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Abstract The construction and building materials (CBM) production industries, such as cement, steel, and plastics that are responsible for a substantial share of global CO2emissions, face increasing pressure to decarbonize. Recent legislative initiatives like the United States (US) federal Buy Clean Initiative and the World Green Building Council’s decarbonization plan for Europe highlights the urgency to reduce emissions during CBM production stages. However, there remains a gap in addressing the localized environmental and social impacts of these industries as well as a necessary understanding of how decarbonization efforts may change local impacts. This study introduces a framework for quantifying the disproportionate impacts (Id) of 12 CBM production facility categories on communities of color and low-income demographics across the US. Using geographical and environmental data from the 2017 National Emissions Inventory (NEI), we assess these impacts at four spatial scales: census tract, county, state, and national. Results show that across all scales, many CBM production facilities impose disproportionate impacts. The geographical disproportionate impact (IG,d) shows the greatest burdens at the broadest spatial scales, whereas the environmental disproportionate impact (IE,d) indicates highest burdens at more localized levels. Based on this spatial understanding, we provide methods that can be implemented to support community engagement and mitigate damages to populations neighboring industrial materials manufacturing. These findings offer valuable insights into the relationship between facility locations, emissions, and demographic groups, providing a basis for more targeted environmental justice policies aimed at mitigating these disproportionate impacts.
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The Use of Digital Platforms for Community-Based Monitoring
Abstract Environmental observing programs that are based on Indigenous and local knowledge increasingly use digital technologies. Digital platforms may improve data management in community-based monitoring (CBM) programs, but little is known about how their use translates into tangible results. Drawing on published literature and a survey of 18 platforms, we examine why and how digital platforms are used in CBM programs and illuminate potential challenges and opportunities. Digital platforms make it easy to collect, archive, and share CBM data, facilitate data use, and support understanding larger-scale environmental patterns through interlinking with other platforms. Digital platforms, however, also introduce new challenges, with implications for the sustainability of CBM programs and communities’ abilities to maintain control of their own data. We expect that increased data access and strengthened technical capacity will create further demand within many communities for ethically developed platforms that aid in both local and larger-scale decision-making.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1513438
- PAR ID:
- 10300199
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- BioScience
- Volume:
- 71
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 0006-3568
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 452 to 466
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaa162
