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Variation of carbon stock of Boca del Drago mangrove forests based on salinity and seaward proximity
Get PDFMangrove forests, at the intersection of land and sea, are considered one of the most important marine environments for their variety of ecosystem services and their ability to sequester large amounts of carbon in their biomass and adjacent soils. With a changing climate, many of the abiotic and biotic factors influencing mangroves will begin to shift, potentially impacting resilience, growth capacity, and distribution of mangroves worldwide. This study aimed to examine the influence of changing salinity on the carbon stock capacity for Rhizophora mangle and Laguncularia racemosa forests, and the distribution of biomass in each species relative to salinity in mangrove forests in Bocas del Toro, Panamá. Understanding site-specific influence of abiotic factors is important for understanding mangrove resiliency in understudied areas. 15 radial plots were studied in mangrove forests near Ground Creek on Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro, Panamá to understand this relationship. Plots established represented three salinity zones (0-10 ppt, 10-20 ppt, and 20-30 ppt) and three sites (fringe forest, intermediate forests, and inland forest). DBH and height measurements were taken for all trees in each plot and used to calculate biomass and subsequently carbon stock per hectare. Carbon stock per hectare was related to salinity and site and no significant results were found, however significant differences were found between the individual biomass of R. mangle based on salinity zone (p = 0.0302). This indicates that overall carbon stock of mangrove forests in the Ground Creek could be resilient to future changes in sea level and land distribution, but rising salinity could have impact on individual growth parameters such as biomass, height, and DBH. Further inquiry is needed on the influence of salinity and site on individual tree carbon stock in the area to draw concrete conclusions
The Truth Behind Avocado Expansion in the Algarve: A Synthesis of Public, Environmental Associations, and Government Perspectives and Response
Get PDFAvocado expansion has exponentially increased in the Algarve region of southern Portugal in recent years. The surge in expansion has provoked contention and discrepancy in the media regarding how and if avocado production can persist in the water-scarce region due to worsening drought conditions related to climate change coupled with the fruit’s significant water footprint. This paper aims to synthesize the arguments and response of the public, environmental associations, and government agencies to the expansion of avocado production in the water- scarce region of the Algarve, highlight the region’s current challenges of avocado expansion and water management regulation, and analyze the feasibility and sustainability of avocado production in the Algarve. Additionally, this paper provides proposed pathways of compromise to this layered issue. This research is based on a qualitative approach of reviewing, analyzing, and synthesizing main points found in the media, government reports, policy, and literature; data also consists of an interview with a key informant from the environmental association, Zero. The main convergences and divergences of perspectives about the Algarve’s avocado industry revolve around their water consumption compared to other monocrops, agrochemical contamination of water sources, as well as the lack of oversight and enforcement of regulations regarding their expansion and water usage. Furthermore, the conclusion is drawn that the avocado serves as a narrative for the primary issue in the Algarve - the expansion of irrigated monocultures in an area with limited water supply
Power and Impact: Examining the Role of Monarchy and Media in Shaping Attitudes Around Race and Human Rights for Sub-Saharan Migrant Populations in Morocco
Get PDFThe purpose of this investigation is to delve into the intricate dynamics surrounding migration in Morocco, specially focusing on the Maghreb region’s treatment of sub-Saharan migrants and the complex interplay between institutions of power, media narratives and societal attitudes towards race and identity. Drawing on Morocco’s historical relationship with slavery and its present handling of Africanness, the analysis unveils a culture of denial that deeply impacts the integration of migrants and the perpetuating of discriminatory practices. The narrative shifts towards the role of rhetoric and media, emphasizing its pivotal importance in shaping societal perspectives, particularly regarding non-Moroccans. The examination extends to the Moroccan media’s relationship with the monarchy, revealing how institutional influence and censorship significantly manipulate and drive public discourse. This study also touches on a variety of geopolitical and foreign policies and strategies questioning the efficacy of these strategies as genuine catalysts for social chance. Furthermore, it scrutinizes the contradictions between theory and practice surrounding the integration of migrants within the maghreb. Throughout, the research methodically addresses key questions regarding institutional influence, the manipulation of power and population, Moroccan identity, and the lived experiences of sub-Saharan migrants in Morocco
The Role of Moroccan Street Art in Decolonial Discourse and Binary Deconstruction
Get PDFAs a country historically subjected to French colonialism and currently the site of a burgeoning street art scene, Morocco is a locus for street art that contributes to the decolonial project and deconstruction of remaining colonial structures left by the French. Drawing from Edward Said’s concept of orientalism, the idea of gaze, and bell hooks’s counter concept of oppositional gaze, this paper seeks to understand how Moroccan street artists use their art to challenge the binary opposition between tradition and modernity constructed during the French Protectorate. I will discuss the theme of temporality, because of street art’s ephemeral nature and the concept of time and history that is addressed throughout several artists’ work, specifically in the dialogue between tradition and modernity. I will continue on to discuss how artists represent Moroccan culture through their art, challenging western depictions of Morocco, and creating a reputation of street art in Morocco. Exploring connections between artists through the Jidar Street Art Festival and social media, this work will seek to understand the ways in which personal connections, collaborations between artists, and a deeper connection to the spaces that street art occupies all uplift Moroccan culture, change orientalist perspectives, and spark conversations that contribute to decolonization
Carbon Credibility: Strategic Opportunities for ASEAN Regional Industrial Policy in Voluntary Carbon Markets
Get PDFCarbon offsets have come under increasing scrutiny due to uncertainties in real carbon abatement, transparency, and fears that it will exacerbate global inequality by allowing the global North to ‘pay to pollute’ through ethically questionable projects in the South. Following Article 2.1.C of the Paris Agreement, this paper argues that the global green transition requires private capital to be fully mobilized through voluntary carbon markets (VCMs). Given that ASEAN states face some of the world’s greatest climate risks while being a fast-growing region, this case study answers the question: how can states play a more proactive role in regulating VCMs to accelerate sustainable development? This paper motivates the ASEAN region to adopt regional industrial policy to create comparative advantages in the voluntary carbon market, while serving as a blueprint for developing countries to catch-up through sustainable means
The Implications of Politicizing Global Health Diplomacy in a Multipolar World
Get PDFThis research paper is the result of an independent study project that details the implications of politicizing global health diplomacy. With a mixture of interviews, primary sources, and secondary sources, this project aims to explain how and why global health has become entrenched in politics in the world today. This paper explores the intersection between global health and foreign policy and analyzes the extent to which countries use medical interventions to achieve political and economic success. Medical interventions, like vaccines, have become increasingly significant, especially looking back at the recent pandemic. Therefore, this paper will also explore the complex nature of vaccine diplomacy and how vaccine development, production, and development can lead to soft power. Lastly, this paper will look at the implications of politicizing global health in an emerging multipolar world, for many countries rising in power might rely on new methods to maintain international legitimacy
“Comrade Woman” in 21st-Century Serbia: (Dis)continuities of Yugoslav Feminism in Post-Yugoslav, Post-war Serbian Feminism
Get PDFForty-five years have passed since 1978, when the first feminist conference in the Eastern Bloc – Drug-ca žena – žensko pitanje: novi pristup? (Comrade Woman – The Woman’s Question: A New Approach?) – took place in Belgrade in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). After the violent breakup of the SFRY, what, if anything, is left of the legacies of Yugoslav feminism in today’s Serbia? To answer this question, this research examines the Serbian feminist scenes across time through literature and five semi-structured interviews. It concludes that although the Serbian feminist movement has become significantly different from the Yugoslav in multiple aspects, there is now a growing interest in critically (re)evaluating, commemorating and celebrating Yugoslav feminist heritage. By revisiting the common Yugoslav ancestry, Serbian feminists are in search of a solidarity that would empower their movement in the face of rising nationalism, patriarchy and the disappearance of socialist history from public memory
Negotiating Identities: The Tibetan’s Experience
Get PDFThe fundamental aspect of the Tibetan exilic identity and the competing definition of Tibetaness has long been circulating among the community. It’s a question Tibetans are already asking, that they cannot help but ask, and that therefore deserves an answer. For the first generation of Tibetans, their identity is more profound because of their connection with the geographical home itself. However, for the second generation, having lived and raised outside in the ethnically mixed environment, the idea of Tibet exists in the imagination; though the way in which it is to be imagined is contested by a number of parties. All across the generations, Tibetan has taken a keen interest in the construction and deconstruction of their identity. The paper will look into the identity construction of Tibetan living in Exile. I will show that the performance of Tibetan identity in Exile has significant historical and contemporary formations. I have shown that beliefs and viable values from the colonial and precolonial consistently affects the identity formation of the Tibetan people
The Role of Education in Post-Conflict Kosovo: A Proposal for an Analysis of How Experts Understand the Role that Education Has Played in Peacebuilding
Get PDFThis study seeks to answer the following research question: What is the relationship between Kosovo\u27s education system and the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia? This study uses a mixed purposeful sampling strategy that includes purposive sampling and snowball sampling. The researcher interviewed five different individuals from the following ethnic backgrounds represented in Kosovo which are one Bosnian, one Serbian, two Albanian Kosovars, and one Romani Kosovar. The results showed that education played many roles before, during and after the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia. Kosovo’s education system has historically been used as a tool to promote the political agendas of competing governments, whether that be the Albanian Kosovars, the Serbs or that of the United Nations. The combination of the existing research and the data collected through the interviews created a strong foundation in understanding the role of education in the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia. It also revealed possible ways of moving past this conflict to true reconciliation through initiatives such as multi-ethnic teacher trainings, workshops aimed at building cultural awareness of the different ethnic groups represented in Kosovo or through promoting critical thinking through the use of distant historical wars. Theoretical and practical implications of the results were discussed.
Keywords: role of education, reconciliation, patriotism, peacebuilding, Kosov
People Power & Politics: Evaluating the impact of the Conselho de Cidadãos de Lisboa on climate policy and political efficacy in Lisbon
Get PDFAs the social and ecological effects of climate change intensify, governments across the globe must evaluate how best to deal with the climate crisis. Likewise, increasing citizen participation in decision-making processes has been a key strategy for dealing with such issues. Theories on the benefits of citizen participation inform real practices such as democratic mini-publics and citizens assemblies. In Lisbon, Portugal, the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa implemented the first edition of the Conselho de Cidadãos de Lisboa (CCL) in May 2022. The CCL is a citizens assembly designed to directly involve residents in city policy-making, with the first edition focusing on the climate crisis. This paper seeks to evaluate the CCL in two ways: how has the CCL impacted Lisbon climate policy, and how has it affected citizen’s internal and external political efficacy? Research conducted to answer these questions consist of interviews with government officials, personal surveys of Lisbon residents, and a survey of social media. The data collected shows that although small steps have been taken to implement CCL proposals, the council had no significant impact on Lisbon climate policy. The data also reveals that while citizens overarchingly support the CCL, it had little to no impact on their internal or external political efficacy due to a lack of concrete evidence of CCL influence