My thesis is that a recovery of Germain Grisez’s theological ethics in relation to the environment and the application of his conservative Catholic methodology to climate change can yield a novel and significant contribution to Catholic theological reflection on this central challenge in an age of ecological crisis. This thesis argues that climate change and the wider ecological crisis are ‘signs of the times’—and hence are appropriate issues for Catholic theological reflection—both in principle and on the basis of their classification as such within the authoritative teaching of the Church’s magisterium. The scientific evidence for the phenomenon of anthropogenic global warming is robust and the UNFCCC establishes a collective legal obligation to deliver a greenhouse gas abatement strategy rigorous enough to prevent ‘dangerous anthropogenic interference with the earth’s climatic system’. This thesis questions both the assumption of endemic anthropocentricism in the Judeo-Christian tradition and the critical-revisionist methodology adopted by a number of ecotheologians in relation to Vatican teaching on the basis of this assumption. This thesis proposes an alternative approach to reflection on ecological issues employing a conservative Catholic theological method exemplified in the work of Germain Grisez. This thesis proposes a rereading of Grisez’s natural law through the lens of his creation theology that reveals an important and hitherto overlooked resource for environmental ethics. Although Grisez himself does not address the climate challenge in his published work, this thesis shows that his ecological insights are pertinent to the issue and application of his theological method can contribute constructively to the wider project of confronting the climate crisis from a Catholic perspective. This thesis further argues that Grisez’s reconstruction of natural law is viable, in that it represents one philosophically cogent solution to the naturalistic fallacy, and that neither his choice of this solution nor his divergence from Classical Thomism compromise the construction of a ‘Grisez School environmental ethics’. In addition, his natural law has the virtue of catholicity in its capacity to contribute to ecumenical and secular debates necessary to the resolution of the climate crisis.

<p> The objective of this research was to investigate the role of land cover changes through time in influencing spatial variability of the surface urban heat island of the metropolitan area of Reno-Sparks, Nevada. Free and widely available thermal data from Landsat 7 ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus) sensor was gathered for a period between 2004 and 2017 and processed to at-satellite surface temperature. Using parcel data and the National Land Cover Database, the time series of Landsat data was sampled for areas which had undergone development during that time. This sample was cross-validated with ten iterations of equal sample size, with a mean correlation coefficient of 0.623 (standard deviation of 0.008) versus the model&rsquo;s value of 0.624. A set of generalized linear models was conducted on this sample to determine expected temperature change with land cover class. It was found that recently developed regions within Reno-Sparks are 0.6 &deg;C warmer on average than the undeveloped desert grasses and sage. When wetlands/irrigated greenery were converted to impervious surfaces, it resulted in a positive surface temperature change of over 2 &deg;C. Once developed, no significant difference was found in the surface temperature trends. This research, using remote sensing technologies, has shown that the Reno-Sparks surface urban heat island has undergone local, but measurable growth in the last fourteen years.</p><p>

Methane is a radiatively active, naturally occurring atmospheric trace gas which is thought to account for as much as 19% of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Ice core studies have shown that the atmospheric concentration has more than doubled since pre-industrial times. Wetlands are the largest natural source of atmospheric methane, contributing around 21 % of the annual global flux. The magnitude of various sources of methane is still poorly defined. Stable isotope measurements are increasingly being used to constrain global budgets of atmospheric trace gases because isotopic analysis provides a much clearer picture of global atmospheric chemistry than C~ concentration measurements alone. Conventional analytical techniques for studying dual stable isotopic composition of methane (813e and 8D) require prohibitively large quantities of CH4 for analysis. At the Planetary Sciences Research Institute of the Open University, a highly sensitive static mass spectrometer has been developed which uniquely uses CH4 as the analyte. The method requires only 8 ng ofCH4 for analysis «10 ml ambient air), making replicated measurements of the isotopic composition of CH4 emissions from wetlands feasible for the first time. Methane emissions from an ombrotrophic mire in Snowdonia have been measured over 2 years, (1995-1997) and analysed for 817M. Parallel laboratory studies have also been conducted, to constrain the effects of environmental variables such as peat temperature and water table depth. The presence of vascular plants enhanced methane flux. In the field, methane flux showed seasonal variation. Peat temperature and water table depth could account for 68% of this variation. The isotopic composition of methane flux from the ombrotrophic mire also exhibited seasonal variation, with 817M ranging from -34 to -17%0. The lowest values were observed in summer and the highest in winter. Variations in the isotopic composition of peat water are unlikely to account for more than a 2%0 shift in 817M. Although there was a strong correlation between peat temperature and methane isotopic composition in the field, peat temperature is thought to be an indirect effect, because in laboratory studies this relationship was absent. There was no relationship between water table depth and 817M. It was concluded that the seasonal variation in the isotopic composition of methane emission is linked to the plant growth cycle. Comparison of 817M values determined for methane emissions in Snowdonia with published 813C and 8D data leads to the conclusion that methane is produced mainly by C02 reduction. Contrasting terrains in a paisa mire in the Arctic region of Finland exhibited methane _ emissions with distinct 817M values: lakes, +4.8 ±1.2%0; pools, -3.9 ±O.IO/oo and hummocks, -28.6 ±5.8%0 . From these isotope data it was concluded that in pool and lake sediments the methanogenic pathway is acetate fermentation, while in hummocks methane is produced by CO2 reduction. This study is the first investigation of the stable isotopic composition of methane emissions from wetlands in the UK. The data collected in Snowdonia, and in Finland, show the need for systematic, year round isotopic analysis of methane emissions, if isotope data are to be used in constraining the global methane budget.

The combination of local farming practices (i.e. tiling, channelization) and global climate change has led to an increase in not only the severity, but also the frequency of extreme weather events in the Midwest, including droughts and floods. These can result in severe damage to watersheds, ecosystems, and communities. Climate change adaptations are vital to the maintenance of both sustainability and resilience of agro-ecosystems during severe weather events. They can allow agricultural producers to maintain the many functions of these systems, including food, fiber, and fuel production as well as water filtration, soil stability, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity. Implementation of these adaptations can be difficult for multiple reasons, but information sources, experts, and communities can assist with adoption through the diffusion of information. To assess the ability and willingness of agricultural producers to make these adaptations, and the role of information sources, I utilized survey data in three separate scenarios: 1.) producer interest in the adoption of switchgrass production, a novel adaptation; 2.) the adoption differences between producers who own farmland and those that rent farmland, and 3.) the opinions of experts and community members on the adoption of eight different climate change adaptations by farmers. The first study assesses the adoption of switchgrass, a dedicated biofuel perennial, which can be the first step in the transformation from an unsustainable, energy intensive production regime into a regime that provides both environmental sustainability (through water quality improvements) and financial stability for farmers. This study examines which characteristics predict interest in growing switchgrass through the analysis of a survey completed by farmers in the Clear Creek watershed in rural Iowa. Knowledge of switchgrass, education, and income are all highly correlated with interest in growing switchgrass. Long-term contracts with bio-refineries would also help farmers decrease adoption risk. Additionally, producers who use government agencies as information sources are more knowledgeable of switchgrass production. Results can help establish policies that could influence farmers to shift production from annual crops to perennial native biomass energy crops, and thus would increase the sustainability of the entire system. In areas where agricultural production is intensive, switchgrass production provides the potential to move from a contributor to climate change into a sector that contributes to the mitigation of climate change via reduction in energy-intensive input uses, production of renewable fuels, and sequestration of carbon in the soils. The second study focuses on conservation practice adoption among agricultural producers who rent land versus those who own the land they farm. Tenants and part-owners are farming an increasing number of acres in the United States, while full-owners are farming fewer acres. This shift in ownership is a potential cause for concern because some previous research indicated that tenant and part-owner farmers were not as likely to adopt conservation practices as farmers who owned the land they farmed. This study also uses survey data from the Clear Creek watershed in Iowa, and compares adoption of conservation practices and preferences for conservation information sources between farmers who rent some portion of the land they farm (tenants and part-owners) and farmers who own all of the land they farm (full-owners). Results show that renters are more likely to practice conservation tillage than full-owners, though they are less likely to rotate crops yearly. In addition, renters report using federal government employees (specifically, Natural Resource Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency employees) as their primary sources of conservation information, while full-owners most frequently rely on neighbors and friends and County Extension. These findings are significant for conservation policy because, unlike some past research, they indicate that renters are not resistant to conservation adoption. Finally, the last study examines the opinions of experts and community members about agriculture producers' ability and willingness to adopt adaptations in a large watershed in Iowa. A web-based survey of community members, government officials, and agricultural experts assesses perceptions of: barriers and drivers of adoption, and the adoption of specific adaptation practices. Through their knowledge of the community and their expertise in agriculture, the government, and the environment, the respondents are able to provide valuable information about climate change adaptations and the likelihood of adoption. Results show that transformative adaptations 1.) have more adoption barriers and 2.) will require severe weather events to occur more frequently than incremental adaptations for adoption to occur. This study will help to determine the factors that need to be addressed by governing agencies and resource management groups in order to reduce agro-ecosystem vulnerability to climate change events and provide adaptive capacity and resilience in the face of these emerging threats.

This work is an account of meaning and value in the time of climate change. I use the findings and predictions of scientists to develop a philosophy of living that fits today's concerns. In essence the ideas put forward come from a single question: If humans can change the planet in such a way that it threatens the possibility of human life on Earth what does this mean for the place of humans on Earth? It is this question, which the every chapter hereafter works to answer. Establishing a philosophy of living and explaining a global ecological crisis is a lofty goal. I should warn you know that things are still plenty murky in the conclusion. This work does not attempt to solve all of the problems of climate change. Far from it, my actual goal is to study those problems and learn what they may teach us about our terrestrial home, and humanity in the time of climate change. The title, Nuestro Mundo is a reference to José Martí's seminal work "Nuestra America" (Our America). What you are about to read is an attempt to use the insights of that work to develop ways of thinking about the problems of climate change. In the 1890's Martí wrote to energize Cuba's war for independence. His prescription: throw off foreign ideals, examine what it is to be Cuban, and fight for what is Cuba. Today I write to inform and energize people to act for our planet. My prescription: throw off artificial ideals, examine what it is to be of the Earth, and fight for the planet's survival.

Climate models have anticipated higher future extreme precipitations and streamflows for various regions. Urban stormwater facilities are vulnerable to these changes as the design assumes stationarity. However, recent climate change studies have argued about the existence of non-stationarity of the climate. Distribution method adopted on extreme precipitation varies spatially and may not always follow same distribution method. In this research, two different natural extremities were analyzed for two separate study areas. First, the future design storm depth based on the stationarity of climate and GEV distribution method was examined with non-stationarity and best fit distribution. Second, future design flood was analyzed and routed on a river to estimate the future flooding. Climate models from North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) were fitted to 27 different distribution using Chi-square and Kolmogorov Smirnov goodness of fit. The best fit distribution method was used to calculate design storm depth as well as design flood. Climate change scenarios were adopted as delta change factor, a downscaling approach to transfer historical design value to the climate adopted future design value. Most of the delta change factor calculated were higher than one, representing strong climate change impact on future. HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS models were used to simulate the stormwater infrastructures and river flow. The result shows an adverse effect on stormwater infrastructure in the future. The research highlights the importance of available climate information and suggests a possible approach for climate change adaptation on stormwater design practice.

viii, 21 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / To determine the relative effects of rapid climate change on selection and drift in small populations, nine northern populations of the pitcher-plant mosquito, Wyeomyia smithii, were exposed to directional selection equivalent to 180 years of climate change, while control populations were maintained in their native climate. After three years, fitness had declined in the selected but not the control populations, indicating an adverse effect of climate change. When both selected and control populations were then reared in the selected climate, they showed no difference in fitness, indicating no genetic response to selection. Importantly, however, fitness was negatively correlated with accumulated inbreeding in both control and selected populations, pointing out that the effects of inbreeding and drift exceeded those of selection imposed by rapid climate change. Therefore, small northern populations at expanding edges of species' distributions should be most vulnerable to continued climate change. / Committee in Charge: Dr. William Bradshaw, Chair; Dr. Christina Holzapfel; Dr. Nathan Tublitz

The middle Miocene thermal maximum (~16 Ma) was a period of global climate unusually warm and wet for the Neogene and is of interest as a paleo-analog for future climate change from anthropogenic global warming. In Australia, paleosols of the Oligocene-Miocene Etadunna and Pliocene Tirari Formations formed in arid palaeoclimates and include pedogenic gypsum. The Middle Miocene paleosol has shallow calcareous nodules and stout root traces suggesting vegetation like dry woodland. Comparable mallee vegetation now grows no closer than 1200 km to the southwest, so middle Miocene warm-wet climate enabled range extension of mallee and woody thickening of plants in the Australia outback. There is no evidence in the outback of middle Miocene rain forest, which may have expanded its range to form kaolinitic Ultisols near Sydney, Mudgee, and Gulgong, in New South Wales. Nor is there evidence so far inland of swamp woodlands and heaths like those producing brown coals in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria. In Argentina, the Santa Cruz Formation, in addition to its rich fossil vertebrate assemblages, contains a similar paleosol record of middle Miocene climate change. The early Miocene in the Santa Cruz Formation is characterized by a thick sequence of weakly to strongly developed grassland paleosols (Orthents and Ustolls) as well as paleosols with root traces and profile forms of open shrubland vegetation (Cambid). The middle Miocene thermal maximum is characterized by paleosols (Udepts, Udalfs) developed under open woodland-shrubland vegetation, during a period of climatic warmth and humidity. The late middle Miocene is characterized by a greater diversity of pedotypes, all suggestive of an arid and cooler environment (Argids, Cambids, and Ustepts). Middle Miocene soil maps compiled for this study show extension of tropical soils (Oxisols, Ultisols) into northern and southern mid-latitudes, accompanied by thermophilic flora and fauna. Peats, lignites, and Histosols of wetlands are also more abundant at higher latitudes, especially in the northern hemisphere, during the middle Miocene. The expansion of such soils is an expected result of greater precipitation associated with higher water vapor content of a warmer atmosphere during the Middle Miocene. This dissertation includes previously published co-authored material in chapter II.

This dissertation examines an emergent archive of contemporary literary and cultural texts that engage with the wicked problem of anthropogenic climate change. Following cultural geographer Michael Hulme, this project works from the assumption that climate change is as much a constellation of ideas as it is a set of material realities. I draw from a diverse media landscape so as to better understand how writers, artists, and activists in the global north are exploring these ideas and particularly what it means to be human in a time of climate change. How do individuals learn to live with climate change, that is, with a daily commitment to navigating these chaotic and unprecedented times? Whether a memoir or a novel, an alternate-reality storytelling game or a collection of agitprop posters, each of these texts call on us to imagine different kinds of selves, different kinds of communities, or different kinds of futures.  Just as the modes of inquiry practiced in the Environmental Humanities ask us to question the political, economic, and cultural status quo that has led to climate chaos, these texts also call on their audiences to engage in modes of transformative learning incited by this ongoing disorienting dilemma. The project thus also offers a set of ideas and practices for teaching climate change in literary and cultural studies. I argue that climate change poses both challenges and opportunities for educators in the Humanities, particularly in the context of its psychological impacts and emotional contours, and I suggest that transformative learning is a productive framework through which to understand such education. Ultimately, transformative climate change learning requires that students question their own assumptions and identities as well as exercise their cultural agency as a way of generating hope and working together to imagine and enact more just and sustainable futures.

My research asks how and why some developing countries have adopted ambitious climate policies, while others have not. As developing countries have no international obligations and little domestic public support for undertaking climate change action, it is puzzling to see them taking substantial steps to counteract global warming. I argue that such policies are due to a strong pro-climate policy group, which arises because of the interaction of international institutions and a shift in domestic politics. Specifically, international institutions helped to cultivate a pro-climate policy group through international socialization and economic incentives between the late 1990s and early 2000s. The changes in domestic politics after the mid-2000s, particularly policy decision makers’ rising energy and environmental concerns, strengthened the power of the pro-climate policy group. Due to the interplay of international institutions and the development of domestic actors, the pro-climate policy group was able to advance their interests in climate policymaking process and advocated for a proactive climate policy.