scholarly journals Investing in Natural and Nature-Based Infrastructure: Building Better Along Our Coasts

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariana Sutton-Grier ◽  
Rachel Gittman ◽  
Katie Arkema ◽  
Richard Bennett ◽  
Jeff Benoit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
Economic Wealth ◽  
Effective Manner

Much of the United States’ critical infrastructure is either aging or requires significant repair, leaving U.S. communities and the economy vulnerable. Outdated and dilapidated infrastructure places coastal communities, in particular, at risk from the increasingly frequent and intense coastal storm events and rising sea levels. Therefore, investments in coastal infrastructure are urgently needed to ensure community safety and prosperity; however, these investments should not jeopardize the ecosystems and natural resources that underlie economic wealth and human well-being. Over the past 50 years, efforts have been made to integrate built infrastructure with natural landscape features, often termed “green” infrastructure, in order to sustain and restore valuable ecosystem functions and services. For example, significant advances have been made in implementing green infrastructure approaches for stormwater management, wastewater treatment, and drinking water conservation and delivery. However, the implementation of natural and nature-based infrastructure (NNBI) aimed at flood prevention and coastal erosion protection is lagging. There is an opportunity now, as the U.S. government reacts to the recent, unprecedented flooding and hurricane damage and considers greater infrastructure investments, to incorporate NNBI into coastal infrastructure projects. Doing so will increase resilience and provide critical services to local communities in a cost-effective manner and thereby help to sustain a growing economy.

A Tool for Designing Policy Packages To Achieve India’s Climate Targets: Methods, Data, and Reference Scenario of the India Energy Policy Simulator

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepthi Swamy ◽  
Apurba Mitra ◽  
Varun Agarwal ◽  
Megan Mahajan ◽  
Robbie Orvis
Keyword(s):  
Energy Policy ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
The United States ◽  
Technical Note ◽  
Reference Scenario ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Climate Targets ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Business As Usual

India is currently the world’s third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs) after China and the United States and is set to experience continued growth in its population, economy, and energy consumption. Exploring low-carbon development pathways for India is therefore crucial for achieving the goal of global decarbonization. India has pledged to reduce the emission intensity of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 33–35 per cent relative to 2005 levels by 2030 through its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), among other related targets for the renewable energy and forestry sectors. Further, countries, including India, are expected to respond to the invitation of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Paris Agreement to communicate new or updated NDCs with enhanced ambition and long-term low-GHG development strategies for 2050. To design effective policy packages to support the planning and achievement of such climate targets, policymakers need to identify policies that can reduce GHG emissions in a timely and cost-effective manner, while meeting development-related and other national objectives. The India Energy Policy Simulator (India EPS), an open-source, system dynamics model, can enable an integrated quantitative assessment of different cross-sectoral climate policy packages for India through 2050 and their implications for key variables of interest such as emissions, GDP, and jobs. The tool was developed by Energy Innovation LLC and adapted for India in partnership with World Resources Institute. It is available for open access through a Web interface as well as a downloadable application. This technical note describes the structure, input data sources, assumptions, and limitations of the India EPS, as well as the setup and key results of its reference scenario, referred to as the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario in the model. It is intended as an update to the first technical note on the India EPS (Mangan et al. 2019) and accounts for the changes incorporated into the model since the first version.

Why Carbon Pricing Is Appealing

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Barry G. Rabe
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Carbon Price ◽  
The United States ◽  
Carbon Taxes ◽  
Excise Taxes ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Reduce Emissions ◽  
Direct Tax

The use of taxes to elevate the price of popular commodities in order to reduce consumption and risks related to use did not originate with carbon taxes. Excise taxes on tobacco have been used aggressively by governments in the United States and beyond in recent decades to achieve significant reductions in smoking. Fossil fuel use has long been deemed by diverse economists as a viable target for a sequel, leading to innumerable reports and scholarly arguments making the case for a carbon price. This can take the form of either a direct tax on the carbon content of fossil fuels or a cap-and-trade system that allows for purchase of rights to release emissions at a price. Both are thought to offer effective paths to reduce emissions in a cost-effective manner.

scholarly journals INTERCONNECTIVITIES BETWEEN HAZARD, DAMAGE, AND SHORELINE TYPE: LESSONS LEARNED FROM HURRICANE IRMA’S IMPACT ON THE FLORIDA KEYS

2018 ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Tori Tomiczek ◽  
Brittany Webbmartin ◽  
Steven Scyphers ◽  
Kiera O’Donnell ◽  
Kelsi Furman
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Florida Keys ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
Wave Impact ◽  
Dune Vegetation ◽  
Hurricane Season

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season had 17 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and 6 major hurricanes, generating over 226 units of accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), a measure used by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) that refers to the combined the intensity and duration of a hurricane. These statistics earned the hurricane season’s classification as “extremely active,” the most active since 2005. Preliminary estimates of damage due to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria amount to over $200 billion dollars in the United States alone. Recent studies suggest that the frequency of these high intensity Category 4 and 5 hurricanes is increasing (e.g. Mendelsohn et al., 2012). The 2017 hurricane season may thus be representative of an expected season. Accounting for projected increases in mean sea level, storm impacts may be exacerbated in coastal regions. These trends emphasize the need for effective damage mitigation techniques that improve the robustness and resiliency of coastal communities. Structures must be designed to not only avoid wave and surge loads, but also resist these forces in the event of a wave impact. Furthermore, creative, cost-effective solutions are required to mitigate waves and surge before they reach developed coastal areas. Thus, engineers require a robust, science-based methodology for predicting details of wave propagation over land and inland effects to ensure life safety and reduce economic loss due to extreme events. While traditional engineering strategies (e.g. seawalls, bulkheads) have been used to prevent coastal erosion and mitigate inland effects of hurricane waves and surge, recent storm events have shown potential of nature and natural based features (e.g. dune vegetation, mangroves, wetlands, salt-marshes, coral reefs, and seagrass) to protect coastal structures during storm events.

Breast Cancer Screening and Diagnosis Clinical Practice Guidelines

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 480 ◽  
Author(s):  
_ _
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
United States ◽  
Practice Guidelines ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mammographic Screening ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Recent Version

The lifetime risk of a woman developing breast cancer has increased over the past 5 years in the United States: of every 7 women, 1 is at risk based on a life expectancy of 85 years. An estimated 214,640 new cases (212,920 women and 1,720 men) of breast cancer and 41,430 deaths (40,970 women and 460 men) from this disease will occur in the United States in 2006. However, mortality from breast cancer has decreased slightly, attributed partly to mammographic screening. Early detection and accurate diagnosis made in a cost-effective manner are critical to a continued reduction in mortality. These practice guidelines are designed to facilitate clinical decision making. For the most recent version of the guidelines, please visit NCCN.org

scholarly journals Occupational Stress and Mental Health Among Healthcare Workers Serving Socially Vulnerable Populations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Nelly Salgado de Snyder ◽  
Alice P. Villatoro ◽  
Marisol D. McDaniel ◽  
Ana Sofia Ocegueda ◽  
Deliana Garcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Work Place

The purpose of this study was to analyze occupational and personal stressors, mental health indicators, perceived discrimination and help-seeking behaviors among healthcare workers and providers (HCWPs) serving socially vulnerable groups such as immigrants, refugees, farmworkers, homeless individuals, people living in poverty, and other disadvantaged populations in the United States (U.S.) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a cross-sectional descriptive approach, we gathered information between July and September 2020, from a sample of 407 affiliates of two national organizations of clinic-based HCWPs who worked at federally funded and community safety-net clinics. Informed consent was obtained from all participants who completed a self-administered online survey available in English and Spanish. Our results indicated that the HCWPs serving vulnerable groups in the midst of the pandemic experienced high levels of occupational and personal stressors as well as anxiety and depressive symptomology. Major occupational stressors were excessive workload, long working-hours, and institutional barriers to refer and follow-up on their clients' access to needed social services. High-rated personal stressors included sleep disorders, lack of and child-care, partner's loosing job, and other family related situations. Our findings suggest that HCWPs working with vulnerable populations need specialized interventions that bolster their mental health and well-being as the pandemic continues to unfold. We recommend implementing initiatives that encourage HCWPs' to be actively involved in clinic decisions regarding employee safety and protection as well as in management decisions to improve work place infrastructure and capacity to respond to the social needs of their clients. Lessons learned from the pandemic are useful tools in designing protocols for addressing the mental-health needs of HCWPs in health-care organizations that attend to socially underprivileged populations.

When Catching the Rain: A Cultural Model Approach to Green Infrastructure in Water Governance

2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucero Radonic
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Cognitive Mapping ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Water Governance ◽  
Cultural Models ◽  
The United States ◽  
Environmental Modeling ◽  
Cultural Model ◽  
Anthropological Research

Implementation and formalization of green infrastructure across the United States is growing. While anthropological research on water infrastructure is expanding, to date, little of this work emphasizes the development of methods for analyzing the uptake of decentralized green infrastructures for water management. This article has two objectives. First, I outline a cultural model of rainwater harvesting to account for the more nuanced aspects leading to the uptake in policy and practice of this green infrastructure in Tucson, Arizona. Second, I expand the methods repertoire available to anthropologists by offering some signposts for advancing fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) in ethnographic research. While scholars and practitioners in environmental modeling and environmental management increasingly use this method, its potential for anthropological research has yet to be explored. A cognitive mapping approach to cultural models allows us to understand the underlying schemes driving local implementation of rainwater harvesting systems beyond the oft-repeated explanation that it is a form of green infrastructure for water conservation in semi-arid regions.

scholarly journals Green Infrastructure in the Urban Environment: A Systematic Quantitative Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie Parker ◽  
Maria Elena Zingoni de Baro
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Health Trends ◽  
Geological Information

Increased levels of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, a legacy of the industrial revolution, population growth pressures, and consumerist lifestyle choices, are the main contributors to human-induced climate change. Climate change is commensurate of warming temperatures, reductions in rainfall, increased frequency of extreme weather events, and contributions toward declining public health trends. Green Infrastructure (GI) presents diverse opportunities to mediate adverse effects, while simultaneously delivering human health, well-being, environmental, economic, and social benefits to contemporary urban dwellers. To identify the current state of GI knowledge, a systematic quantitative literature review of peer-reviewed articles (n = 171) was undertaken using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) method. Temporal publication trends, geographical and geological information of research efforts, as well as research focus areas were recorded and reported against each article. The findings of this review confirm the research area to be in a state of development in most parts of the world, with the vast majority of the research emerging from the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Cooler climates produced the majority of research, which were found largely to be of a traditional research article format. The GI research area is firmly dominated by foci comprising planning and policy, environmental and ecological, and social content, although modest attempts have also appeared in health and wellbeing, economic, and quality/performance of green infrastructure areas. Knowledge gaps identified by this review as requiring attention for research growth were identified as: (i) the ambiguity of terminology and the limited broad understanding of GI, and (ii) the absence of research produced in the continents of Asia and South America, as well as in regions with warmer climates, which are arguably equally valuable research locations as cooler climate bands.

scholarly journals Quantitative Study of Individual Creative Caregiving Sessions on Well-Being of Caregivers and Care Recipients

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 74-75
Author(s):  
Felicia Wheaton ◽  
Safiyyah Cole ◽  
Sai Raj Kappari ◽  
Matilda Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Paired Samples ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Care Partners ◽  
Arts Programs

Abstract There were approximately 34.2 million unpaid caregivers of adults age 50+ in the United States in the last 12 months (NAC & AARP, 2015). These individuals provide important care for older adults with physical, psychological and cognitive problems. There is a growing awareness that caregivers are also at risk for physical and mental health problems and therefore also require support to reduce stress and maintain optimal health. Research suggests that engaging in creative and artistic activities may reduce stress and improve physical and mental health among caregivers. Researchers from Bethune-Cookman University partnered with the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, FL to evaluate their Creative Caregiving program. Approximately 10 informal caregivers and their care partners met for 2 hours each week over the course of 6 weeks from February 3-March 9, 2020. Participants learned how to connect mind, body and spirit by using the arts as a tool of self-care, social interaction, and learning. At each session, participants were asked to rate their overall wellbeing on a scale from 1-10. Pre- and post-session data was analyzed using paired samples t-tests. Results indicate that there was significant improvement in wellbeing and participants reported improvements in their stress, mood and relationship with their caregiver or care partner. These findings were observed for both caregivers and care partners, suggesting that arts programs can benefit both. Such programs are a fun and cost-effective way to improve wellbeing, at least in the short-term.

scholarly journals The Water Trade

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (11) ◽  
pp. 38-43
Author(s):  
Michael E. Webber
Keyword(s):  
Water Conservation ◽  
Water Reuse ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
The United States ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Treatment Standards ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Piped Water ◽  
Increasing Demand

This article discusses increasing use of energy water due to increasing unavailability of fresh water. There has been an increasing demand for energy and water even faster than population increase, driven by economic growth on top of the population growth. The increased energy intensity of water has several different components, including stricter water/wastewater treatment standards, deeper aquifer production, long-haul pipelines, and desalination. Each of those elements is more energy intensive than conventional piped water today, and seems to be a more common option moving forward. Rapid desalination growth is also occurring in China, where booming industrial activity is straining water supplies that serve the world’s largest population. While trading energy for water makes a lot of sense in places such as the Middle East or Libya, where there is an abundance of energy and a scarcity of freshwater, that trade-off is not obviously an excellent value in places such as the United Kingdom or the United States, where other cost-effective options such as water conservation, graywater capture, and water reuse might be available.

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