of lead exposure carried by low income, POC communities. The systemic nature of this problem is a symptom of a longstanding legacy of environmental injustice in the United States. Decades of federal neglect are reflected in the higher statistics of lead exposure and poisoning in predominantly black communities. While it is understood that lead exposure poses a serious threat to physical health and early cognitive development, there is a discouraging lack of urgency to remove the toxin from non-wealthy communities. The material covered by this thesis aims to identify and correct the discriminatory social …

Secondhand Or Second-Class? Environmental Injustice In Global Textile Waste Trade, Wendy S. Escalante

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper addresses the issue of textile waste dumping, specifically how secondhand clothing exports from the Global North create environmental, social, and public health burdens in the Global South. The study focuses on case studies in Chile’s Atacama Desert, where shipments of used clothing overwhelm local waste infrastructures and worsen patterns of environmental injustice. Chapter 1 describes the global flows of textile waste, including trade volumes, landfill accumulation, and the impacts of discarded clothing on ecosystem services such as clean water, fertile soils, and breathable air, alongside health risks from microplastic pollution, toxic runoff, and respiratory hazards from textile fires. …

A Sturdy Future: Mangrove Restoration Against Climate Extremes, Gabriella Marie Siasoco

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper addresses the impacts of climate change on natural disasters and examines how rehabilitation of mangrove forests in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean can mitigate those effects. Rising ocean and atmospheric temperatures contribute to higher sea levels and more severe hurricanes and tropical storms, characterized by increased frequency, duration, and intensity in peak winds, storm surges, and rainfall. Mangrove ecosystems act as vital buffers against coastal disturbances such as tsunamis and extreme storms, while contributing to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration. Additionally, they improve water quality by filtering nutrients, preventing eutrophication. Despite their ecological and economic value, mangroves in …

Solid Waste Management In Greater Khartoum City, Sudan, Roba Mahmoud

Student Theses 2015-Present

This study investigates the rising solid waste management (SWM) dilemma in Greater Khartoum City (GKC), a critical environmental and public health issue caused by fast urbanization and inadequate infrastructure, with historical linkages to Sudan's colonial and postcolonial growth. Chapter 1 describes the current problem using quantitative and qualitative data, demonstrating that GKC produces approximately 3,340 tons of waste each day, with 56% organic matter, 8% plastics, and 16% paper. Collection efficiency remains severely poor, at 31.5%. Informal recyclers known as Nakasha or Barkata collect approximately 7% of total waste, supporting roughly 3,900 people, whereas filthy open dumps and unsorted medical …

Taxidermy And Technology: A History Of Climate Change Exhibitions At American Museums Of Natural History, Laura Haushalter, Amy Woodson-Boulton

Honors Thesis

My research is on the history of temporary and permanent climate change exhibitions at natural history museums in the United States. My primary research question is: How have natural history museums responded to human-caused environmental destruction through their exhibitions, and what, if anything, are natural history museums doing now to address our current environmental crisis? My research begins with a historiography of natural museums and examines how early 20th-century museums responded to a sense of environmental crisis and widespread threats of species extinction. In the early 20th century, museums shifted from Victorian-era glass cases to modern and artistic dioramas that …

Master Of Social Work Portfolio - Rooted In Relationship: A Journey Toward Integrated, Justice-Oriented Social Work Practice, Elisabeth Noel Marshall

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio represents my professional development throughout the Master of Social Work program at the University of Montana. Grounded in systems and ecological perspectives, trauma-informed practice, and the Just Practice framework, this work demonstrates the integration of clinical, mezzo, and macro social work practice across diverse settings, including therapeutic residential care, collegiate wellbeing, assisted living, and substance use treatment.

Through direct practice experiences, policy analysis, program evaluation, advocacy, and community engagement, this portfolio highlights the development of competencies aligned with the Council on Social Work Education’s Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Particular emphasis is placed on relationship-centered practice, justice-oriented advocacy, …

Empirical Results From The Eliminations Of Municipal Minimum Parking Requirements, David A. Griffith

Honors Theses

Minimum Parking Requirements (MPR) are municipal zoning ordinances mandating a set number of off-street parking spaces for new developments. Since the 1950s, MPR has been the near-universal way American municipalities supply parking, though growing criticisms since the late 1990s have targeted the policy for distorting development patterns, imposing high costs, and subsidizing personal vehicle use. Beginning in the early 2010s and increasingly in the early 2020s, cities and counties across the United States have moved to reform or eliminate MPR. This paper is the first empirical study of the economic effects of these removals. Using a two-way fixed-effects difference-in-differences OLS …

Analyzing Preparedness For Compliance With The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (Cbam) Across Member States Of The European Union, Vincent Pfattner

Politics Honors Papers

The European Union’s implementation of the CBAM is a climate change-driven initiative aimed at preventing carbon leakages. This thesis aims to investigate the underlying reasons for the variation in preparedness to comply with CBAM. Exposure to CBAM-covered Extra-EU imports serves as a proxy for preparedness, a measure of the economic constraints EU countries face. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, including Regression Analysis, Bayesian model averaging, and comparative case studies of EU countries. The results show a strong association between preparedness levels and institutional factors, particularly regulatory capacity. In contrast, political, financial, and geographical factors exhibit limited influence on a …

Community Resilience In The Absence Of Aid: Recovery After The 2018 Father’S Day Flood In Houghton County, Michigan, Abby Heggem

University Honors Program Senior Projects

Community networks influenced resilience and recovery after the 2018 Father’s Day Flood in Houghton County Michigan, particularly in the absence of strong institutional support. The flood caused widespread damage to homes, roads, and infrastructure, forcing residents to rely on immediate local action before state or federal aid arrived. Rural locations like Houghton County are often neglected by government funding and support during disasters and are forced to rely on themselves. Community networks matter in disasters because neighbors, volunteer groups, and local leaders respond faster than formal institutions. This project uses a qualitative case study approach that includes content analysis of …

Hope Or Fear: The Communication Battle To Engage Southern College Students In The Issue Of Climate Change, Andie Forbes

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Climate change is a pressing issue that young people have been exposed to since childhood. Fear is the predominant emotional appeal used in climate change messaging, though this appeal has been shown to cause disengagement. To motivate young people to engage in climate change, this study seeks to understand how Southern college students respond to different emotional appeals in climate change messaging. The role politics and religion play are also analyzed in this study. Three focus groups were shown headlines and digital posters that utilized hope, fear, and influential figures in their messages. A moderator guide was used to prompt …

Evaluating The Rural/Urban Divide In Conservation: Methods Of Improvement In Conservation Programming Across Kentucky, Lauren Tackett

Honors College Theses

Kentucky’s lands and waterways have always defined the state. Our unique karst landscape, combined with the Appalachian Mountains and Ohio River, help characterize the state and its identity. However, across Kentucky conservation efforts within recent years have been under attack. Through legislation changes and policy challenges, various bills have sought to repeal Kentucky’s conservation efforts regarding water, soil, and land use. Furthermore, there has been a rise in environmental disasters within the state that cause long term issues for both rural and urban communities to contend with. The responsibility of land stewardship falls on a variety of entities but weighs …

An Alternative To Armageddon: O.P. Weyland And The Development Of Tactical Air Power, Paul Wells

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Theorists and advocates of air power argued that aircraft, not ground forces, would become the dominant platform for victory in war. They promoted the concept of strategic bombing, using aircraft to bypass ground forces and directly attack a nation's industrial capacity to wage war, hoping to ensure quick victory and avoid a repeat of the prolonged slaughter in the trenches of WWI. In 1947, led by advocates of strategic bombing, the United States Air Force (USAF) became an independent and equal branch of the U.S. military. The USAF developed the Strategic Air Command (SAC) to meet the requirements of the …

Investigating Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative: A Qualitative Case Study Of A State-Managed Collaborative Platform, Casey Trout

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Collaboration is necessary to address complex, cross-jurisdictional natural resource problems. To better understand the benefits and drawbacks of innovative collaborative structures, this research examined the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI). WRI is a state-managed program in Utah that implements cross-boundary habitat restoration projects. Local, state, and federal government agencies as well as non-profit organizations convene on five regional teams to design and evaluate projects. Project partners are engaged at a local level while most program administration occurs at the state level. A case study of WRI was conducted, making use of interviews with 33 participants, document review, and field observations. …

Open Space Management Planning: A Framework And Case Study From Eagle Mountain City, Utah, Nathan K. Shumway

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Open Space Management Plans (OSMPs) are increasingly used by municipalities to guide the long-term stewardship of natural lands; however, little formal guidance exists regarding how these plans are structured, developed, or organized in practice. While numerous OSMPs are publicly available, their compositional logic, procedural workflows, and thematic priorities remain largely undocumented within academic literature. This study addresses that gap through a qualitative document analysis of fifteen publicly accessible OSMPs from the western United States, published between 2015 and 2024.

Using manual matrix-based coding in Microsoft Excel, each plan was analyzed through three lenses: structural composition, procedural development, and thematic content. …

How Consumer Awareness Of Sustainability And Labor Practices Shape Fast Fashion Purchase Intentions, Sydney Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how consumer awareness of sustainability issues and unethical labor practices influences fast fashion purchase intentions. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior and supported by the Symbolic Interaction Theory, the research explores how awareness, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and price sensitive shape consumer decision-making. A quantitative research design was employed using a self-administered online survey distributed via social media platforms. The final sample included 187 participants, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression. Findings revealed that although participants reported moderate to high levels of awareness, this awareness did not significantly …

The Supply-Side Effects Of Air Pollution On Local Non-Polluting Industries, Erin Hyman

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between PM2.5 and the production of goods and services across industries using a county–industry panel (1999–2013). Fixed effects regressions show higher activity in manufacturing but relative declines in non-polluting sectors, suggesting pollution reflects production intensity and a reallocation toward polluting industries.

A Comparative Analysis Of Direct Air Capture And Geologic Co2 Storage Technologies, Sarah Fettig

Environmental Studies Honors Theses

Centuries of greenhouse gas emissions have led to anthropogenic climate change and an increased average global temperature. The 2015 Paris Agreement committed the signatory countries to take action to limit global warming to at most 2°C, with a lower maximum warming target of 1.5°C. Climate data shows the 1.5°C target is out of reach, and that aggressive greenhouse gas mitigation needs to be undertaken to reach the 2°C goal. A rapid shift to renewable energy and lifestyle changes will not be effective, however, and in fact, CO₂ needs to be removed from the atmosphere for the 2°C goal to …

Trawling For Clues: Examining Nefmc Herring Amendment 8, Christopher Santoro

Honors Scholar Theses

In 2007, almost twenty years ago, the Magnuson-Stevens Act changed the landscape of fisheries management in the US. Through the establishment of Fisheries Management Councils (FMCs), it paved the way for top-down management approaches that helped the government combat nationwide declines or collapses in fish stocks. Among the myriad responsibilities of the FMCs was the expectation that amendments to existing fisheries management plans would be a necessity to adapt to modern circumstances. This thesis focuses on New England Fisheries Management Council's (NEFMC's) Herring Amendment 8 (A8). This amendment, passed in 2021, attempts to lay the groundwork for sustainable management of …

Internalizing Diasporic Peoples: How Do We Keep Native Hawaiians Connected?, Kallie P. Kaaihue-Paopao

Whittier Scholars Program

In the attempt to better understand the grounds for the generation culture disconnect of identity in Native Hawaiians, I study the diaspora of my people. Diaspora is the dispersion of people from their native lands. I find interest in this aspect of my people because the most common studies blame our dispersion on socioeconomic status and as a Native Hawaiian that wishes to do more for her people, I want to express that while it plays a part that there is a disconnection between the social actions and reactions of Hawaiʻi’s people. Common questions that I find unanswered are, why …

Building Collaborative Capacity For Coexistence With The Montana Beaver Working Group, Shane Randle

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

Despite beavers’ recent surge in popularity, prevailing negative attitudes and the persistence of beaver removal practices remain obstacles for those advocating living with beavers. The Montana Beaver Working Group (BWG) advances beavers’ role in ecological and community resilience through members’ collaborative efforts, including beaver-related restoration and conflict resolution projects. Bringing together people with diverse values and perspectives, the BWG builds collective understanding, develops a holistic vision for beavers in Montana, and supports members in pursuing it. As the group’s impacts and membership have grown, so too has their need to adapt. For my Civic Engagement Project, I strengthened the BWG’s …

Assessment Of Super Absorbent Polymer In Soybean Cultivation Under Variable Irrigation Conditions In Nebraska, Ankit Chandra, Abia Katimbo, Ronaldo Marchezan, Martha Nabaggala

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Water limitation is a primary constraint to soybean productivity in both irrigated and rainfed systems. Soil-applied superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) have been proposed as a strategy to buffer crops against episodic drought stress; however, their physiological and agronomic performance under varying irrigation regimes remains insufficiently quantified. Here, we evaluate three biodegradable polymer formulations: broader granules (BB), original granules (OG), and powder (PWR) applied at low (17.7 lb/ac) and high (120 lb/ac) rates under full (100% ET), reduced (50% ET), and no irrigation conditions in western Nebraska. Polymer application had negligible effects under full irrigation, with yields comparable to untreated controls. Under …

Desert Deep: The Great Salt Lake's Evanesce And The Gravity Of Recovery, Avery Truman

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The Great Salt Lake has been shrinking since the mid-19th century for several reasons, primarily due to a higher evaporation rate caused by climate change and water diversion from the Bear, Weber, and Jordan rivers. This problem will cause mass ecosystem destruction, release toxic chemicals into the air, and strand migrating birds. As an environmental studies and geography major, I’ve spent a lot of time learning about the Great Salt Lake in my courses. I decided to write Desert Deep, a series of essays, after I took my first creative nonfiction writing class. The goal was to tell the …