Climate change and the lack of collective cooperation has been a central concern in international relations. International governments such as the United Nations have extensively debated the topic of climate change. However, 192 nations have never been invited to cooperate in solving the issue of global warming. The most recent Conference of Parties suggests that the issues of climate change due to CO2 emissions are creating global disasters such as droughts. Scientifically, economically, and politically, climate change has taken a central issue in national governments. Specifically, out of the three highest CO2 emitting nations, India accounts for a nation that is most prone to climate change. Droughts and floods have intensified over the last decade, but the Indian government continues to heavily industrialize, which drastically affects the atmosphere provoking disasters. Therefore, it is paramount that all countries unite and keep the temperature change below 2 degrees Celsius. It is important for all nations to understand the effects of climate change regarding CO2 emissions. Proving through a scientific explanation that climate change is a scientifically feasible fact, I will argue how the international government such as United Nations has failed; the flaws and effects of the failed provisions both internationally and in India; propose an innovative solution toward new provisions that will be more effective to the modern crisis at a regional, national, and international basis.

Woodsmoke exposure has been associated with adverse health effects such as respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, impaired lung function, and lung cancer. Wildland firefighters have an elevated risk for developing such health problems, as they are exposed to exceedingly high levels of woodsmoke through the practice of prescribed fires. To assess woodsmoke exposure in wildland firefighters, we measured urinary biomarkers methoxyphenols (MPs) amongst 13 wildland firefighters working for the United States Forest Service at the Savannah River Site in Georgia during the 2008 burn season. Firefighters were monitored for an average of 5 shifts and urine samples were collected prior to and after each shift. Cross-shift changes in individual MPs ranged from 4 to 186 ng per mg creatinine. We observed a five-fold increase in syringyl methoxyphenols, indicating predominately hardwood smoke exposure. We found small but significant association between cross-shift change in MPs and measurements of woodsmoke exposure through ambient air measurements of carbon monoxide (CO), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and levoglucosan (LG). Urinary MPs were analyzed by solid phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Personal breathing zone measurements of CO were obtained with data-logging meters and measurements of PM2.5 and levoglucosan (LG) were made using personal sampling pumps equipped with cyclones and filters, which were analyzed by gravimetric and GC-MS. Due to the variability in woodsmoke exposure and transient nature of the workforce, MPs would be useful for assessing woodsmoke exposure among wildland firefighters. MPs are more representative of woodsmoke exposure than ambient air measurements of CO and PM2.5, which can be confounded by non-woodsmoke sources of these pollutants. This method of urinary analysis of MPs may aid in the design and incorporation of work-practice interventions aimed to reduce illness and death due to work related woodsmoke exposure.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), a group of 29 atolls and low-lying islands in the central Pacific Ocean, has a population of more than 60,000. The RMI has a mean height of only 2 meters above sea level. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects that global average sea level will rise 0.4 to 1.4 meters by the end of this century. However, IPCC estimates of sea level rise are based only on thermal expansion. When complete glacial retreat and small ice cap loss is considered, an additional 0.2 to 0.7 meter global average sea level rise is expected. Consequently, the people of the RMI will be among the first to feel the effects of climate change in the 21st century. This qualitative study was conducted in order to understand the barriers to climate change adaptation and to explore available strategies for overcoming such barriers. The data collected included peer-reviewed journals, government documents and 23 interviews with government officials, educators and local scientists. Meetings with participants ranged from impromptu to formal, semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. Currently, the major barriers preventing the RMI from planning for climate change adaptation include constrained financial resources, lack of professional and technical staff, and concerns of more immediate social and public health issues. These results lend to certain policy recommendations aimed at facilitating climate change assessments and implementation of adaptation plans in the RMI. The policy recommendations include technical and financial assistance, as well as professional development and educational exchange programs.

At petroleum refineries, much precaution is taken to prevent equipment from over-pressuring, which can result in safety, health, and environmental hazards. When equipment does begin to over-pressure, vents and valves are opened to relieve the waste streams that build up. Valves may be opened to the refinery’s flare system, where waste gas streams are combusted. Environmental regulations require refinery operators to report flaring events when emissions exceed certain reportable quantities stipulated in environmental regulations and permits. In these events, the agencies must be notified within a short period of time. Flaring events, however, are undesirable; they contribute harmful pollution to the surrounding environment, leading to potential health risks for both humans and ecosystems. Through field experience at a Washington refinery and through a survey of the existing literature, I researched the environmental impacts of flares and opportunities for emissions reductions. I found that refineries should explore ways in which flaring can be reduced, through technology such as flare gas recovery systems, mobile variable flare tips, and swirl flow, and through changes in operational practices such as Advanced Process Control (APC). Cost is the largest barrier to implementation of flare gas recovery systems, although facilities that have constructed these units have recouped the capital costs within several years, due to the reduced usage of fuel gas and steam. On the other hand, mobile variable flare tips, swirl flow, and APC are new technologies that have so far been limited to pilot projects. As fuel costs climb and the results of these pilot projects are shared amongst industry professionals, these technologies are likely to become more widely implemented.

Diesel fuel use is increasingly common. Diesel exhaust (DE) contains toxic gaseous air contaminants and particulate matter, including PM2.5 (fine soot, particulate matter of diameter < 2.5 microns). PM2.5 exposure has been associated with cardiovascular disease. A potential biological mechanism explaining this is inflammation, caused by oxidative stress. DE has been shown to cause an increase in reactive oxygen species generation in animals; inflammation results, in part, due to the increased production of free radicals. We tested the effects of DE exposure on interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine levels. IL-6 is a chemical signal secreted by immune cells and can be used as a marker of inflammation. The team previously observed increased blood IL-6 concentrations following exposure to DE. This study aims to reproduce those results and determine if anti-oxidant supplementation decreases the impact of DE on inflammation. Each volunteer undergoes four two-hour exposures of either 0 μg/m3 or 200 μg/m3 of DE (as PM2.5), separated by at least two weeks. While exposed to DE, the volunteer is either taking an anti-oxidant regimen (ascorbic acid and N-acetyl cysteine) or placebo. The study uses a cross-over design (each person is their own control) and is double-blinded to increase the quality of the results. We compare plasma IL-6 levels pre-exposure to those seven hours after beginning exposure. Samples were analyzed from ten participants. IL-6 levels were increased following DE exposure and placebo, by an average of 0.7 pg/ml (p<0.10) compared to exposure to filtered air (with placebo). When participants were pre-treated with the anti-oxidants, there was no DE-related increase in average IL-6 levels compared to exposure to filtered air (with anti-oxidant). Anti-oxidant supplementation appears to reduce the inflammatory effect of diesel exhaust, suggesting that oxidative stress may play a role in the health effects of traffic-related air pollution.

The purpose of our research is to investigate the paradoxical state of environmental discourse in the United States. As global consciousness of climate change has increased in the past decade and has come to be regarded as a salient issue by the international community, United States public response has decreased, in perceiving the issue to be exaggerated. Our research reveals a pattern of exclusion and discrimination on domestic and international levels. States with the greatest ecological debt are monopolizing the discussion and privileging scientific over indigenous knowledge. The U.S. environmental movement revolves in solipsism, as it speaks to current societal values that undermine environmental integrity—specifically, upholding a culture of consumption and is accessible to those who can afford the time and money to participate. Popular support will remain weak in so far as the movement continues to lack a pivotal social justice component. As such, the U.S. will remain in a deadlock as environmentalism continues to be viewed as an ideologue, rather than a rational approach to human behavior. We argue that the language used in the U.S. environmental movement contributes to the alienation of many Americans and we critically examine the ways in which environmentalism is “spoken.” Our methodology includes critical discourse analysis of media, conducting interviews, focus groups, and surveys. In doing so, we will evaluate participants’ reactions to specific terms, along with the environmental movement and further, encourage them to propose alternate terms and solutions. Our ultimate goal is to initiate the development of a new language that represents a populist approach to climate change. This language will be framed to address the moral imperatives of environmental protection, cultivate an ethic of stewardship, and foster a civic religion, which recognizes the relationship between humanity and nature as symbiotic.

The final result of my capstone research is a documentary film, Yurtprints. This documentary asks viewers to examine their carbon footprint in respects to their home. It focuses on alternative housing in general, and yurts in particular, as a way to lower one's carbon footprint. Featuring interviews with yurt dwellers, green housing authorities, and other experts and scholars, the film compares the environmental impacts of conventional housing, "green" housing, and yurts (as both primary dwellings and vacation properties). Although yurts serve a very small niche in the housing market, that niche is growing and the utility of yurts is being recognized by a wider segment of the population. My talk to the Undergraduate Research Symposium will briefly describe my research on the environmental impacts of housing and present a few short clips from the documentary.