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Performance and Policy Indexes in Carbon Pricing Efficacy: A Cross-country Analysis of Policy Impact (2012-2020)
No full textClimate change poses a significant threat to global ecosystems and human societies, driven largely by CO2 emissions from various economic activities. This macroeconomic cross-country study empirically assesses the effectiveness of carbon pricing in reducing CO2 emissions across three periods: 2012-2017, 2015-2019, and 2015-2020. Building on the foundational research by Best et al. (2020), the analysis extends to more recent data, capturing the evolving impacts of carbon pricing amid changing global economic and policy landscapes. A key advancement in this research is the creation and integration of two comprehensive indexes—a performance index and a policy index—constructed from 14 environmental performance or policy variables. These indexes control for a broader set of environmental and economic factors, thereby addressing omitted variable bias and enhancing the robustness of the analysis. The results strongly support carbon pricing as an effective tool for reducing CO2 emissions. However, the direct impact of carbon pricing is less significant when the performance and policy indexes are included, indicating that its effectiveness is intertwined with other environmental policies. This study emphasizes the importance of maintaining carbon pricing, adopting comprehensive policy frameworks, tailoring approaches to local contexts, and improving data collection standards. This research also offers a holistic view of policy impacts and sets the stage for future studies on the complexities of environmental policies in mitigating climate change
Characterization of SerX: A Putative Periplasmic Binding Protein in a Selenate Respiring Bacteria
No full textA selenate respiring bacterium, Dechloromonas sp. A34, was isolated from a seleniferous mining site in southeastern Idaho. A34 was of interest due to its ability to respire up to 20 mM selenate, the highest concentration tested. The strain has been proposed to represent a new species of bacteria within the Dechloromonas genera, with the prospective name Dechloromonas selenatirespirans (manuscript in preparation). Our research presents characterization of a putative periplasmic binding protein found within an operon that contains genes encoding a putative selenate reductase. The gene, named serX (selenate reductase gene X), is 855 base pairs and encodes a putative protein 284 aa in length. Sequence analysis shows it is homologous to phosphonate and arsenite periplasmic binding proteins found within other microorganisms. We conducted amino acid sequence analysis which supports the theory that SerX is secreted into the periplasm and acts as a selenate binding protein. We created a deletion mutant of serX by replacing a portion of the sequence with a gene encoding tetracycline resistance (tet) that will help to clarify the role of SerX in selenate respiration. A methodology was developed to assess the impact of SerX on selenate reduction in E. coli heterologously expressing a selenate reductase and identified a toxic effect of SerX expression within the bacterium. With environmental selenium contamination due to mining, agriculture, and industrial practices on the rise, studying a protein involved in processing selenate could contribute greatly to bioremediation technologies being developed to counter selenium pollution
Monetary Policy Across the Urban Rural Divide
Full text linkThis paper measures the effect of monetary policy on the consumption of Urban versus Rural Households. I utilize the Consumer Expenditures Survey, conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and St. Louis Federal Reserve Economic Data for information on important macroeconomic variables. My empirical strategy examines how total consumption, housing consumption, health, food, and transportation consumption are impacted by the federal funds rate for urban relative to rural households. My research provides evidence that when the Federal Reserve increases rates, the consumption of rural households falls more relative to urban households. This result is statistically significant when examining consumption related to housing, which may be motivated by differences in homeownership rates across these groups. Additionally, I find that being an urban household is associated with higher consumption relative to rural households; this is significant for total, housing, health, and food consumption These findings are consistent using alternative measures of monetary policy and inflation
Autopathography Across Media: Trauma and Fluid Embodied Subjectivity
No full textIllness memoirs with first-person point of view have gained more attention in recent years among medical sociologists and anthropologists. Different from traditional “case histories”written by doctors that are in danger of ignoring patients’ voices, autopathograhical works delineate narrators’ transformative experiences of persons to patients, emphasizing the importance of gaining social understanding of illness. Focusing on three works within the category of autopathography across genres and media forms in the late 1950s and contemporary periods, The Cancer Journals (1980) written by Audre Lorde, The Collected Schizophrenias (2019) written by Esmé Weijun Wang, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) directed by Julian Schnabel, this project will explore the material and symbolic significance of integrating the experience of disease with self identities. The comparison of these three works in their use of thematic and generic elements will enrich the definition of autopathography as well as highlight its unique narrative form. Drawing connections to the clinical terminologies and treatments of different types of illness, this project attempts to gain a more comprehensive understanding of diseases considering suffer-survivors’ experiences in regard to their interactions with social and cultural norms
Maine as Modernism’s Vernacular Muse: The Ogunquit Artists Colony as Microcosm for the Transition to American Modernism
No full textMaine has played a vital but largely unacknowledged role in the development of American modernism as both an environmental and cultural repository of inspiration. By examining the artistic and pedagogical tensions present in the Ogunquit, Maine art colony, this thesis explores Maine as an inspiration point for many of the foundational artists and teachers of the American modernist art movement. The gap in literature addressing the question, “why Maine?” leaves a void in the scholarship of American history and art history. Setting the scope of its research within this vital question, this thesis argues that Ogunquit, Maine served as a foundational turning point within the transition from the old guard to American modernism. Artists were inspired by the landscape, vernacular architecture, and folk art found in Maine, which they found to be a welcome antidote to the rigid prescriptions of modernity and industrialization, aiding them to establish a uniquely American artistic identity
Is Energy Localized or Gone with the Wind? An Analysis of Iberdrola’s Wind Energy Localization Initiatives in Burgos, Spain
No full textWhile renewable energy systems offer solutions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, promote sustainable development, and foster a just energy transition, certain energy projects account for local needs while others do not. While community energy projects are known to provide localized energy benefits, less is known about large-scale companies’ abilities to foster just transitions through their energy systems. To better understand how global actors can promote a just and sustainable transition through renewable energy deployment, I explore the following research question with a focus on the global electric utility Iberdrola: To what degree does Iberdrola implement energy localization initiatives through wind energy projects in Burgos, Spain? Energy localization is defined as the degree to which private energy companies implement environmental, social, and economic initiatives through their energy projects that both incorporate local actors through a procedural approach and are socially accepted by local stakeholders. I hypothesize that the greater implementation of relevant environmental, social, and economic initiatives and the incorporation of local actors through a procedural approach by Iberdrola will be positively associated with higher levels of stakeholder acceptance of wind farms. Results from semi-structured interview, content analysis, and executive meetings showed the polarizing perspectives of energy localization among stakeholders and in comparison, to Iberdrola. My analysis revealed that Iberdrola performs the best in economic components of energy localization, while its social and procedural efforts need improvement. Looking toward Martin’s (2002) virtue matrix and Szemen & Boyer (2017) concept of a defensive energy transition, Iberdrola’s energy localization initiatives are largely compliant and defensive, acting within the system of profit and capitalism, and are not transformative, implying a true just transition. While energy localization implementation remains a daunting task moving forward, I conclude with various recommendations that Iberdrola could implement to enhance sustainability performance and positively impact local communities. My research establishes a conceptual framework for measuring energy localization of wind energy projects by privately owned energy companies
Felling for Photovoltaics: Remote Sensing for the Detection of Solar Facilities in Maine
No full textSolar power is an area with increasing development in the State of Maine. Photovoltaic solar, which uses large arrays of panels constructed on facilities of several hectares, is an ideal renewable energy source for Maine, because of its low population density and small proportion of conserved lands. Since most of the state of Maine is forested, the development of photovoltaic solar will require increasing amounts of deforestation. Environmental impacts of this deforestation include loss of carbon sequestration, erosion, damage to habitat, and inhibition of other forest benefits. This study uses Landsat data and remote sensing to analyze a large portion of central and western Maine to detect photovoltaic solar facilities. We found a total of 418 sites that had been deforested for photovoltaic solar and 223 sites with photovoltaics built on farmland or grassland. The carbon emissions avoided by the renewable energy benefits outweigh the carbon sequestration benefits from the area deforested, but the ecosystem services lost as a result of the deforestation remain less clear. This is important because of the large number of incentives and limited regulation around photovoltaic construction. For future studies, we recommend a survey of the entire state, more research into the impacts of deforestation for solar photovoltaic on ecosystem services, and monitoring the changing rates of photovoltaic construction over time
The Colby Echo (February 29, 2024)
Full text linkPublished by the students of Colby College since 1877, The Colby Echo is the weekly, editorially independent student-run newspaper of Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Published monthly, 1877-1886; semi-monthly, 1886-1897; and weekly during the academic year, 1898-present
The Elastic Empire: The Disruptive Transformation of Malaysia into Britain’s Rubber Plantation Colony and Resulting Contemporary Ethnic Tensions
No full textA display of how Britain altered aspects of Malaysia\u27s social and political sphere to maximize rubber production and profitability
The Future of International Climate Change Litigation
No full textSmall Island Developing States (SIDS) are increasingly seeking justice from international courts to address their significant climate change impacts, which are disproportionate to their minimal historical emissions. The Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS), an internationally recognized legal body, has requested an advisory opinion on the obligations of all member states to protect and preserve the marine environment and prevent pollution related to climate change and its impacts. The present study aims to predict the future landscape of climate litigation if the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) specifies that states’ obligations to protect and preserve the marine environment and prevent and control marine pollution includes climate relevant emissions, and further how the strength of the advisory opinion will impact future litigation. Specifically, this study seeks to determine which countries are most likely to initiate litigation based on a strong or a moderate advisory opinion regarding UNCLOS Part XII obligations expected May 21, 2024.
Utilizing realism as the theoretical framework, the study posits that states litigate in international courts to maximize their power and security. Variables serving as proxies for national interest and context were used to devise a predictive model indicating the likelihood of litigation. The hypothesis suggests that SIDS are most likely to support and bring litigation following a strong ITLOS advisory opinion, targeting high-emitting former colonial powers due to SIDS’ vulnerability and economic dependence on the marine environment. The results indicate that COSIS, or individual states like Mauritius and Vanuatu, are the most probable litigants. The conclusion highlights a shift in the theoretical framework that best explains why states sue in international courts in the context of climate change from realism to liberalism. Through international climate litigation, SIDS aim to give international courts more power in the climate change movement, with the hopes that they will achieve some redress and gain more power as a coalition