Environmental Studies Commons^™

Determination Towards Decision Of Public Response In Flood Situation: Case Study In Urban Flood Prone Area In Central Region In Thailand, I-Soon Raungratanaamporn

Applied Environmental Research

Public involvement has become a crucial part in increasing the efficiency of disaster management activities nowadays. In particular, collaboration between civil society and municipalities emerge in disaster situations because uncertainties in personal perception compel them to do so more than their own willingness to involved in disaster management activity. Since this appears to have occurred as a response to the 2011 flood situation in Thailand, the question is how a successful was this collaboration? The aim of this research is to identify factors influencing people's involvement in disaster management activity. The two study objectivesare as follows: (1) to elucidate the …

Effects Of Organic Fertilizer On Cd Bioavailability And Cd Accumulation In Rice Grown In Contaminated Paddy Soil, Mongkolchai Assawadithalerd, Meechai Siangliw, Chantra Tongcumpou

Applied Environmental Research

The effects of organic fertilizer on Cd phytoavailability and distribution in rice plants(Oryza sativaL.) were examined in pot and field experiments. The results of the pot experiment show that the addition of organic fertilizer increased the oxidizable Cd fraction(F3) and decreased the soluble and exchangeable Cd fraction (F1). There was also an increase in the dry matter yield when more organic fertilizer was applied. The Cd concentrations in the rice plant parts were observed in the following order: root > stem > grain. The accumulation index from the field experiment indicates that organic fertilizer application is likely to reducethe uptake of both …

"Nature Is Pushing One Way And People Are Pushing The Other": A Political Ecology Of Forest Transitions In Western Montgomery County, Pa, Megan Elizabeth Maccaroni

Environment and Sustainability Honors Papers

Forests in Southeastern Pennsylvania have been shaped by a number of anthropocentric factors over the past century, with many areas experiencing a recent trend towards forest recovery. Studies on forest dynamics have shown that most developed regions exhibit a forest transition, which begins when land is cleared for natural resource extraction (e.g., agriculture, forestry) during an early development stage. Then as a population grows and food production needs are met, rural peoples begin to migrate to the city, and a feeling of scarcity of trees develops that may lead to changes in land management attitudes, and many formerly deforested areas …

Assessing Scope 3 Emissions Within A University Department: Using A Life Cycle Assessment And Supply Chain Case Studies, Celia J. Landesberg, Erin E. Brady

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

For this report, we conducted a small-scale life cycle assessment for the Department of Geography and the Environment. To supplement the scope of our results, we integrated case studies into our project that analyzed two commonly utilized products frequently purchased by our University: Coca-Cola PlantBottles and Hammermill Paper. The purpose of this project is to identify opportunities to reduce Scope 3 emissions associated with University purchasing habits.

While the scope of this report is limited, analysis of the department and the two case studies suggest the University should conduct a larger, more comprehensive supply chain assessment in the future to …

Urban Foraging And The Relational Ecologies Of Belonging, Melissa R. Poe, Joyce Lecompte, Rebecca J. Mclain, Patrick T. Hurley

Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

Through a discussion of urban foraging in Seattle, Washington, USA, we examine how people's plant and mushroom harvesting practices in cities are linked to relationships with species, spaces, and ecologies. Bringing a relational approach to political ecology, we discuss the ways that these particular nature–society relationships are formed, legitimated, and mobilized in discursive and material ways in urban ecosystems. Engaging closely with and as foragers, we develop an ethnographically grounded ‘relational ecologies of belonging’ framework to conceptualize and examine three constituent themes: cultural belonging and identity, belonging and place, and belonging and more-than-human agency. Through this case study, we show …

Climate Change And The Westhampton Lake, Kendel Ahnell, Yaz Nuñez, Natasha Rathlev

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

The Westhampton Lake is a cultural monument on campus and one of the University of Richmond's most prominent features. Prospective students have made college decisions based on the lake's beauty and alumni look forward to returning to the waterfront to reminisce about their college experience. The significance of place attachment that members of the Richmond community hold toward the lake imbues great value on the lake as a key geographic element of campus (Devine-Wright, 2013). However, our community suffers from a lack of knowledge around the health and sustainability of this dearly beloved body of water. Over the course of …

Attitudes Towards Climate Change And Sustainability, Sammy Easby, Tess Manning

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

The University of Richmond has made great strides as a community to decrease our carbon emissions and live in a more sustainable way. In November of 2007 President Ayers signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, which resolves Richmond to mitigate climate change. In response to this action, the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar of 2008 created a report outlining the view of our community about these issues, as well as, offer recommendations for our campus. We, the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Class of 2014 have chosen to focus our capstone on climate change. We recognize that climate change …

Measuring The Support For Climate Change Researchers At The University Of Richmond, Adam Forrer, Brianna Miller, Hunterr Payeur

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

Climate change has been recognized globally as one of the leading issues of our generation. In order for the United States to make an appropriate response to climate change there is a need to facilitate climate change research in institutions of higher learning. Making climate change research available to undergraduate students has the potential for positive results for the issue of climate change and the undergraduates who choose to participate in research (Seymor et. al. 2004). As an institution of higher learning and the resources at our disposal, the University of Richmond should be at the forefront of climate change …

Utilizing A Green Revolving Fund For Reforestation On University Of Richmond’S Pagebrook Property, Patrick Love, Adam Owens

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

In 2013, the University of Richmond directly sponsored 3,076,643 miles of travel for faculty, staff, and student, conferences, engagements and sporting events. This type of travel emits over 2,410 tons of carbon into the atmosphere. This research and proposal recommends that the University implement a fee-structure that incorporates the cost of the carbon emitted, and invest the money into a green revolving fund that will allocate money to reforesting the University's Pagebrook Property (Map 1) and purchasing new lands. The reforestation, maintenance, and monitoring of the area will be completed by students interested in forest ecology. The exploration of the …

Carbon Offset Solutions For International Travel Emissions, Kristen Bailey, Kelly Kurz, Tanya Sushkova

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

Within a ten-year period (FY 2002-3 to FY 2012-2013), the University of Richmond study abroad program has experienced a 96% increase in student participation. In 2007, Newsweek magazine recognized the University as the "Hottest School in America" for international studies. In 2013, 710 University students studied abroad. While studying abroad has numerous academic benefits, international transportation contributes carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and thus increases the negative environmental consequences of anthropogenic climate change. In FY 2013, UR students traveled 6,154,032 miles, emitting ~6,892,515 pounds of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Given this negative impact and UR's carbon neutral goals, we …

Rainwater Harvesting System, Diana Alderbashi, Joel Collins, Jack Wilkes

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

Water is a crucial resource for the survival of life on earth. Unfortunately, with the increasing threat of climate change fresh water is expected to become a pressing issue in the future for many countries, including the southeastern region of the United States (EPA 2013), refer to figure 1. According to the EPA, water management is likely to become a challenging issue, due to rising temperatures, and demand due to economic and population growth (EPA 2013). Increased temperatures are likely to lead to longer, more intense, and more frequent droughts in the Southeast, putting more stress on water resources (EPA …

Promoting Sustainability To First-Year Students, Anna Sangree, Ashley Colón, Bree Coleman

Geography and the Environment Capstone Projects

Over 700 universities across the United States (AASHE, 2010), seeking to be progressive and containing the resources for change, have partnered together under the American Colleges and Universities President's Climate Commitment to lower their carbon footprints and increase sustainability education on their campuses (ACUPCC, 2014). The President's Climate Commitment includes 7 tangible actions, of which the University of Richmond must follow two or more. With the University of Richmond's date for carbon neutrality set for 2050, advancing these actions is crucial (ACUPCC, 2014). On the list of tangible actions are increasing use of public transportation and increasing energy efficiency on …

Climate Change In The Zambian Mind: Communicating Risk Perception Of Climate Change And Variability In Zambia, Libert Mweemba

Zambia Social Science Journal

No environmental issue has been of such truly global magnitude as the issue of climate change. And no other global environmental issue has been so controversial, not because of lack of scientific knowledge, but rather because it is a result of every human action and will have a direct impact on all human endeavour everywhere. We assessed whether Zambians perceive climate change as a significant threat and whether their risk perceptions of climate change influence their awareness of the degradation of the environment. The paper also examines the affective images Zambians have of global warming and whether these images can …

Sanders, Richard And Yang Chen (Eds.) China's Post-Reform Economy: Achieving Harmony, Sustaining Growth. New York: Routledge, 2012., Thomas Boutonnet Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Victoria Lyon Bestor, Theodore C. Bestor With Akiko Yamagata (Eds.). Routledge Handbook Of Japanese Culture And Society. London And New York: Routledge, 2011., Cedarbough T. Saeji

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

“States Of Emergency”: Armed Youths And Mediations Of Islam In Northern Nigeria, Conerly Casey Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

On November 14, 2013, the U.S. Department of State labeled Boko Haram and a splinter group, Ansaru, operating in northern Nigeria, “foreign terrorist organizations” with links to al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). This designation is debatable, since the groups are diffuse, with tendencies to split or engage other armed groups into violent actions, primarily focused on Nigerian national and state politics and the implementation of shari’a criminal codes. This essay offers two analytic perspectives on “states of emergency” in Nigeria and the affective, violent forms of “justice” that armed young men employed during the 2000 implementation of shari’a criminal …

Assessing The Need For Graduate Global Education Programs In The United States, Krishna Bista Ed.D., Amaney Saleh Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Global education plays an increasingly important role in enriching students’ learning experiences in US institutions of higher education. Students are connected to the world through global culture, economics, politics, technology and immigration. This paper examines the perceptions of 305 graduate students and alumni concerning the need for global education programs in the United States. Participants shared their views of the importance of global education in understanding today’s economy, culture, and environment, while addressing our future needs and challenges. There were no significant statistical differences between the perceptions of graduate students and alumni or between those of international and American students …

The Power Of Uncertainty: The Neoliberal Quest For Profit In Spain, Ismael Vaccaro Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Using as a case study the consequences of the recent generalized economic crisis in Spain and Europe (2008-14), I propose to analyze the role of uncertainty as a key and recurrent ingredient needed by market economies to generate high levels of profitability at the cost of extremely high levels of social inequality. The present article examines the relationships between crises and uncertainty as socially constructed realities that have been instrumental in the political reshaping of entire societies. The “crisis” narrative has succeeded in explaining extreme levels of profit generation as economic “failure” and, consequently, in legitimating further profit by dismantling …

South Africa In The Brics: Soft Power Balancing And Instrumentalization, Hany Besada, Evren Tok Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

This paper investigates South Africa’s participation in the BRICS formation and the implications of its inclusion for the country, the continent, and global governance. It argues that by joining the BRICS grouping, South Africa is reinforcing neoliberalism in Africa, with markets being liberalized across the continent, trade and investment becoming the focus, and social and environmental protection remaining a distant concern. Meanwhile, other countries, particularly China and Russia, are instrumentalizing the forum to get what they want out of African countries without formalizing the grouping’s policies and effecting change to global institutions at the global level, as was initially promised. …

India And South Asian Security Issues: Problems Aplenty, Solutions Hazy, Prospects Unsettling, Raviprasad Narayanan

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review on:

• David Brewster. India as an Asia Pacific Power. Abingdon: Routledge, 2012. Marcus Franke. War and Nationalism in South Asia: The Indian State and the Nagas. New York: Routledge, 2011.
• D. Suba Chandran and P.R. Chari (Eds.). Armed Conflicts in South Asia 2011: The Promise and Threat of Transformation. New Delhi: Routledge, 2012.