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1. Applying a Relationally and Socially Embedded Decision Framework to Solar Photovoltaic Adoption: A Conceptual Exploration

   https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020711  

   Schelly, Chelsea ; Lee, Don ; Matz, Elise ; Pearce, Joshua M. ( January 2021 , Sustainability)

   Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy technology can play a key role in decreasing the amount of carbon emissions associated with electrical energy production, while also providing an economically justifiable alternative to fossil fuel production. Solar energy technology is also extremely flexible in terms of the size and siting of technological development. Large scale PV farms, however, require access to large tracts of land, which can create community-scale conflict over siting solar energy development projects. While previous scholarship offers frameworks for understanding the mechanisms at play in socio-technological system transitions, including the renewable energy transition, those frameworks fail to center community priorities, values, and concerns, and therefore often do not provide an effective means of addressing community conflict over solar siting. This paper provides a conceptual exploration of how a proposed framework can guide decision making for solar development across multiple scales and settings, while also illuminating the potential barriers and bottlenecks that may limit the potential of solar energy development to occur in scales and forms that receive community acceptance and at the pace necessary to address the greenhouse gas emissions currently contributing to the rapidly changing global climate.
2. Greenhouse gas flux measurements at the zero curtain, North Slope, Alaska, 2012-2021

   https://doi.org/10.18739/A2ZG6G80B  

   Zona, Donatella ( January 2021 )

   Abstract

   Climate change is affecting the Arctic at an unprecedented rate, potentially releasing substantial amounts of greenhouse gases (CO2 (carbon dioxide) and CH4 (Methane)) from tundra ecosystems. Measuring greenhouse gas emissions in the Arctic, particularly outside of the summer period, is very challenging due to extreme weather conditions. This research project provided the first annual balance of both CH4 and CO2 fluxes in a total of five sites spanning a 300Km transect across the North Slope of Alaska (three sites in Barrow, one site in Aquasuk, and one site in Ivotuk). The results from the continuous year-round CH4 fluxes across these sites showed how cumulative emissions for the cold season accounted on average for 50% of the annual budget (Zona et al., 2016), a notably higher contribution than previously modelled, and also higher than observed in boreal Alaska. The analysis of the cold period CH4 fluxes suggested that the presence of an unfrozen soil layer in the fall and early winter was a major control on cold season CH4 emissions (Zona et al., 2016). We also cross-compared all instruments measuring ecosystem scale CO2 and CH4 fluxes operating at our sites, which allowed us to make recommendation of the best performing instruments under these extreme weather conditions. The best performing instruments were closed path analyzers and intermittently heated sonic anemometers which had the highest final data cover. A continuously heated anemometer increased data coverage relative to non-heated anemometers, but resulted in an overestimation of the fluxes (Goodrich et al., 2016). We developed an intermittent heating strategy that was only activated when the data quality was low, and appeared to be the preferable method to prevent icing while avoiding biases to the measurements. Closed and open-path analyzers showed good agreement, but data coverage was much greater when using closed-path analyzers, especially during winter (Goodrich et al., 2016). Given the importance of vegetation on greenhouse gas emissions, we also investigated the role of different vegetation types under a broad range of environmental conditions on the CH4 emissions. We found that vegetation type can be a very useful tool to describe the spatial variability in CH4 emissions over the landscape (McEwing et al., 2015), and that just two vegetation types were able to explain about 50% of the variability in CH4 fluxes across ecosystems even hundreds of kilometers apart (Davidson et al., 2016a). To upscale these plot scale fluxes we completed high resolution vegetation maps in each of our tower sites (Davidson et al., 2016b), which are the finest resolution maps currently available from these sites, and also contributed to larger scale mapping effort (Walker et al., 2016). The soil microbial analysis from soil cores collected across our sites showed an association between overall microbial diversity and latitude, with a higher diversity found in the northerly site and lower diversity in the southerly site, contrary to current knowledge (Wagner et al., accepted). We also measured CH4 and CO2 concentrations in the soil, which showed to be orders of magnitude higher than in the atmosphere (Arndt et al., 2016). Our results contributed to model development (Xu et al., 2016; Kobayashi et al., 2016; Liljedahl et al., 2016; Luus et al., 2017), and to a wide variety of other projects as shown by the hundreds of download of our data from Ameriflux. Overall, this grant resulted in the publication of 25 peer reviewed journal articles, including in high impact factor journals such as PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America), and Nature Climate Change, in addition to five more in review and in preparation, and supported the research of seven PhD students, two master students, and ten undergraduate students.
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3. Effect of Islamic Financial Development on Carbon Emissions: A Spatial Econometric Analysis

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.850273  

   Al-Silefanee, Rebean Ramadhan ; Mamkhezri, Jamal ; Khezri, Mohsen ; Karimi, Mohammad Sharif ; Khan, Yousaf Ali ( April 2022 , Frontiers in Environmental Science)

   In this research, data from 36 countries from 2013 to 2018 were used to examine the factors influencing CO 2 emissions in Islamic countries, focusing on the impact of Islamic financial growth. The spatial econometric technique estimation findings indicate that there is no geographical association between CO 2 emissions in the analyzed countries. The test findings establish the existence of the Kuznets hypothesis for the environment. Additionally, trade openness and increased energy usage have resulted in an increase in CO 2 emissions. The impacts of traditional financial development factors, such as financial market and financial institution variables, were examined in this research. The findings indicate that the two variables have no direct and substantial influence on CO 2 emissions and that their significant effect on CO 2 emissions appears only when their nonlinear and spillover effects on energy consumption and economic growth are included. Additionally, the growth of financial institutions is inversely proportional to the intensity of carbon emissions. The results indicate that while the development of financial markets and institutions results in a significant increase in CO 2 emissions, the negative coefficient of the interaction between financial development and energy consumption indicates that financial development ensures energy efficiency, whichmore »reduces the intensity of carbon emissions. The findings indicate that the expansion and depth of Islamic finance, as measured by total assets, asset quality, earnings, and efficiency of Islamic banks, can result in a nonlinear increase in CO 2 emissions with a U-shaped relationship. The study of spillover effects demonstrates that in addition to their direct and positive effects on CO 2 emissions, the increase in Islamic social responsibility and consumer education, and awareness about Islamic banking reduce the enhancing effects of energy consumption on greenhouse gas emissions.« less
4. Ant Communities and Ecosystem Services in Organic Versus Conventional Agriculture in the U.S. Corn Belt

   https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvab105  

   Helms, Jackson A ; Smith, Jamie ; Clark, Stephanie ; Knupp, Kathleen ; Haddad, Nick M ( September 2021 , Environmental Entomology)

   Schmidt-Jeffris, Rebecca A (Ed.)

   Abstract Reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides can limit negative impacts of agriculture on insects and is a crucial step towards sustainable agriculture. In the United States, organic agriculture has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, pollutant runoff, and biodiversity loss in the Midwestern Corn Belt—an area extending over 500,000 km2 devoted to intensive production of corn Zea mays (Linnaeus 1753) (Poales: Poaceae), often in rotation with soy Glycine max (Linnaeus 1753) (Fabales: Fabaceae) or wheat Triticum aestivum (Linnaeus 1753) (Poales: Poaceae). Working in 30-yr-long landscape experiments in this region, we tested for impacts of conventional versus organic agriculture on ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and potential ecosystem services they provide. Organic fields supported higher ant diversity and a slightly more species-rich ant assemblage than conventionally managed fields but did not otherwise differ in community composition. Despite similar community composition, organic and conventional fields differed in seasonal patterns of ant foraging activity and potential for natural pest suppression. Conventional plots experienced higher overall ant foraging activity, but with the timing skewed towards late in the growing season such that 75% of ant foraging occurred after crop harvest in a wheat year and was therefore unavailable for pest suppression.more »Organic fields, in contrast, experienced moderate levels of ant foraging activity throughout the growing season, with most foraging occurring during crop growth. Organic fields thus supported twice as much pest suppression potential as conventional fields. Our results highlight the importance of timing in mediating ecosystem services in croplands and emphasize the value of managing landscapes for multiple services rather than yield alone.« less
5. Service-Learning Projects in Passive Solar Heating through the Sustainable City Year Program

   https://doi.org/10.21428/f7d9ca02.9f617cd4  

   Rempel, Alexandra R ; Banks, Megan ( October 2019 , Reynolds Symposium: Education by Design)

   Service learning engages students with community partners in creating products for public benefit, allowing students to learn field research and design communication methods while contributing their time and expertise. From 2017-19, the University of Oregon Passive Heating Seminar has collaborated with the Sustainable City Year Program to provide schematic passive heating designs to three climatically distinct cities: Mediterranean Albany, sunny semi-arid La Pine, and coastal Dunes City, Oregon. These projects have provided specific sites, motivated clients, and authentic problems to students while promoting passive heating use in realizable, publicly-visible projects. In 2017, the City of Albany requested designs for a senior center sunspace, a community greenhouse, and park restrooms that would allow parks to remain open for events during cooler months. Schematic designs and performance estimates then allowed Albany to begin fundraising for construction. In 2018, the City of La Pine requested designs for a City Center, a community greenhouse, and a balcony sunspace prototype for multifamily housing. The City Center is currently under development, and the balcony sunspace projects supported acquisition of federal funding for further research. Dunes City, in turn, supported by a JPB Foundation grant, worked with students in 2019 to develop passive heating designs for disaster-reliefmore »shelters in the event of a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. Together, these projects have allowed regional leaders to explore and develop their communities’ interests in passive solar heating as they strive to create resilient communities, while simultaneously promoting students’ awareness of their own potential as designers to support such efforts.« less