Environmental Studies Commons^™

Hermeneutics And Its Discontents In Philosophy Of Science: On Bruno Latour, The “Science Wars”, Mockery, And Immortal Models, Babette Babich

Articles and Chapters in Academic Book Collections

Themes discussed include a hermeneutic of hermeneutic philosophy of science, along with the hegemony of analytic style in university philosophy in the US and Europe as well as the rhetoric of power, highlighting the politics of mockery using the example of Alan Sokal’s hoax as this sought to exclude other voices in the academy, especially philosophy of science. In addition to reviewing Sokal’s attack on Bruno Latour, Latour’s own “biography” of an investigation is read as articulating a doubled hermeneutic reflection on modernity including both field ethnography and lab-ethnography. The further question of the viability of a hermeneutics of science …

Coral Species Distribution And Percent Cover Of Sessile Organisms On Protected And Non-Protected Coral Reefs In Digir, Buga, Dubbir, And Kanir Kinnidup, Guna Yala, Panama, Sarah Paulson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Coral reefs are the most productive, biodiverse ecosystems in the ocean despite covering only <.5% of the ocean floor. In today’s changing climate, coral reefs face a multitude of threats including ocean warming, coral bleaching, ocean acidification, overfishing, increasing human population, and coral mining, among others. One way to protect coral reefs is to establish a marine protected area to limit damage and contamination. This study aimed to examine coral species distribution as well as percent cover of sessile organisms and substrates including coral, fire coral, algae, and sponges on protected and non-protected reefs in order to attempt to analyze the effect of protection on coral reefs in Guna Yala, Panama. Based on the data collected, protected areas had higher algae cover (P<.01, df=107), lower coral cover (P<.0001, df=138), and a higher relative abundance of corals with a “weedy” life history such as Porites astreoides (P<.05, df=80). The data also showed that uninhabited islands tended to have significantly higher average coral cover (P<.0001, df=146) and lower average algae cover (P<.0001, df=161), as well as lower relative abundance of P. astreoides (P<.01, df=134). When the protected site sampled was compared to an unprotected site that was around the same island, the protected area was found to have higher coral cover (P<.01, df=71) and lower algae cover (P<.05, df=72) than the unprotected area. Ultimately, lack of human population and protected status were found to be positive factors for coral reef health, and future study should be done to further examine the relationship between these two factors.

After The Flood: Fish Farming And Climate Change Adaptation In Chitwan, Nepal, Signe Stroming

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Last summer, Nepal’s Terai region experienced some of the worst flooding in recent memory. Climate change is expected to increase the number of natural disasters that Nepal experiences in coming years, and more vulnerable demographics will be more adversely affected. Fish farming is a highly profitable and slowly growing industry based primarily in the Terai, that many believe is less vulnerable to climate-related risks than conventional forms of agriculture, and thus a possible livelihood adaptation strategy. In this study, I conducted semi-structured interviews with ten farmers in Madi, Chitwan, to understand the daily challenges and threats to fish farming, the …

Losing Faith: An Exploration Of Village Ponds In The Thar Desert, Pentti Hanlon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The intention of this study is to provide a holistic look at the Naadi: a rain-fed common property resource used for drinking water collection in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan. A sustainer of human life in the Thar, Naadis have decided how and where residents of the Thar lived. This study examines both current and historical naadi use in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. The format of the study is a compilation and analysis of 15 field visits, a series of interviews, and investigation of recent alternatives to naadis. The success of a naadi is a function of geology, geography, and …

A Critical Examination Of The Climate Change Vulnerability And Adaptation Literature In Nunavut, Canada, Sarah Prentice

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper attempts to study the climate change vulnerability and adaptation literature in Nunavut, a province in the Canadian Arctic. The paper begins with a review of literature produced by Inuit organizations on colonization in the Canadian Arctic and Nunavut specifically, then systematically reviews the literature on climate change vulnerability and adaptation. Using a post-colonial analysis, this study found that while the climate change vulnerability and adaptation literature attempts to attend to colonial histories and legacies, it often falls short. Climate change vulnerability and adaptation literature had minimal representation of colonization, residential schooling, sanatoria, and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit. This may perpetuate …

Sí O No A La Carretera: Las Distintas Perspectivas Geopolíticas En El Debate Sobre La Carretera A Través Del Tipnis / Yes Or No To The Road: The Different Geopolitical Perspectives In The Debate On The Road Through The Tipnis, Brigid Freed

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Abstracto

Podemos ver el Territorio Indígena y Parque Nacional Isiboro Sécure (TIPNIS) como una representación importante de los valores de Bolivia. El parque tiene más de un millón de hectáreas de selva protegida y es el hábitat de 64 comunidades indígenas. Por eso, el territorio es muy importante para el medio ambiente y también para las culturales de las personas indígenas en Bolivia. Aunque, bajo el liderazgo del primer, presidente indígena de Bolivia, Presidente Evo Morales, se está realizando un proyecto de desarrollo para construir una carretera a través de la corazón del territorio. Recientemente, en Agosto de 2017, el …

Air Pollution And Life Expectancy, Zoë Kelly

Sacred Heart University Scholar

This article explores the effect of air pollution on life expectancy. While prior studies heavily supported the link between long-term exposure to air pollution and harmful effects on health, most are based on single-country data. The objective of this article is to fill the gap in the literature by conducting a cross-country analysis. It evaluates the effect of average air pollution on life expectancy across 111 countries between 2010 and 2015. The additional country-specific control variables that are used include GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita, percentage of people with access to water, population density, health care expenditure (in terms …

Betanzos: Enfrentando El Cambio Climático \ Betanzos: Confronting Climate Change, Cody Eaton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Como para la gran mayoría de la gente de las naciones de un nivel alto de desarrollo de la economía, los efectos del cambio climático no tienen un impacto significativo en mi vida diaria. El grado de separación de las consecuencias de mi consumo me permite quedarme en la ignorancia, pero la gente de la municipalidad agrícola de Betanzos no tiene el mismo privilegio; el cambio climático es una amenaza a su medio de vida. Este documental investiga la realidad actual de Betanzos y cómo los actores desde el nivel comunitario hasta el gobierno nacional intentan enfrentar y adaptarse a …

Optimized Organic Waste Treatment System An Assessment Of Composting And Biogas Potential At Santos Organics, Abbie Winter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Food waste holds incredible environmental degradation implications due to its ability to produce and emit potent greenhouse gases, as well as allow for the resources initially used to produce it to go to waste. When in a gloabal crisis of environmental degradation as well as food security, it is a shame to see food be wasted when other more optimal outlets are available.

This study utilizes the Triple Bottom Line to assess the ideal systems with which the three branches of Santos Organics should manage their food waste to optimize its lifecycle in order to further promote the business’ status …

The Role Of Young Environmental Activists In Iceland And Furthering Youth Engagement With Environmental Issues, Story Schwantes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper looks at the role of youth environmental activism in Iceland and how these actors view their work in a country which has long held a reputation as one of the greenest in the world. Much of the credit for that distinction goes not to careful choices, sacrifice, or excellent stewardship but rather to its ideal geography providing massive geothermal energy which Iceland turns into electricity, a clean renewable source. So are there young environmental activists in Iceland, and if so what do they do? Short answer: yes, and they study and talk. The long answer is more complex. …

Geopolitical Relations: Uganda’S Role In The Development Of The River Nile, Jordan Williams

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examined the geopolitical relations of the Nile Basin by looking at Uganda as a case study, and analyzed Uganda’s use and development of the River Nile. It reviews the history of transboundary politics and treaties along with Uganda’s development projects in the region. The paper then discusses modern relations and agreements, with a focus on the most recent agreement between the Riparian States, the Cooperative Framework Agreement, and how Uganda fits into them with regards to their interest in hydropower development within their borders on the Nile. It then explores possible future developments on the river and the …

Hydrological Patterns And The Effects Of Land Use On Tss Concentrations And Yields In The Mccarthy Creek Watershed, Portland, Oregon, David Farmer

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

The spread of impervious surface areas and the reduction of tree canopy via urbanization has numerous water quality impacts on Pacific Northwest watersheds. One such impact is elevated levels of Total Suspended Solids (TSS) in run-off during storm events, particularly in steep, forested watersheds undergoing urbanization. This project was developed in collaboration with the West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District and focused on the McCarthy Creek Watershed, as a case-study watershed located in Portland, OR. The study aimed to identify elevated TSS concentrations and yields during storm events on both mainstem and tributary sampling locations, establish the relationship between …

Johnson Creek Bacteria Tmdl Implementation: Status And Trend Analysis Study, John Gala

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Like many other waterbodies in the United States, Johnson Creek, a tributary of the Lower Willamette River is water quality limited for bacteria. Escherichia coli (E. coli), a member of the fecal coliform bacteria group, has been found to have a high association with human pathogens and the occurrences of gastrointestinal illnesses in waters used for contact recreation; E. coli is commonly used as an indicator of fecal contamination. In the State of Oregon water contact recreational standards for fecal exposure is assessed by measuring in stream levels of E. coli. Because Johnson Creek is water quality …

Exposures To Fine Particulate Matter And Ozone Above Usa Standards Are Associated With Auditory Brainstem Dysmorphology And Delayed Auditory Brainstem Evoked Potentials In Healthy Dogs, Partha S. Mukherjee

Mathematics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Delayed central conduction times in the auditory brainstem have been observed in Mexico City (MC) healthy children breathing fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and ozone (O₃) above the current United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) standards. MC children have α synuclein brainstem accumulation and medial superior olivary complex (MSO) dysmorphology. The present study used a dog model to further investigate the potential effects of air pollution on the function and morphology of the auditory brainstem.

Methodology: Twenty-four dogs living in clean air v MC, average age 37.1± 26.3 months, underwent brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) measurements. …

An Ethnobotanical Examination Of Traditional Medicine In Ngezi Forest Reserve, Tyler Tsang

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Traditional medicine is an important aspect of the both the culture and health of communities worldwide. Ngezi Forest Reserve is a protected area on Pemba Island which is part of the Zanzibar Archipelago. This forest contains a wealth of botanical diversity which includes many species of medicinal plants. Traditional healers (waganga) use these medicinal plants to heal members of the community. Interviews and forest walks with these healers were supplemented by consultations with a botanist to determine medicinal value of the forest and the surrounding areas. In compiling information from 15 healers in the area, 98 species of medicinal plants …

Hydrology And Macroinvertebrates As Biological Indicators- An Integrated Study Of The Río Zamora Watershed, Loja, Ecuador, Isabel Ryde

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Water quality and access is under grave threat in Ecuador, yet remains poorly studied. Macroinvertebrates were used as biological indicators to study water quality around Reserva Natural Madrigal del Podocarpus, Loja Province, Ecuador. Data on macroinvertebrates was combined with hydrologic measurements of stream functions. Macroinvertebrate sampling was conducted from 6 sites within the Upper Río Zamora watershed. Geologic outcrops were observed along several roadcuts and stream banks. Hydrologic data was collected by measuring discharge, elevation change, and finding the highest permanent spring. The EPT index (number of EPT individuals and percentage of EPT individuals) and the BMWP/Colombia Index for macroinvertebrates …

Water Injustice In Jendouba Governorate, Wilder Mccoy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Water is a precious resource even in a tropical rainforest, and in a dry country like Tunisia it is essential. Located in the south central region of the Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia, like nearly every other Mediterranean country, faces a stark challenge in providing clean drinking water to its growing population. Compared to its neighbors, Tunisia, with a few minor exceptions, does a good job in meeting this goal. In the rural northwestern governorate of Jendouba, where most of the country’s surface water comes from, there is ironically a dire need for clean drinking water in the rural areas outside the …

Agricultural Responses To Climate Change: A Study Of Adaptive Farming Methods In Kizanda Village, Bailey Smith-Helman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Agriculture is vital to the economic and social systems in Tanzania, composing 30% of the country’s GDP as well as 80% of employment (FAO, 2014). Despite agriculture’s important role, it remains one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change. Current trends project global average temperature to increase by 0.8-2.6 degrees Celsius, leaving farmers to face changes in rainfall, soil quality, and new pests and diseases (IPCC, 2007). Farmers will be forced to adapt to the changing climate if they are to sustain their livelihoods and the Tanzanian economy. For these reasons, it is important to understand the types of …

Ethical Business Practice, Accountability, And Quality Assurance: Primary Drivers For Sustainable Tourism Development In Iceland, Abigail Harrison

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The tourism industry in Iceland has grown exponentially in the last decade, causing changes to the natural landscape and drastically shifting revenue streams in the economy. This rapid growth coupled with the recent development of Iceland’s tourism industry makes it the perfect case study for how to effectively mitigate tourism influxes. This unprecedented rate of growth impels the creation of sustainability measures within this industry in order to ensure a lasting vision of Icelandic tourism in the future. Both the government and private sector have already begun to institute sustainability measures in society and in business. The primary aim of …

The Effect Of Warming On Wind Speed And Potential Wind Power In Iceland, Alexei Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Climate change is causing a shift in the temperature and pressure gradient between the Arctic and the Equator, with the Arctic warming at a faster rate than the Equator. This shift has the potential to alter the seasonal wind speeds in the Northern Hemisphere, which could in turn affect the wind power density potential. In this study, a wind model was created to predict future wind speeds and wind power density for 6 weather stations in Iceland. According to the model, winter wind speeds and wind power density potential will either stay the same or increase slightly (0 – 4%), …

Climate Change And Migration: The Intersection Of Climate Change, Migration, And Gender Through Policy, Bridget E. Mccallum

Student Publications

This article explores the intersectional nature of the issue of climate change, especially as it relates to migration. Both migration and climate change are issues of global significance, with benefits and burdens distributed unevenly across gender, racial, and class lines. This intersectional approach takes note of the unequal power structures at play when attempting to combat these issues with policy.

Green In Your Wallet Or A Green Planet: Views On Government Spending And Climate Change, Lincoln M. Butcher

Student Publications

The scientific community is a near consensus that climate change is not only anthropogenic but is also a major threat to people around the world. Despite the alarm bells from the scientific community many people in the United States simply deny the science of climate change. Many studies have targeted level of education, party membership, and gender in their role in influencing how individuals perceive climate change. This study showed that views on government spending plays a very important role in the importance of the environment. Individuals who supported decreased government spending tend to view jobs as more important than …

A Study Of Reptile Community Diversity Related To Habitat Characteristics At Marojejy National Park, Julia Kowala

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Marojejy National Park is known for its diversity. Though it is home to the silky sifaka, it has extensive populations of herpetofauna. Seventy-seven species of reptiles have been documented in Marojejy National Park. This study aimed to evaluate the reptile community diversity and habitat characteristics in the park through systematic searches of ten-by-ten-meter plots, and inventory of species as they were found throughout the park. Systematic searches yielded the finding of 19 of the total 25 species identified. Some species that were found had not been previously seen at Marojejy before, most notably, Brookesia sp. “Nosy Hara”, Brookesia desperata, Furcifer …

Community Management And Governance Of Comatsa-Sud New Protected Area (Ambalamanasy Ii Commune), Allison Tennant

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Community-based natural resource management is an increasingly more popular choice for governments to delegate power back to local communities to conserve the resources they rely on. In Madagascar, where much of the rural population provides for their livelihoods by using natural resources, this governance structure, in cooperation with delegated manager for assistance, presents an opportunity for economic development in cooperation with conservation efforts. This paper aims to better understand the role of community, NGO, and governmental actors in creating and executing community management structures. Through Participatory Rural Analysis and structured and semi-structured interviews, it explores what management transfers look like …

Survey Of Invasive Lantana Camara At Makirovana-Tsihomanaomby Forest Complex, Eliza Pessereau

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Lantana camara is a shrub known globally as an invasive pest that grows primarily in degraded areas. The species is known to exist at Makirovana-Tsihomanaomby, a forest complex in northeastern Madagascar with 167 endemic species of flora and fauna, several of which are on the IUCN Red List. The complex, specifically Tsihomanaomby forest, is used as a resource for the three rural communes that live on its outskirts, meaning that it experiences much human activity. The objective of this study was to survey the population of L. camara at two sites: one just outside of the Tsihomanaomby forest and one …

Land Insecurity In Gulu, Uganda: A Clash Between Culture And Capitalism, Zachary Slotkin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper presents the causes and consequences of land insecurity in Gulu, Uganda. In order to address this important and often sensitive issue, the paper analyzes the role of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency and the government’s policy of forced encampment during the insurgency in contributing to land insecurity, causing widespread displacement among former internally displaced persons (IDPs). It further explores the importance of land ownership in providing economic productivity to rural landowners, as well as the nature of customary land tenure in Acholi culture and the government’s efforts to privatize communal land, to give a background on the …

Phragmites Removal Increases Property Values In Michigan’S Lower Grand River Watershed, Paul Isely, Erik E. Nordman, Shaun Howard, Richard Bowman

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

The presence of Phragmites australis, an invasive wetland plant, negatively affects coastal property values and home prices rise with distance from Phragmites. Home prices increased as distance to Phragmites increased at a rate of $3.90/meter. Removing Phragmites from a property so that the next closest Phragmites was 400 m away results in a property value increase of over $1,500. Removing all Phragmites within 400 m of any property results in a total property value impact of $837,000. This generates about $13,457-$15,121 in additional property taxes each year once the prices and taxes adjust to the plant’s removal. We …

Interior Secretary Zinke Invokes Teddy Roosevelt As Model, But His Public Land Policies Don’T, John Freemuth

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s recommendations to shrink four national monuments and allow fossil fuel development activities on others is just the latest sign that this administration sees natural resource use and extraction as the highest priority for public lands.

The World Is Facing A Global Sand Crisis, Aurora Torres, Jianguo "Jack" Liu, Jodi Brandt, Kristen Lear

Human-Environment Systems Research Center Faculty Publications and Presentations

When people picture sand spread across idyllic beaches and endless deserts, they understandably think of it as an infinite resource. But as we discuss in a just-published perspective in the journal Science, over-exploitation of global supplies of sand is damaging the environment, endangering communities, causing shortages and promoting violent conflict.

Desert Pool {If Every Desert Was Once A Sea}, Karen Miranda Abel

The Goose

Desert Pool {If every desert was once a sea} is a site-specific art project by Canadian artist Karen Miranda Abel completed in 2016 while artist-in-residence at Joya: arte + ecología, an arts-led research centre situated in an alpine desert within a national park in southern Spain. The elemental installation represents an envisioning of the ancient sea that occupied the Sierra de María-Los Vélez Natural Park millions of years before the current desert ecology, a time when its highest mountain peaks may have been islands.