Search

Integrated policy changes must be cross-sectoral, appropriate, strategic, and evidence-based.

Alternatives assessment is a methodology used to identify, evaluate, and compare potential chemical and nonchemical solutions with a substance of concern. It is required in several chemicals management regulatory frameworks, with the objective of supporting the transition to safer chemistry and avoiding regrettable substitutions. Using expert input from symposium presentations and a discussion group hosted by the Association for the Advancement of Alternatives Assessment, four case examples of the use of alternatives assessment in regulatory frameworks were evaluated and compared: (1) the US Environmental Protection Agency Significant New Alternatives Policy (USEPA SNAP), (2) authorization provisions in the EU REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals) regulation, (3) the California (CA) Safer Consumer Products (SCP) Program, and (4) the Safer Products for Washington (WA) Program. Factors such as the purpose of the alternatives assessment, the timeline of actions, who completes the assessment, the role of stakeholder engagement, and the regulatory response options for each policy are outlined. Through these presentations and expert discussions, four lessons learned about the use of alternatives assessments in regulatory policy emerged: (1) the goal and purpose of the regulatory framework significantly affects its ability to result in safer substitution, (2) existing frameworks struggle with data access and insufficient stakeholder engagement, (3) some frameworks lack clear decision rules regarding what is a safer and feasible alternative, and (4) regulatory response options provide limited authority for enforcement and do not adequately address options where alternatives are unavailable or limited. Five recommendations address these lessons as well as how the application of alternatives assessment in regulatory settings could have greater impact in the future. This synthesis is not meant to be a comprehensive policy analysis, but rather an assessment based on the perspectives from experts in the field, which should be supplemented by formal policy analysis as policies are implemented over time. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:1035-1045. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)., (© 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).)

This study builds on the expanding literature on the interplay of corporate governance and corporate environment behaviour following the introduction of the carbon reporting directives of the UK Companies Act in 2013. We specifically focus on seeking clarity on the relationship between gender diversity, board independence, and board size with corporate environmental performance. The study examines these relationships under a mandatory nonfinancial reporting (NFR) requirement and tests the impact of regulatory shocks on board composition and channels affecting carbon emission. The findings confirm that board gender diversity and independence improve a firm's environmental performance. And while larger board sizes lead to larger environmental investments, the study finds that larger board sizes leads to poor environmental performance for the firm. The findings contribute to developments in countries, such as the United States, where there is an ongoing debate on the adoption of a mandatory NFR of carbon and the response of corporate boards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite growing scientific alarm about anthropogenic climate change, the world is not on track to solve the crisis. Inaction may be partially explained by skepticism about climate change and resistance to proenvironmental policies from people who are motivated to maintain the status quo (i.e., conservative-rightists). Therefore, practical interventions are needed. In the present research program, we tested an experimental manipulation derived from system justification theory in which proenvironmental initiatives were framed as patriotic and necessary to maintain the American "way of life." In a large, nationally representative U.S. sample, we found that the system-sanctioned change intervention successfully increased liberal-leftists' as well as conservative-rightists' belief in climate change; support for proenvironmental policies; and willingness to share climate information on social media. Similar messages were effective in an aggregated analysis involving 63 countries, although the overall effect sizes were small. More granular exploratory analyses at the country level revealed that while the intervention was moderately successful in some countries (e.g., Brazil, France, Israel), it backfired in others (Germany, Belgium, Russia). Across the three outcome variables, the effects of the intervention were consistent and pronounced in the United States, in support of the hypothesis that system justification motivation can be harnessed on behalf of social change. Potential explanations for divergent country-level effects are discussed. The system-sanctioned change intervention holds considerable promise for policymakers and communicators seeking to increase climate awareness and action., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

Air pollution is arguably the most pressing human health concern today, accounting for approximately 7-9 million premature deaths worldwide. In the United States, more than 40% of early deaths caused by air pollution are assessed to be caused by emissions produced by neighboring states. This article examines one of the governance mechanisms used by the U.S. to address this issue: section 126 of the Clean Air Act. Critical factors including case length, evidence used, and case outcome are compiled for the population of section 126 petitions submitted from 2000-2022. This evidence is assessed using comparative case analysis. The findings reinforce two issues with the petition process already identified in the literature-the use of cost as a proxy for significance and the excessive and unclear burden of proof placed on downwind states-adding texture to the latter issue by examining the modeling techniques used by downwind states. This analysis identifies lengthy response timelines as an additional issue and calls to attention the infrequency with which the EPA has formally accepted petitions. Collectively, these issues increase the cost, complexity, and unpredictability of filing a section 126 petition., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Though the federal government impacts private forest management across the United States through legislation such as the Clean Water Act, state-level regulations applied to private forest landowners vary remarkably. Despite this diversity of policies, little is known about how variations in regulatory intensity (defined here as number of forestry regulations) correlate with state-level political and socioeconomic characteristics. In this study, we use a quantitative approach to explore the intensity of regulation on forest practices impacting private landowners across all 50 states. We quantified intensity by tabulating the number of regulated forest practices, then used a quasi-Poisson regression to estimate the relationship between regulatory intensity and state-level characteristics, including forestland ownership types, the economic importance of the forest industry, and measures of state environmentalism. Results indicated a positive association between regulatory intensity and the percent of private corporate land, environmental voting records of elected officials, and direct democracy. Foresters and landowners may learn from these relationships, consider how to influence different policies, and build or achieve greater levels of public trust. This study starts to help us explain why state-level forestry policies differ, not just how they differ., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Historical evidence shows that environmental issues have been secondary to United States' agricultural policy since the first farm bill in 1933. The farm sector has undergone massive changes in technology and farming practices, but the environmental problems it causes have remained ancillary to productivist goals. Agri-environmental policy has continued to rely on subsidies and voluntary farmer participation, while combining environmental objectives with price and income support aims. The faith of agri-environmental programs is largely determined by what is desirable for safety net purposes, and in times of high crop and livestock prices and increased environmental pressures conservation is particularly underfunded. Additionally, monitoring and program assessment are poorly structured. This is particularly concerning today given the threats of climate change and agriculture's contribution to it. A major rethinking of these taxpayer-funded programs is necessary to improve their effectiveness. Programs should focus on environmental outcomes and monitoring and assessment should be strengthened., (© 2023. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.)

Climate change is projected to worsen ozone pollution over many populated regions, with larger impacts at higher concentrations. More intense and frequent ozone episodes risk setbacks to human health and environmental policy achievements. However, assessing these changes is complicated by uncertain climate sensitivity, closely related to climate model response, and internal variability in simulations projecting climate's influence on air quality. Here, leveraging a global modeling framework that one‐way couples a human activity model, an Earth system model of intermediate complexity, and an atmospheric chemistry model, we investigate the role of climate sensitivity in climate‐induced changes to high ozone pollution episodes in the United States using multiple greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, representations of climate sensitivity, and initial condition members. We bias correct and evaluate historical model simulations, identifying modeled and observed O3 episodes using extreme value theory, and extend the approach to projections of mid‐ and end‐century climate impacts. Results show that the influence of climate sensitivity can be as significant as that of greenhouse gas emissions scenario absent precursor emissions changes. Climate change is projected to increase the magnitude of the highest annually occurring O3 concentrations by over 2.3 ppb on average across the U.S. at mid‐century under a high climate sensitivity and moderate emissions scenario, but the increase is limited to less than 0.3 ppb under lower climate sensitivity. Further, we show that areas in the U.S. currently meeting air quality standards risk being pushed into non‐compliance due to a climate‐induced increase in frequency of high ozone days. Plain Language Summary: Climate change can worsen O3 air pollution across much of the U.S., threatening environmental policy goals and posing health risks. Projections of this impact rely on models that have uncertainties associated with simulating future climate. We investigated the influence of uncertainty from climate sensitivity, or the simulated change in Earth's average surface temperature in response to an increase in atmospheric CO2, on projections of air quality using a collection of simulations. To improve O3 estimates based on model simulations, we applied a new bias correction method to the model concentrations that accounts for spatial differences in atmospheric pollution. Then, we applied extreme value statistics to describe the behavior of the highest O3 concentrations. We found that, under climate change, the most polluted days worsen and occur more frequently, making it more difficult to meet air quality standards in highly populated regions and suggesting that continued efforts to mitigate pollutant emissions are necessary to counteract climate change's effects on O3. Further, our results indicate that the model's climate sensitivity is as influential as greenhouse gas emissions scenario for mid‐century projections, showing that the strength of the earth system's response to greenhouse gas levels is a critical consideration when simulating climate impacts. Key Points: We project climate impacts on US ozone episodes with spatially varying bias correction and a climate and air quality simulation ensembleClimate sensitivity can be as influential as GHG scenario without air pollutant emissions changes in mid‐century ozone episodesClimate‐induced increases in ozone pollution may increase risk of not meeting air quality standards in several areas of the U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Paper argues that to protect at-risk communities — and all Americans — from the deadly effects of environmental racism, Congress must pass the Environmental Justice for All Act. The Act is intended to "restore, reaffirm, and reconcile environmental justice and civil rights." It does so by restoring an individual's right to sue in federal court for discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or national origin regardless of intent under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, strengthening the National Environmental Policy Act, and providing economic incentives focused on environmental justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Limited information is available on the connectivity of Tribal communities to wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs). This is important for understanding current sanitation infrastructure which drives public health and community construction, knowledge of potential routes of exposure through lack of infrastructure and/or discharging facilities, and opportunities to assess community health through wastewater-based surveillance (WBS)., Objectives: The objective of this work was to assess current wastewater infrastructure for 574 Federally Recognized Indian Tribes (FRITs) in the United States (US) to determine the number and location of facilities on or adjacent to Tribal reservations and Off-Reservation Trust Lands, with the goal of determining the feasibility of employing wastewater-based surveillance within these communities and to identify areas with inadequate sanitation infrastructure., Methods: Here, we identified available National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) wastewater discharge permits in the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Compliance History Online database to assess proximity to and within spatial boundaries of Tribal lands. These data were coupled to race data and tribal spatial boundary information from the US Census Bureau., Results: 94 FRITs have registered NPDES permits within Tribal boundaries including a total of 522 facilities. 210 of these are American Indian (AI)-serving (>50% AI) with the ability to reach 135,000 AI-people through the wastewater network to provide community health assessments via WBS. Of the remaining facilities, 153 predominantly serve non-Tribal populations raising concerns about infrastructure placement and indigenous sovereignty. 523 FRITs were identified as without permitted discharging WWTFs, which may suggest inadequate or alternative infrastructure., Impact Statement: Here, multiple data sources including permit information from the Environmental Protection Agency's National Pollution Discharge Elimination System and US Census Bureau data were used to determine the number of wastewater treatment facilities on or adjacent to Tribal lands and how many community members were connected to those municipal systems. This information was used to assess which Tribal communities may be a viable option for wastewater public health surveillance techniques and were used to answer supplemental questions related to basic sanitation and environmental justice concerns., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Increasing impacts from wildfires are reshaping fire policies worldwide, with expanded investments in a wide range of fuel reduction strategies. In many fire prone regions, especially in the Mediterranean basin, fuel management programs have relied on fuel break networks for decades to facilitate fire suppression and reduce area burned and damage. By contrast, on the fire prone federal forests in the western United States, fuel management is guided primarily by landscape restoration goals, including improving fire resiliency such that wildfires can be managed for ecological benefit, and suppression is used more as a tool to shape burn patterns and less to extinguish fires. New policies in both fire systems are now calling for hybrid approaches that rely on both types of investments and efficient allocation of alternative spatial treatment patterns: linear networks versus patches across the landscape. However, studies that combine these strategies and examine alternative co-prioritization outcomes and potential synergies are largely non-existent. Here, we analyzed scenarios for implementing both types of treatments in concert while varying the prioritization metrics for one type or the other on a western United States national forest. We measured the response related to both treatment strategies including fire intersection rate, improvement in forest resiliency, and net revenue. We found that projects with benefits to both strategies can be identified and mapped independently of the implementation scenario and restoration objective. However, scenarios prioritized for fuel breaks preceding restoration resulted in the identification of more projects that met the criteria for providing dual benefits. The study is a rare example of optimizing hybrid fuel treatment projects that serve both restoration and fire protection goals with different spatial treatment designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear energy, renewable energy, and alternative energy sources are all crucial for sustainable green energy. However, the existing literature often needs to pay more attention to the role of nuclear energy in achieving sustainable development goals. This study analyzes the impact of green technological innovation, nuclear energy consumption, and trade openness on environmental quality in the US. The authors used the ARDL bounds to identify cointegration relationships, which is appropriate for this study's dataset as it works well with smaller samples. They also used the Toda–Yamamoto causality test to examine causal links. The ARDL cointegration results indicate a significant long-term relationship between CO 2 emissions, green technological innovation, nuclear energy consumption, and trade openness. Green technological innovation has a negative impact on CO 2 emissions. Higher nuclear energy consumption is associated with lower CO 2 emissions, while greater trade openness is associated with higher CO 2 emissions, although these effects are less certain. The results suggest promoting green technological innovation and nuclear energy can be effective strategies for reducing CO 2 emissions, while the impact of trade openness requires careful consideration due to its potential to increase emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides legal protection to imperiled populations and their associated habitats. As a part of this process, listed species must undergo a general status review (also called 5‐Year Review) to assess the progress toward recovery every 5 years. However, almost all 5‐year reviews result in a status of "no change," prompting scientists to question if the review process is robust enough to detect changes in recovery. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was therefore interested in developing a standardized metric for monitoring more nuanced recovery progress as part of the status review. In collaboration with the USFWS, over 75 biologists from five different organizations developed and tested a set of novel metrics to summarize recovery progress of listed species by considering current and future conditions, threats, and conservation measures. We found that, although the majority of species had reviews with a recommendation of no change, scorers were able to use the metrics to interpret more nuanced changes in the 3Rs (resiliency, redundancy, and representation), threats, and conservation measures than in the status review. Our results suggest that these metrics could illuminate more nuanced areas of recovery and decline in species' conditions, but consistency among scorers and status reports should be a focus of future development. Our approach offers a rigorous set of metrics to systematically track the recovery progress of all ESA species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U.S. journalists embedded in rural and agricultural communities could adversely affect the health of residents if they avoid alerting and engaging their readers – farmers, ranchers, and community members – on environmental and health issues. We expected reporters would maintain community status quo and inaction by framing local water pollution and quality issues neutrally deemphasizing threats and solutions to maintain their own credibility as unbiased informational sources. In a content analysis of local water quality newspaper articles from five farming and cattle ranching states in the west central U.S. Midwest, we employed seven variables to investigate whether journalists practiced neutral, detached forms of journalism (i.e. dissemination versus interpretative role enactment, government-frame) as well as whether they deemphasized water pollution as a concerning issue (i.e. problem, threat), water pollution solutions, and readers' efficaciousness. The results showed these journalists relied heavily on government-driven narratives presenting water quality issues from an impartial, straight reporting lens in which they primarily followed the journalistic dissemination role enactment, while neglecting to provide readers with interpretative, threat, efficacy, or solution's information. The study seeks to help communicators understand the information diet people living in this part of the country likely receive on environmental and health risks in the context of water pollution. Communicators seeking to reach and affect audiences in this region should understand local information practices to navigate how to craft culturally specific public health messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article argues that updating the U.S. General Mining Law of 1872 can help balance the increasing demand for critical minerals due to the rise of renewable energy technology and environmentally responsible mining. It explains the economic importance of critical minerals. It discusses the legal history of the mining law and environmental laws affecting the mining industry. It suggests a reformed mining law that balances environmental justice considerations and critical mineral mining.

The article explores the intersection of environmental justice and sustainability movements in the U.S., emphasizing the potential for advancing equity and a healthier future for communities burdened by pollution. It provides a brief history of both movements, highlighting their evolution and convergence at federal, state, and local levels. It concludes by advocating for continued intentionality and education among stakeholders to sustain progress in addressing environmental challenges.

The article provides an overview of Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS), often referred to as "forever chemicals," due to their persistence in the environment and human bodies. It highlights the significant health risks associated with PFAS exposure, including cancer, liver damage, and developmental defects. It is reported that the widespread use of PFAS in various industries has led to contamination of drinking water sources across the U.S. affecting millions of Americans.

The article focuses on the challenges surrounding groundwater protection in the U.S., with a particular emphasis on rural areas where private wells are a primary source of drinking water. It addresses the lack of federal regulations specifically targeting groundwater quality and highlights the prevalence of nitrate contamination, especially in agricultural regions.

Copyright of Urban Studies (Sage Publications, Ltd.) is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Structured around pivotal elections in France and the United States, recent novels by François Roux and Michel Houellebecq weave together fictional characters with their historical referents, tracing a history of neoliberal economics and its effects on political processes and personal lives. By directly staging the history of Neoliberalism, both Roux and Houellebecq are able to invoke an experience of sudden awareness in their characters—the dedicated businessman Tanguy can, for example, come to view automation as a "genocide of workers" at a climactic moment. By coupling narrative with historical fact, both authors accomplish the difficult task of producing shock at developments so widespread that they have come to be considered inevitable and immune to the influence of democratic politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offshore wind energy development (OWED), while a key strategy for reducing carbon emissions, has potential negative effects to wildlife that should be examined to inform decision making and adaptive management as the industry expands. We present a conceptual framework to guide the long-term study of potential effects to birds and bats from OWED. This framework includes a focus on exposure and vulnerability as key determinants of risk. For birds and bats that are exposed to OWED, there are three main effects of interest that may impact survival and productivity: 1) collision mortality, 2) behavioral responses, including avoidance, displacement, and attraction, and 3) habitat-mediated effects to prey populations. If these OWED effects cause changes in survival and/or breeding success (e.g., fitness), they have the potential for population-level consequences, including changes in population size and structure. Understanding the influence of ecological drivers on exposure and effect parameters can help to disentangle the potential impacts of OWED from other stressors. We use this theoretical framework to summarize existing relevant knowledge and identify current priority research questions (n=22) for the eastern United States, where largescale development of OWED is primarily in the planning and early construction phase. We also identify recommendations for study design and further prioritization of research topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article shows that the submerged nature of the U.S. administrative state in its communications with the public and lack of awareness of policy outputs that undermines public trust in government. Topics discussed include public reputation crisis brought by government failure and ideological assault, as well as legal, resource and political constraints to agency communications, building of salient administrative expertise and enhancement of public participation, and perils of agency salience.

This article is about the rise and fall of ocean incineration, a method for the disposal of hazardous chemical waste that was initiated in the late 1960s, developed, tested, and perfected throughout the 1970s, commercialized in the 1980s, and eventually phased out from the 1990s onwards. Ocean incineration consisted in the offshore destruction of toxic liquid substances in specially designed ships outfitted with high-temperature combustion chambers and high stacks. When this technology broke through, it seemed like a panacea. It heralded the safe disposal of noxious compounds such as organochlorines and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which were ubiquitous by-products of petrochemical industrial processes. It promised to minimize private companies' externalities and ease environmental concerns. But it ultimately failed to provide an alternative to safely disposing of toxic waste. What does explain such a decline? This article answers this question by arguing that the demise of ocean incineration was due to the combination of locally oriented and transnationally driven protests, which emerged across the (North) Atlantic and exposed the dangerous and highly exploitative nature of such a practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined differences in reactions to climate change as a function of belief in God. We studied four samples, convenience samples of university students in the USA (n = 627) and in Poland (n = 628), a nationally representative sample of adults in Poland (n = 1154), and a nationally representative sample of adults in the USA (n = 1098). In each study we measured the distress people felt about climate change, belief in God, and left–right political orientation. These constructs were measured slightly differently across the studies. Regardless of how these constructs were measured, believers were less distressed by climate change than non-believers, and with only a few exceptions, these differences disappeared after covarying political orientation (left–right or liberal-conservative). Contrary to those who argue that there is something inherent in religious belief that predisposes people to deny or ignore climate change, the present results suggest that it is the (growing) confluence of faith and conservative political orientation that is responsible for the fact that some people of faith tend to deny climate change or actively oppose efforts to combat it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Latinas are disproportionately affected by low physical activity (PA) levels and related health conditions (e.g., diabetes, obesity). Few Latinas in the U.S. (17%) meet the National PA Guidelines for both aerobic PA and muscle-strengthening activity (MSA), yet, research to date in this population has focused almost exclusively on aerobic PA. Performing regular MSA is linked with numerous health improvements and reduced mortality; thus, may be key to addressing health disparities in this community. This study examined perspectives on engaging in MSA among Latinas enrolled in two aerobic PA RCTs. Methods: Brief quantitative surveys were conducted to assess interest in MSA among Latinas (N = 81), along with 19 follow-up in-depth semi-structured interviews on knowledge, barriers, and facilitators for engaging in regular MSA. Interview transcripts were analyzed by two independent bilingual researchers using a directed content analysis approach. Results: Eighty-one Latinas (18–65 years) completed the survey. Most (91%) expressed interest in learning more about MSA and 60% reported not knowing how to do MSA as a substantial MSA barrier. Interview results indicated Latinas were aware of health benefits of MSA and motivated to engage in MSA but reported barriers (e.g., perception that MSA is for men, a taboo topic, and lack of knowledge on how to do MSA). Conclusion: This study contributes to a critical gap in PA research among Latinas. Findings will inform future culturally appropriate MSA interventions in this at-risk population. Addressing MSA and aerobic PA together in future interventions will provide a more comprehensive approach to reducing PA-related health disparities in Latinas than aerobic PA alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a difficult history framework, we analyzed the high school history standard sets for the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and the Vietnamese national history standards. We conducted a cross-comparative content analysis to answer the question: How do Vietnamese and U.S. high school history standards represent the Vietnam War and each other? Our analysis revealed that Vietnam includes the United States more often and in a broader historical context than the United States includes Vietnam; that standards reify the notion that the Vietnam War was pivotal in each nation's unique cultural and political trajectories, yet the two countries rationalized their engagement in the war for different ideological reasons; and that there are substantial and surprisingly similar omissions of difficult history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beliefs and attitudes form the core of public opinion about climate change. Network analysis can reveal the structural configuration of these beliefs and attitudes. In this research, we utilize a belief system framework to identify key psychological elements, track change in the density of these belief systems over time and across political groups, and analyze the structural heterogeneity of belief systems within and between political groups in the United States. Drawing on fifteen waves of nationally representative survey data from 2010 to 2021 (N = 16,742), our findings indicate that worry about climate change is the most central psychological element. Interestingly, we find that among politically unaffiliated individuals, the connections between psychological elements have strengthened over time, implying an increase in the consistency of belief systems within this group. Despite the political polarization in beliefs about climate change between Republicans and Democrats, our findings reveal that the ways these two groups organize and structure climate change beliefs systems are not markedly different compared to those of other groups. These findings provide theoretical and practical insights for climate change experts and communicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting physical activity (PA) at the community level is a complex, multisector approach requiring researchers and practitioners to impact the individual, interpersonal, environment, and policy levels. One such strategy aiming to impact systems, policies, and environments is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Activity Friendly Routes to Everyday Destinations (Routes to Destinations). This strategy specifically aims to connect pedestrian, bicycle, and public transportation systems with built environment and land use destinations. This article examines Black/African American transportation and land use experts' perspectives and concerns—across multiple mediums—around inequities that have discouraged PA among Black/African American persons specifically Routes to Destinations strategies. In March 2021, a multifaceted scoping review was conducted of peer-reviewed literature, gray literature, and social media authored by Black/African American transportation and land use experts focusing on policy, system, and environmental changes which promote or discourage equitable and inclusive access to physical activity. Themes from peer-reviewed and gray literature resources included: (1) Assessing Racism, Discrimination, and Segregation; (2) Addressing Equity and Inclusion Through Policy; (3) Community Engagement and Place-Based Interventions; (4) Infrastructure Changes; (5) Safety; and (6) Reporting Health Disparities. Twitter topic models suggested the main topics included elements of race/racism, equity, safety, infrastructure, and advancing social justice. Experts called for systemic and systematic change through new policies and implementation of existing policies as well as enhanced community inclusion in decision-making through ownership of policy and built environment change. Safety was discussed differently between peer-reviewed and gray literature and Twitter discussions indicating a publication bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A core tenet of representation is that individuals should expect government to actively protect their human security. In the issue area of domestic violence in the United States, government largely fails to do this for women, who comprise three-quarters of all victims of domestic violence. Nowhere is this more apparent than for Native American women living on tribal lands. In terms of lifetime physical violence, nearly 52% of Native American women will be physically abused compared to 30.5% of white women, 41.2% of African American women, and 29.7% of Hispanic women (Crepelle 2020; Institute for Women's Policy Research 2023). One of the main obstacles to keeping Native American women safer is that tribal nations have been functionally prohibited from prosecuting non-Native offenders of violence against Native Americans on their lands. Non-Native offenders comprise the bulk of domestic violence abusers in these communities. To address this inequity, the 2013 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) created Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdictions (SDVCJs). Through an application process, federally recognized tribal nations can create these jurisdictions to provide justice for the many women who are victims of domestic violence at the hands of non-Native persons. In this article we explore which tribal nations created these jurisdictions using an original dataset of the 354 tribal nations that were eligible to adopt an SDVCJ following the 2013 VAWA reauthorization. As of 2022, 31 tribal nations have adopted SDVCJs across 13 states, which have led to 74 domestic violence convictions. In this article, we explain adoption of these courts as a function of population, tribal nation fiscal capacity, federal grant support, and having an existing self-governance compact with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the intersection of law, politics, and outdoor recreation on public lands in the U.S. It provides insights into the political dynamics surrounding access to public lands for recreational purposes. It emphasizes the role of politics in shaping policies and decisions related to outdoor recreation, highlighting the diverse array of stakeholders involved and the economic significance of outdoor recreation to national and state economies.

There is growing urgency for improved public and commercial services to support a resilient, secure, and thriving United States (US) in the face of mounting decision‐support needs for environmental stewardship and hazard response, as well as for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Sustained space‐based Earth observations are critical infrastructure to support the delivery of science and decision‐support information with local, national, and global utility. This is reflected in part through the United States' sustained support of a suite of weather and land‐imaging satellites. However, outside of these two areas, the US lacks an overarching, systematic plan or framework to identify, prioritize, fund, and implement sustained space‐based Earth observations to meet the Nation's full range of needs for science, government policy, and societal support. To aid and accelerate the discussion on our nation's needs, challenges and opportunities associated with sustained critical space‐based Earth observations, the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) sponsored a multi‐week think‐tank study to offer ways forward. Based on this study, the KISS study team suggests the establishment of a robust coordination framework to help address US needs for sustained Earth observations. This coordination framework could account for: (a) approaches to identify and prioritize satellite observations needed to meet US needs for science and services, (b) the rapidly evolving landscape of space‐based Earth viewing architecture options and technology improvements with increasing opportunities and lower cost access to space, and (c) the technical and programmatic underpinnings required for proper and comprehensive data stewardship to support a wide range of research and public services. Plain Language Summary: The Keck Institute of Space Studies has carried out a think tank study to codify best practices, articulate successes, and identify challenges and opportunities in the prioritization, acquisition, curation, and stewardship of sustained space‐based Earth observations. The goal of the study is to accelerate discussion and plans for a greater and more impactful US contribution to the global satellite observing system that will support decision‐making regarding climate change, environmental hazards, and national security. Based on this study, the KISS study team suggests the establishment of a nimble and responsive coordination framework to help guide and shepherd US concerns regarding sustained Earth observations. This coordination framework should account for: (a) approaches to identify and prioritize satellite observations needed to meet US needs for science and services, (b) the rapidly evolving landscape of space‐based Earth viewing architecture options and technology improvements with increasing opportunities and lower cost access to space and (c) the technical and programmatic underpinnings required for proper and comprehensive data stewardship with a broad science and services user base in mind. Key Points: There is growing urgency for improved public and commercial services to support a resilient, secure, and thriving USSpace‐based Earth observations represent an essential component of the infrastructure needed to support the delivery of needed informationThe US would benefit from an overarching plan for sustained Earth observations to support our science, policy, and resilience goals [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pennsylvania's (PA) processes and policies for landscape-scale cultural and visual resource conservation are lacking. In PA, like much of the United States (US), landscape change policies are prescriptive and concerned mainly with ecology, health, safety, and welfare issues. These factors combined relegate cultural and scenic aspects to ancillary matters, often leading to their degradation. Culturally focused fields, such as landscape architecture, archaeology, and planning call for rescaling cultural conservation planning to regional scale. Rescaling would treat cultural resources like other environmental and ecological resources, giving cultural resources equal weight in conservation evaluations. The United Kingdom (UK) has policies specifically for visual impact assessment required for development projects. This paper discusses scale issues and political processes within regional visual and cultural resource conservation in PA, US, compares nascent regional-scale planning efforts in PA and the UK, and proposes improvements to PA and, by extension, US cultural landscape conservation policy implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]