Browsing by Subject "Environmental justice"
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Item Humans are Earth too: Hydrology, stream restoration, and the human side of Earth science(2023-06) Jones, JabariHuman beings (Homo sapiens) influence the Earth in profound and multifaceted ways. Humans directly alter geologic processes, including sediment transport, altered hydrologic pathways, and more. Humans also benefit and suffer from geologic processes – access to water, greenspace, and hazards. And human processes, including discrimination and power dynamics affect where and how science is done. My dissertation addresses each of these dimensions of human/Earth interaction. I begin with a human → Earth interaction by analyzing the influence of climate change and land-use change on streamflow in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We find that precipitation change has been consistent across the region, but streamflow response has been variable. Watersheds in (geologically) recently glaciated central and western Minnesota had greater streamflow increases than watersheds in eastern Minnesota and the western Wisconsin Driftless Area. This streamflow response also maps onto land-use change, as watersheds with glacial till have more agriculture drainage. Information-theory metrics reveal inconsistent patterns in the relationship between precipitation and streamflow, underscoring the hydrologic complexity of the upper Midwest. I then explore an interrelated human ↔ Earth system by developing a new stream restoration database for the state of Minnesota and exploring the environmental justice implications of restoration siting. We find that restoration projects are systematically located in whiter and more affluent locations compared to the overall population of the state. Restoration projects are also responsive to environmental degradation, as restored streams are more likely to be impaired than average streams in the state. Finally, I explore human aspects of the geosciences through three chapters: I present reflections and recommendations from my time balancing life as a geoscientist and a black resident of South Minneapolis following the murder of George Floyd in summer 2020, with a focus on how greater institutional risk is needed to truly advance visions of diversity equity and justice. I describe the pedagogical underpinnings of field learning via a literature review in geoscience, environmental science, and ecology. We find that active learning, co-creation of knowledge, rapid feedback, and place-based learning are key reasons that students learn during field trips. Finally, I offer reflections from a community science event hosted between local organizations and the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences. Attendees considered the event a success and there were many positive and negative lessons to implement in future attempts to bridge the divide between university and non-university partners. These diverse projects illustrate a multitude of ways that humans influence and interact with the Earth, and underscore the need to consider human processes as a key element of the Earth system.Item Infrastructure is not enough: Interactions between the environment, socioeconomic disadvantage, and cycling participation in England(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2021) Vidal Tortosa, Eugeni; Lovelace, Robin; Heinen, Eva; Mann, Richard P.Cycling can be particularly beneficial for socioeconomically disadvantaged populations for two main reasons. First, cycling enables access to opportunities that may be unaffordable by other modes. Second, cycling increases physical activity levels and, consequently, improves health. In this context, we analyze the extent to which socioeconomic disadvantage impacts cycling participation and cycling duration for both leisure and utility cycling. Then, we examine whether socioeconomic inequalities in cycling participation can be explained by the environment in which disadvantaged populations live. The study population includes 167,178 individuals, residing in 2,931 areas, and 326 Local Authorities. Data on individual factors were drawn from the Active Lives Survey and data on environmental factors from several sources. Descriptive statistics and multilevel regression models were estimated. We found that the likelihood of cycling is lower among people living in deprived areas than among people living in non-deprived areas. This difference is significant for leisure, but also for utility cycling when controlling for individual and environmental factors. However, cyclists living in deprived areas are more likely to cycle longer per week than cyclists living in non-deprived areas, particularly for utility cycling. We also found that cycling infrastructure and greater levels of cyclability are higher in deprived areas than in non-deprived areas. This suggests that infrastructure and cyclability are not enough to increase cycling levels among disadvantaged populations. Further research on other barriers to cycling among disadvantaged populations is required.Item PM2.5 concentrations in low- and middle-income neighborhoods in Bangalore, India(2012-09) Both, Adam FrankThis study measured outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in a low- and a nearby middle-income neighborhood in Bangalore, India. Each neighborhood included two sampling locations: near and not-near a major roadway. One-minute mean concentrations were recorded for 168 days during September 2008 - May 2009 using a nephelometer (TSI DustTrak). Wind speed and direction were also measured, as well as PM2.5 concentration as a function of distance from roadway. Mean concentrations are 21-46% higher in the low- than in the middle-income neighborhood (64 μg m-3 versus 53 μg m-3 [neighborhood median]). In the middle-income neighborhood, median concentrations are higher near roadway than not-near roadway (56 μg m-3 versus 50 μg m-3); in the low-income neighborhood, the reverse holds (68 μg m-3 near roadway, 74 μg m-3 not-near roadway), likely because of within-neighborhood residential emissions (e.g., cooking; trash combustion). These concentrations exceed long-term US EPA and WHO standards (15 μg m-3 and 10 μg m-3, respectively). A moving-average subtraction method used to infer local- versus urban-scale emissions confirms that local emissions are greater in the low-income neighborhood than in the middle-income neighborhood; however, relative contributions from local sources vary by time-of-day. Real-time relative humidity correction factors are important for accurately interpreting real-time nephelometer data.