Environmental Studies Commons^™

Disasters Are Not, They Become: An Understanding Of Social Vulnerability In The United States Gulf Coast With Respect To Hurricanes, Katherine Franklin

Scripps Senior Theses

Scientific literature is concerned with the impact that climate change will have on natural disasters in the near future. These events disrupt our daily lives and can cause damage that may never be repaired. Merging science and social science, the study of vulnerability looks at how human systems will be impacted by these natural disasters. In the United States, hurricanes in the Gulf Coast are projected to increase in intensity as well as have an increased capacity for damage with a rise in sea level. Therefore, it is important to understand who is systematically vulnerable to these impacts of natural …

Dismantling Structural Inequality In The Inland Empire: Rebuilding Community From The Ground Up At Huerta Del Valle Garden, Jennifer E. Reyff

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis provides an analytical case study of Huerta del Valle Community Garden as a successful model of redefining social capital through not only providing healthy, affordable, high quality produce to a community subjected to the disproportionate consequences of systemic inequality, but also in incorporating a food justice education framework to underlie all development at the garden. Located in the city of Ontario, Southern California – the heart of the Inland Empire, known for its prominence within the nation’s goods movement industry and its landscape of sprawling warehouses – local residents face high rates of poverty, obesity, and a lack …

Life-Cycle Cost Analysis Of Nutrient Reduction Technologies Employed In Municipal Wastewater Treatment, Colin Barrett Brown

Honors Papers

Eutrophication presents a serious threat to America's aquatic ecosystems, negatively impacting both the aquatic life and the communities dependent on these bodies of water. Reducing nutrient inflow of nitrogen and phosphorus into waterways from point and non-point sources is critical in reversing the environmental degradation caused by eutrophication. Municipal wastewater treatment plants are one of the primary point sources of nutrient-rich effluent, and as such, implementing nutrient reduction strategies within the treatment process is an impactful step towards mitigating eutrophication. Grey infrastructure technologies that use mechanical or chemical treatment have historically been used for wastewater nutrient reduction. However, constructed wetlands …

Shipbreaking In Bangladesh: Perspectives From Industrial Ecology, Political Ecology And Environmental Policy, S.M. Mizanur Rahman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The international shipbreaking industry connects developed and developing countries through the spatial and temporal flow of resources, both transported by the ships and by the recycling of the ships themselves. Much of the research on this industry to date focuses on a natural science perspective, particularly related to local pollution when the ships are recycled. However, many products for the public (such as documentaries and magazine articles) focus on the workers who dismantle these ships, often with minimal protection; the appalling images of shipbreaking yard workers and their polluted surrounds have garnered immense global attention and calls for better regulations. …

Contributions Of Glacier Melting To The Upper Watershed Of The Pita River, Ecuador, Teresa Munoz Martinez

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Evidence suggests that a changing global climate is accelerating glacial retreat around the world. However, there are not many studies that help to understand the influence of climate change on glaciers in the tropical Andes. In many Andean countries, populations use the water that come from the high altitude mountains, especially mountains that are ice covered. Glacial reduction minimizes water resource availability. This report focuses on better understanding the relationship between glacier meltwater, surface water runoff, and the groundwater flowing into and under the Pita River upper watershed, which crosses the base of the northeast foothills of the Cotopaxi volcano. …

Energy Justice And U.S. Energy Policy: Case Study Applications Exploring U.S. Energy Policy Through An Energy Justice Framework, Emily Prehoda

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This thesis presents three examples of U.S. energy policy and demonstrates how these policies violate the principles of energy justice. First, requiring only Federal agencies to obtain a percentage of energy production from renewables violates the distributive energy justice principle through a lack of a federal renewable energy policy which distributes the potential for unequal electrical grid failure to populations. Second, U.S. energy policy violates the procedural energy justice principle through inequitable participation and poor knowledge dissemination that, in some cases, contributes to stagnant renewable targets during the decision-making process and inequitable distribution of the benefits associated with renewable energy …

Powering An Industry: The History Of The Calumet And Hecla Electrical System And The Environmental Consequences Left Behind, Emma M. Zawisza

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Calumet and Hecla Copper Mining Company in Houghton County, Michigan, was established in 1865 and closed its doors in 1968. This company was a major contributor in developing secondary copper processing and used these methods to produce copper even when its underground mines were closed. C&H built its own electrical transmission system that could have rivaled many during its time. This allowed the company to have the ability to produce and control its electrical network and expand, but it had major environmental effects. Polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs), used in transformer oil and other components were produced between about 1930 …

A Hybrid Law Model For The Management Of Waste Electrical And Electronic Equipment: A Case Of The New Draft Law In Thailand, Panate Manomaivibool, Sujitra Vassanadumrongdee

Applied Environmental Research

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been high on the environmental policy agenda of many countries due to its rapidly increasing volume and concerns over its toxicity and the critical metals it holds. To date, 59 countries have passed laws for WEEE management (ex-cluding State level legislation in the USA and Canada). Most of these laws are based on the principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR) but their treatment of allocation of respon-sibility and system operation differ considerably. This study reviews the implementation models of EPR which are classified into two broad groups: producer compliance schemes and governmental funds. …

Seed Germination And Growth Parameters Of Zea Mays L. As Influenced By Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Fly Ash (Mswifa) And Sewage Sludge (Ss) Amended Soil, Pensiri Akkajit, Wannaporn Nuamkongman

Applied Environmental Research

Seed germination trials have relevance in measuring soil toxicity. The current study was there-fore conducted to investigate the effect of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA) and sewage sludge (SS) from the Phuket municipal waste incinerator and wastewater treatment plant as fertilizer substitutes on seed germination and growth parameters of sweet corn (Zea maysL.). A field experiment was conducted at the National Corn and Sorghum Research Station, Na-khon Ratchasima Province, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The treatmentsconditions were: 1) non-amended soil, 2) 378.125 kg MSWIFA ha-1, 3) 543.75 kg SSha-1,4) 756.25 kg MSWIFA ha-1, 5) 1087.5 kg …

Species-Specific Responses Of Water Use By Urban Trees To Artificial Soil Drought: Results From A Small-Scale Study, Pantana Tor-Ngern, Somsak Panha

Applied Environmental Research

Studying tree water relations in response to soil drought improves our understanding of hydrological processes that are central to most ecosystem modelling. Urban greening is an approach to ameliorate rising carbon dioxide emissions whose effects are intensified in cities. Thus, an investigation of water relations with respect to drought of urban trees is of interest for effective watermanagement in urbangreening. This study examined responses of sap flux density, water use and stomatal conductance of potted saplings of three common street trees in Bangkok: Pterocarpus indicus (Pi), Swietenia macrophylla (Sm) and Lagerstroemia speciosa (Ls); under one-week non-irrigated treatment. Results showed that …

Using Morphology And Genomic Template Stability (Gts) To Track Herbicide Effect On Some Submersed Aquatic Plants, Kun Silprasit, Arin Ngamniyom, Patarapong Kerksakul, Sirikul Thumajitsakul

Applied Environmental Research

This study aimed to detect the genotoxiceffects of glyphosate on aquatic plants by the RAPD-PCR technique. Native aquatic plants were screened for herbicide testing. The aquatic plant amounts and species were counted and a comparison was made between natural ponds and paddy fields for a total of 17 sites; paddy fields (site 1-10), ponds beside paddy fields (site 11-14), and natural ponds (site 15-17). At each studied site, 5 randomized sampling plots of 2 x 5 m size were performed. Generally, the natural ponds contained more aquatic plant diversity than the paddy fields. However, some species such as Najas gramineaDel. …

Integrating Human Health Into Environmental Impact Assessment: Review Of Health Impact Assessment In Thailand, Phayong Thepaksorn, Wattasit Siriwong, Sathirakorn Pongpanich

Applied Environmental Research

The objective of this paper is to review the integration of health impact assessment (HIA) into environmental health assessment (EIA) or EHIA, existing legal requirements for health risk analyses, and lessons learned for integrating HIA within EIA processes. The authors undertook literature searches for EHIA practices through academic publications, reports, and websites of pub-lic organizations and related agencies in Thailand. We examined and synthesized the HIA system development, regulations, and examples of integrated EHIA. In conclusion, the implementation of EHIA still faces many obstacles, especially in such com-plex sector policy environments. The uncertainties, lack of evidence base, and challenges in …

What’S The Common Sense Of Just Some Improvement Of Some Welfare For Some Animals?, Liv Baker

Animal Sentience

The goal of Animal Welfare Science to reduce animal suffering is commendable but too modest: Suffering animals need and deserve far more.

The Influence Of Urban Development Dynamics On Community Resilience Practice In New York City After Superstorm Sandy: Experiences From The Lower East Side And The Rockaways, Leigh Graham, Wim Debucquoy, Isabelle Anguelovski

Publications and Research

While (urban) resilience has become an increasingly popular concept, especially in the areas of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA), it is often still used as an abstract metaphor, with much debate centered on definitions, differences in approaches, and epistemological consider- ations. Empirical studies examining how community-based organizations (CBOs) “practice” resilience on the ground and what enables these CBOs to organize and mobilize around resilience are lacking. Moreover, in the growing context of competitive and entrepreneurial urbanism and conflicting priorities about urban (re)development, it is unclear how urban development dynamics influence community- based resilience actions. Through empirical …

40 Trees: The Quest To Save Whitebark Pine On The Flathead Indian Reservation, Andrew S. Graham

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

When it comes to managing natural resources in the face of global climate change, sometimes localized action is best. Rick Everett spent a lot of time in western forests - first as a ski patroller and logger and then as an ecologist - before landing as a professor at a tribal community college on the Flathead Indian Reservation. Now he faces a challenging new question: How do you save a tree species that is ecologically valuable to the forest and culturally valuable to Native American tribes, but is being pushed toward extinction by forces varied, deadly and driven by climate …

Between Rivers: Reflections On Home, Obligation, And Otherness From A Confluence Of Conservation And Connectivity, Chandra M. Brown

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Between Rivers is an exploration of the role of the outsider in international watershed conservation. Through extended personal narrative and analysis of current events, ethnographic texts, and sociopolitical history, this thesis considers questions related to responsibility in conservation. The narrative focuses on Ecuador’s Jondachi Fest, a case study in international collaboration and celebration of an ecologically key river system. Grassroots celebrations and river festivals are sprouting up on endangered rivers all across South America. In this thesis, the author examines her own experience as an outsider working to facilitate one such festival – the challenges, shortcomings, relationships, and victories – …

Conservation Genetics On The Frontline, Kenneth W. Rand

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Conservation genetics stands out as an effective tool for discovering and monitoring rare, endangered or invasive populations of plants and animals. Particularly when compared to traditional search and capture methods, it provides more holistic studies to preserve the disappearing biodiversity of the American West and the world.

Three stories highlight the work done to preserve biodiversity through the use of conservation genetics:

1. Trout Rescue: A new hope for westslope cutthroat in Montana How to save a disappearing westslope cutthroat trout through genetic rescue by adding genetic diversity to ensuring future survival in increasingly warming waters more harm than good. …

Crossing The Line: Navigating A Polluted Transboundary Watershed, Celia T. Tobin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Montana’s Lake Koocanusa sits at the end of a river system that drains Canada’s most productive coal country. Today, the waters of the massive lake contain a mineral called selenium, a poorly understood byproduct of mine waste. This summer, the U.S. federal government will be in a position to declare that the selenium in the lake puts Canada in violation of its international treaty with the U.S. The Montana government, however, is preparing to argue otherwise through its own water analysis. The disagreement has U.S. ecologists frustrated with the state’s position, saying they won’t practice science that is slave to …

The Sacrificial Ram, Charles Ebbers

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Every January and February, Montana and other western states auction tags to hunt big horn sheep, moose, mountain goats, bears and other big game species to the highest bidder, at a series of hunting shows in Nevada. Some states call them “governor’s tags,” while others like Montana call them auction tags.

The purpose of the auctions is to raise funds for state conservation programs meant to keep wildlife populations healthy. In Montana, the funds raised are species specific, meaning that the proceeds from a bighorn sheep tag must be used to help bighorn sheep. Yet, the revenue from these tags …

The Next Billion: Lessons In Off-Grid Electricity Development From The Global South, Peter Mcdonough

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Today about a third of the world’s population has no access to electricity, and another third has only limited access. Driven by the push for development on one hand and the reality of climate change on the other, a combination of for-profit companies, NGOs, missions, and aid organizations is looking for the silver bullet to sustainable electricity development. In order to understand the challenges facing off-grid electricity projects I used recent literature in the form of peer-reviewed journals, agency reports, news articles, and technical documents; stakeholder interviews; and on-site observations in selected case studies in Nepal, India, and Tanzania. In …