Environmental Studies Commons^™

Meet Me In The Middle: A Scoping Review On Understanding Adolescent Needs In Climate Communication, Gwendolyn Monica Hoff Anderson

Master's Projects and Capstones

The greatest effects of climate change are likely to be felt by youth. Young people are disproportionately affected by climate change due to their critical developmental stage and lack of power, and they experience both higher severity and prevalence of mental health issues related to climate change. Strong emotions have long been recognized as potential catalysts for action, or they may lead to paralyzing feelings of being overwhelmed. Climate communication is a critical tool to spark climate concern and encourage action. Activism, in turn, may help youth manage their anxiety about climate change. This scoping review examines emerging evidence on …

Impact Of Vermont's Food Waste Ban On Residents And Food Businesses, Emily H. Belarmino, Claire Ryan, Qingbin Wang, Meredith T. Niles, Margaret Torness

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

In the United States, an estimated 30-40% of food produced each year is wasted, with most of this waste coming from households, food retailers, and food service businesses. To reduce the burden on Vermont’s only municipal landfill, the Vermont Legislature unanimously passed Act 148, a universal recycling and composting law, in 2012. Among other features, the law included a phased-in food waste ban that went into full effect on July 1, 2020. This ban requires everyone in Vermont – from residents to businesses and institutions – to keep their food waste out of the trash. To study the impact of …

Impact Of Vermont's Single-Use Plastics Ban On Consumers And Food Businesses, Emily H. Belarmino, Claire Ryan, Qingbin Wang, Meredith T. Niles, Margaret Torness

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

To mitigate the harmful effects of single-use plastic products and lessen the burden of plastics on Vermont's landfill, in 2019, Vermont’s State Government passed a single-use products law (Act 69 of 2019). The law, which went into effect on July 1, 2020, prohibits stores and food service establishments from providing single-use plastic carryout bags at the point of sale, expanded polystyrene (commonly called Styrofoam) food and beverage containers, plastic straws (except upon customer request), and plastic stirrers. Additionally, the law permits stores to provide single-use paper bags at the point of sale if the customer is charged at least 10 …

Degrowth And The Future Of Capitalism: A Critical Review Of Recent Literature, Larry Alan Busk

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

A Map To Ecosocialism, Marco Armiero

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

Waste In The Limits To Capital: How Capitalism Lays Waste To The Web Of Life, And Why It Can’T Stop, Jason W. Moore

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

The Adaptive Capacity To Implement Climate Migration Policy In Response To Sea-Level Rise In The Maldives, Kelsey Garrett

Capstone Collection

This exploratory study is centered on the increasing harmful impacts of climate change and its connection to human life. The effects are exacerbating the current drivers of migration like livelihoods, security, and politics. People are losing their homes and livelihoods because of drought, rising seas, or increasing natural disasters. Millions of people are. Displaced by climate events every year, the number is expected to increase. Due to this, there is value in studying climate change and migration. Amongst the most vulnerable are those living in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). This exploratory study examined the Maldives to understand their adaptive …

Queer Ecologies: A Final Syllabus/Zine Product Of Our Independent Study, Yeh Seo Jung, Ray Craig

Crossings: Swarthmore Undergraduate Feminist Research Journal

This zine is the product of our independent study course Queer Ecologies, which is an exploration of bio-social systems using a queer and feminist theoretical lens. We aim to look critically at knowledge formation and construct alternative visions for more just and sustainable relationships between science, nature, and ourselves. While queer theory most directly interrogates the normative structure of heterosexuality both in humans and in biology more broadly, these studies include analyses of hierarchy, power, and value. Queer Ecology can be used to examine phenomena such as climate change, extinction, pollution, species hierarchies, agricultural practices, resource extraction, and human population …

Exploring Gaps In City Climate Planning In The Mountain West, Joshua Padilla, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Environment

This fact sheet explores data from the 2022 Brookings Institution report by Joseph W. Kane, Adie Tomer, Caroline George, and Jamal Russell Black called “Not according to plan: Exploring gaps in city climate planning and the need for regional action." The original report analyzes decarbonization plans for 50 of the largest U.S. cities and comparatively ranks each plan using a point system of 5 categories. This fact sheet focuses on Mountain West cities (Denver, CO; Phoenix, AZ; Las Vegas, NV; Salt Lake, UT; and Albuquerque, NM) included in the original study.

Examining The Impact Of Disaster Experience With Winter Storm Uri And Climate Change Risk Perceptions On Support For Mitigation Policy, Ginger Orton, Laura Morgan Fischer, Cara Lawson

Journal of Applied Communications

In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri swept across the central and eastern United States bringing extreme cold, widespread power outages, and rolling blackouts throughout Texas. This storm prompted climate change to emerge as a major topic of controversy and conversation with scientists and the public alike, and many began to think about the impacts of climate change. Risk communication experts have suggested prior disaster experience is a key mechanism of understanding how risk perceptions are shaped, and ultimately, on how individuals arrive at a judgment, evaluation, or attitude toward information and situations. Drawing from risk communication scholars, we examined the …

Research@Smu: Sustainable Living, Singapore Management University

Research Collection Office of Research & Tech Transfer

Sustainable Living is one of the three key priorities of the SMU 2025 Strategy, and the University is committed to develop it into an area of cross-disciplinary strength. The articles in this booklet highlight impactful sustainability research accomplishments at SMU, which spans five broad pillars: Sustainable Business Operations; Sustainable Finance and Impact Assessment; Sustainable Ageing and Wellness; Sustainable Urban Infrastructure; and Sustainable Agro-business and Food Consumption.

Contents:

Sustainable Business Operations

• Managing the Load on Loading Bays
• Going the Last-mile
• Feeding a Growing World
• Pooling the Benefits of Sharing a Ride

Sustainable Finance and Impact Assessment

• When Going Green Becomes a …

Renewable Portfolio Standards: Effectiveness And Carbon Implications, Alexander S. Albrecht

CMC Senior Theses

A renewable portfolio standard (RPS) policy is a popular regulatory tool implemented within the U.S. and abroad to limit energy sector emissions and incentivize renewable energy. Assessing their effectiveness and efficiency is a key component of achieving further reductions. We assess an energy market under an RPS using fixed-effects panel and 2SLS regression models to lend empirical credence to common theory-based concerns about RPS policy, namely (1) that they leave emissions unregulated once the RPS requirement is met and (2) that they do not incentivize full use of renewable energy resources. Our results show these to be valid concerns that …

The Most Environmentally Sustainable Diet For Adolescents In Terms Of Land Use, Food Waste, And Greenhouse Gas Emissions., Lina Tarek

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

The current food system is directly responsible for much environmental damage including severe climate change, biodiversity loss, and land scarcity. This research aims to find some strategies to mitigate these damages through diet by specifically targeting adolescents because they are potential problem-solvers. This period is also when personality and habits are articulated. By focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and food waste, a more environmentally sustainable diet can be formulated. The key findings of the research can be summarized by reducing ultra-processed foods, choosing sustainably produced food, generally reducing meat consumption from the current rate, substituting red and …

“To Be Involved In A Meaningful Way”: Mobilizing Indigenous Knowledge In Environmental Monitoring Practices In Northern Ontario, Alanna Robbins

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A steady shift in the environmental management literature encourages greater inclusion of traditional knowledge (TK) alongside Western science, much of it seeking to directly support Indigenous communities develop their own frameworks for environmental monitoring and stewardship. To date, little attention has been placed on research practices themselves as sites where interdisciplinary and intercultural work takes place to bridge between different knowledge systems and develop best practices for effective collaboration. Matawa Water Futures (MWF), the object of study for this thesis project, is a three-year water stewardship project involving Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, environmental managers, and community interns, working with the …

A Study Of Technology Availability For Recycling Low Value Plastic In Indonesia, Prawitya Soemadijo, Faiza Anindita, Dini Trisyanti, Rangga Akib, Mariati Abdulkadir, Noverra M. Nizardo, Rizka Legita Rachmawati

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Plastic has been an essential part of our daily life. However, the increasing plastic consumption has led to an increasing land and water contamination by said plastics. The Indonesian government has set five actions on managing marine plastic debris, one of them is by improving the plastic recycling system. Multilayer plastic was identified as a challenge to the plastic waste recycling. This is because there are differences in properties, such as melting point, which will cause difficulty in mechanical recycling. This study aims to create a mapping of available options to solve problems of low value plastic (LVP) waste in …

Feeling The Heat: Climate Change Is Becoming A Big Factor In Business Decision-Making, Risk Assessment, Candace Beeke, Sahan Dissanayake, Jennifer Price, Moss Adams

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Portland Business Journal Publisher and President Candace Beeke spoke recently with PSU’s Sahan Dissanayake and Jennifer Price, with Moss Adams, about the direct and indirect effects of climate change on business, along with the physical impacts and economic hazards. Here are their insights.

Adherence To Best Practices For Stated Preference Valuation Within The U.S. Marine Ecosystem Services Literature, Daniel K. Lew, Leif E. Anderson, Douglas W. Lipton, Tammy B. Murphy, Kristy Wallmo

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Non-market economic values derived from stated preference (SP) methods are often of interest for policy analysis and evaluation, program design, green accounting, and damage assessments and are increasingly in demand with adoption of ecosystem-based management approaches that emphasize accounting for ecosystem services and their values. A recent guidance prescribes a set of twenty-three best practices guidelines (BPGs) to follow when conducting a SP study to ensure the validity of the results and maximize its ability to provide reliable economic value information. In this article, we evaluate adherence to these guidelines within the U.S. SP marine ecosystem service valuation literature. Our …

Barriers For Small Businesses To Adopt Sustainable Practices In The Sioux Falls Area, Meredith King

Honors Thesis

Sustainability is a broad concept that encompasses environmental, social, and economic factors to meet current and future needs. Many individuals and large businesses are becoming conscious of the effects they have on the planet and the people around them. However, despite the financial benefits and positive publicity of environmentalism, many businesses are not adopting sustainable practices. This study interviewed local business owners to answer the question “What are the main reasons that small businesses in the Sioux Falls area of South Dakota do or do not adopt sustainable practices that benefit the environment and the community?” Five business owners were …

Statement From The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences And Board Of Directors

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Mission And Editorial Policy

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.