Master of Arts / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Matthew R. Sanderson / Depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer is a significant concern for many communities in the High Plains region and, indeed, the global food system. Using data from 181 counties in the High Plains region, the STIRPAT model is used to identify the social drivers of groundwater depletion. The ordinary least squares regression analysis indicates that the scale of irrigation, value of agricultural commodities, and farm income each increase depletion levels, while county per capita income is negatively associated with depletion. Results from a path analysis reveal that government subsidies indirectly drive groundwater depletion by supporting farm incomes and the value of commodities. Groundwater depletion in the High Plains region is ultimately a policy decision − one that has generated a positive feedback loop linking farm incomes to groundwater withdrawals.

Climate change has been a topic of interest both in politics and academics during the last decades and it is only becoming more prominent. The relationship between energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions is of particular interest both in politics and in the world of business. With help from the STIRPAT model this paper examines the elasticity between energy production from renewable sources and carbon dioxide emissions and how it changes when introducing policies for increasing the use of renewable energy. Investigating OECD countries between 2007 and 2015, the paper hopes to add to the existing research of environmental policies on an international level by primarily focusing on the 2009/28/EC policy concerning the European Union and comparing it to some national strategies. Through IV-regressions based on the STIRPAT model this paper examines whether policies regarding renewable energy production increase the effect that renewable energy have on reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The results display a positive change in the elasticity between renewable energy and carbon dioxide emissions when introducing the 2009/28/EC policy as an instrumental variable but is unable to identify significant change when using national policies.