Environmental Policy Commons^™

Sustainable Management Of Erosive Shores: An Interdisciplinary Approach Integrating Engineering And Social Sciences At A Tide-Dominant Beach Area, Jun Ik Sohn, Hyun Dong Kim, Kiran Adhithya Ramakrishnan

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This study investigates the causes and consequences of shoreline erosion at Kkotji Beach, a prominent tourist destination on the west coast of South Korea, where the degradation of the coastal environment has increasingly threatened the local tourism industry and economy, by employing a mixed-methods approach that combines field observations with MIKE 21 hydrodynamic simulations and by integrating perspectives from coastal engineering and the social sciences to develop practical, site-specific strategies for mitigating erosion, enhancing public awareness, and promoting sustainable coastal planning and development that support long-term environmental resilience and economic stability. The results show that dominant ebb currents drive southward …

Tidal Flooding Contributes To Eutrophication: Constraining Nonpoint Source Inputs To An Urban Estuary Using A Data Driven Statistical Model, Alfonso Macías-Tapia, Margaret R. Mulholland, Corday R. Selden, Sophie Clayton, Peter W. Bernhardt, Thomas R. Allen

OES Faculty Publications

In coastal urban areas, tidal flooding brings water carrying nutrients and particles back from land to estuarine and coastal waters. A statistical model to predict nutrient loads during tidal flooding events can help estimate nutrient loading from previous and future flooding events and adapt nutrient reduction strategies. We measured concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus in floodwater at seven sentinel sites during 15 tidal flooding events from January 2019 to September 2020. The study area was the Lafayette River watershed in Norfolk, VA, USA, which is prone to tidal flooding and is predicted to experience more frequent and intense …

Sandy Subterranean Estuaries Minimize Groundwater Nitrogen Pollution Impacts On Coastal Waters, Xiaogang Chen, Isaac R. Santos, Jinzhou Du, Bochao Xu, Joseph J. Tamborski, Ding He, Neven Cukrov, Christian J. Sanders, Jianan Liu, Peiyuan Zhu, Yan Zhang, Ling Li

OES Faculty Publications

Widespread anthropogenic activities pollute groundwater that eventually seeps out to the coastal ocean. Here, we resolve nutrient transformations and fluxes in 11 sandy subterranean estuaries (STEs) with contrasting nutrient sources and development trajectories. Coastal groundwater nitrogen pollution stems from sewage discharge and land use change. Anthropogenically derived groundwater nutrient fluxes with high N/P ratios (∼170) accounted for 22%–61% of riverine inputs into China's coastal waters, providing an additional source of nutrients that can fuel coastal eutrophication and algal blooms. Sandy STEs remarkably attenuated ∼84% of nitrogen pollution, minimizing the impact of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) on coastal water quality. Hence, …

Successful Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea Virginica) Recruitment On Intertidal Artificial Substrates In Virginia, Usa, Rochelle D. Seitz, Kathleen E. Knick, Emily Suchonic, Amanda Pysher

OES Faculty Publications

Declines of eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations and scarcity of natural oyster shell necessitate quantifying the effectiveness of artificial oyster reef substrates over varying environmental conditions. Oyster castles are often used in intertidal areas with moderate wave energy; however, new concrete, natural-looking substrates, GROW Reef Tiles, are now available. Eastern oyster recruitment and size on oyster castles (OC) and GROW Reef Tiles (GT), with 27% higher surface area on OC, were assessed three times over 25 months in locations with varying salinity. Four sites in the Chesapeake Bay region were examined: Cherrystone Inlet, Mockhorn Bay, Elizabeth River, and …

China's Global Leadership Aspirations And Domestic Support For Climate Policy, Chen Xiang, Terry Van Gevelt

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

In recent years, China has pivoted towards a global leadership role in mitigating and adapting to climate change. Notwithstanding the complex political economic reasons underlying China's global leadership aspirations, we are interested in seeing whether the associated national discourse championed by the state increases domestic support for climate policy. That is, do China's international leadership aspirations foster a unifying sense of national pride among the domestic population, thereby lending support to the legitimacy of the state and expediting the implementation of costly domestic climate policies? To test our hypothesis, we enumerated a vignette experiment embedded with conjoint analysis to a …

Mapping The End Of Coal: How Policy Strength, Ownership, Finance Shape Global Plant Retirements, Jiwon Kim, Theodor Florian Cojoianu, Theodor F. Cojoianu, Maretno Agus Harjoto, Dariusz Wojcik

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This study examines how national environmental performance, institutional investor divestment from fossil fuels, investment in renewable energy, and ownership type influence the global phase-out of coal power plants, and whether these effects are constrained by geographical boundaries. Using data on coal plant retirements across 90 countries, we test whether domestic and cross-border factors shape the timing and likelihood of asset closure. We find that companies headquartered in countries with stronger environmental performance are more likely to retire domestic but not foreign plants. While institutional investors divestment is often assumed to exert cross-border influence, our findings show that divestment pressure by …

The Climate-Biodiversity-Pollution Nexus: The Pricing Of Environmental Credit Risks For European Industrial Polluters, Dominik Hirschbühl, Andrej Ceglar, Theodor Cojoianu, Tina Emambakhsh, Yifan Qi, Caterina Rho, Elsie Hu, Marco Petracco, Fabrizio Biganzoli, Alfred De Jager, Laura Garcia Herrero, Andrea Mandrici, Carlo Pasqua

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This study examines how euro area banks factor pollution-induced biodiversity risks into lending decisions, using data from 832 banks and 5,000 major polluters. Our results show that banks are increasingly pricing these risks by adjusting loan-to-value ratios and interest rates. Banks adjust lending conditions in line with EU pollution and biodiversity protection legislation, particularly for companies with large pollution footprints near biodiversity-protected areas or those contributing to Environmental Quality Standards failures of downstream surface waters. The former is driven primarily by banks’ adoption of biodiversity policies and public commitments to the Equator Principles, while the latter is a result of …

The Winds Of Change: How China's Focus On Rare Earth Minerals Reshapes The World, Ian Murphy, Kevin Johnston

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

This article examines how rare earth minerals and the People's Republic of China's (PRC) strategic dominance in the global economy affect U.S. national security. The PRC's near monopoly on rare earth processing and its use of export controls as leverage pose significant risks to global supply chains and U.S. national security interests. This analysis explores contemporary PRC strategies in the rare earth sector and their implications for U.S. national security by explaining how the PRC's view of international cooperation differs from the United States' view. In essence, the PRC is using the transition to renewable energy to pursue its broader …

Complexity, Polycentricity, And Climate Change: An Embedded, Multi-Level Case Study Of A Climate Meta-Network, Timothy Staub

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The earth is in crisis, and without urgent, systemic, and collective global action to address the emerging threat of climate change, we will continue to see catastrophic events impacting humanity, threatening our very survival in many regions of the world. Temperatures will rise, ice shelves will melt, seas will rise, crops will fail, water scarcity from drought and new weather patterns will increase and spread, wildfires will accelerate, and food and water insecurity, violence, and the largest human migration in history will ensue. These climate crises will displace over 1.2 billion people by 2050 at a rate currently exceeding 21.5 …

The Impact Of Disparities In Housing Cluster Development Regulations On Water Catchment Area Protection (Case Study: Bekasi City), Genta Aulia Ramadhan, Harsanto Nursadi

Cities and Urban Development Journal

Background: The development of housing clusters in urban areas is usually becoming a significant factor that affecting environmental conditions, especially in terms of protecting water catchment areas. This also happened in Bekasi City, the high demand for housing resulted in a rapid increase in the development of housing clusters which in some cases were not in line with environmental protection regulations.

Aims: This study aims to analyze the impact of regulatory gaps related to spatial planning and environmental management on the protection of water catchment areas in Bekasi City.

Methods: Using a case study approach, this study analyzes existing policies, …

Aligning Artificial Intelligence With Climate Change Adaptation In Egypt, Lara Mohamed Abdelrazik Ms.

Future Journal of Social Science

Abstract:

One of the frequently witnessed barriers to accelerating action on climate change is related to the construction of data bases, variables, and models as well as data extraction. According to the Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment, several subfields of Artificial Intelligence identify patterns to support the completion of specific tasks towards combating climate change such as; gathering, completing, and interpreting large, and complete datasets by making it possible to enhance data-driven decision-making for climate action. However, the negative side of AI was also recognized.

Learning algorithms to understand how AI’s climate impact goes beyond its …

The Impact Of Student Engagement Activities On Future Climate Change Adaptation: The Case Of Student Simulation Models, Bassel Mostafa Elkalaf

Future Journal of Social Science

This paper explores the critical role of student engagement in addressing the growing challenges of climate change, with a focus on the Model United Nations (MUN) as a case study. As climate-related security threats increase globally, educational platforms that prepare youth for effective leadership in climate politics are more essential than ever. MUN, a widely practiced student activity simulating global policy-making, provides a valuable opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of the interconnectedness between climate change, peace, and security. By participating in MUN simulations, students engage in debates, develop innovative solutions, and practice diplomatic skills, all while exploring the …

Leveraging Green Strategies Within Blockchain Technology For Climate Justice And Displacement Management In Developing Countries: A Comparative Study Between Egypt And Germany (2010-2024), Alaa Owis Seddik Ms

Future Journal of Social Science

Climate change is a significant global issue of the 21st century, disproportionately affecting

developing countries despite their minimal contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. This

discrepancy has brought climate justice to the forefront as an important concept, emphasizing

equitable support and protection for vulnerable populations. Concurrently, blockchain

technology, combined with green strategies, offers potential solutions to enhance transparency,

efficiency, and accountability in various sectors, including climate justice and displacement

management. This research hypothesizes that the integration of blockchain technology with

green strategies can lead to enhanced climate justice, and more effective displacement

management, and provide a model for developing countries like …

Curbing Environmental Degradation To Balance Sustainable Development: Evidence From China, Muneza Kagzi, Vishal Dagar, Nadia Doytch, Deepika Krishnan, Manisha Raj

Ateneo School of Government Publications

To achieve the goals of sustainable development, it is crucial to check the balance of increased level of international trade along with financial development, foreign direct investment (FDI), energy consumption, and institutional advancement with the quality of the environment. This study focuses on how these variables have caused environmental degradation in China. To achieve Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), i.e. to increase the nation's resilience to natural disasters and hazards related to climate change, to promote climate action and safeguard life as part of sustainable development, this involves the analysis of time-series data sets from 1975 to …

How Does Fracking-Related Information Influence Fracking Risk Perceptions? Examining The Roles Of Ideology And Information On Fracking Risk Perceptions, James Ivey

Political Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in the United States has created an economic boom that has helped fuel an ongoing policy conflict between environmental sustainability and human health versus energy independence, expansion of national security, and future economic prosperity. With little federal regulation regarding fracking, policy decisions associated with fracking have fallen to state and local jurisdictions, making the attitudes of officials and lawmakers at the local level the center of many debates regarding fracking and related policies. This paper examines how ideology and information regarding fracking interact to shape risk perceptions associated with fracking. Specifically, this paper uses a survey experiment …

Assessing Kulpmont Borough's Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Zane Hensal

Student Project Reports

No abstract provided.

Consistent Vmt Mapping And Modeling In California: How Can We Better Assess The Vmt Impacts Of State And Local Transportation Projects?, Serena E. Alexander, Shams Tanvir, Syed Tanvir Ahmed, Annie Jones

Mineta Transportation Institute

Despite California’s ambitious target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, the state is not reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from personal vehicle travel, and per capita Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and GHG emissions continue to increase. One central challenge of climate planning facing California is the lack of consistent methods to measure the VMT impacts of transportation projects. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, this research answers the question: “What are the advantages and limitations of existing VMT calculators to determine the climate impacts of transportation projects to help meet California’s climate goals?” Research methods included: (1) a quantitative analysis …

Repurposed Energy, Alexandra B. Klass, Hannah Wiseman

Articles

Wildfires, weather extremes, and other conditions induced partially by climate change add urgency to the project of accelerating the clean energy transition from fossil fuels to zero-carbon energy infrastructure. Yet the hurdles to accomplishing such a massive industrial-scale transition are daunting. Indeed, large renewable energy generation projects regularly face denials or project-killing delays across the United States. This Article proposes a national policy to channel the bulk of new clean energy projects to targeted categories of both rural lands and urban, post-industrial lands that we define collectively as “repurposed energy” sites. Such lands will consist of marginal farmland, abandoned coal …

Understanding The Plastic Issue (Poster Presentation), Regan Bossie, Peter Nguyen, John Mcswiggin, Adam Meadows

Sustainability Conference

The Plastic-Free Campus Initiative is an Embry-Riddle initiative advocating for the reduction and elimination of single-use plastics on the Daytona Beach campus.

Our poster presentation aims to highlight current issues and concerns by presenting plastic production trends, quantifying how plastic pollution has affected global ecosystems, and discussing the material characteristics of plastics and their consequences. The poster will provide an overview of the current state of global recycling and will outline key concerns that microplastics, and plastics in general, pose to public health. By presenting the current facts and concerns related to plastic and recycling, we hope to encourage individuals …

The Imperatives For Effective Regulation For The Conservation And Sustainability Of Nigeria’S Mangrove Ecosystem : The Niger-Delta Perspective, Inemotim Henry-Whyte

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.