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- All Subjects: Sustainability
- Genre: Doctoral Dissertation
- Member of: ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Description
Widespread human rights abuses have been documented in global fisheries, prompting governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and businesses to reconsider human rights as a key tenet of seafood sustainability. New and existing approaches are aiming to integrate human and labor rights into sustainability initiatives. These efforts encompass the development of new tools for conducting human rights due diligence and the modification of market-based approaches like third-party certifications, fishery improvement projects, and buyer sourcing commitments to include criteria for social responsibility. It is critical to evaluate these approaches to better understand their efficacy and areas in need of improvement. This dissertation explores how approaches for seafood sustainability are being adapted to protect and respect human rights of fishers and fishworkers. First, I examine the efficacy of a recognized human rights risk assessment tool: the Social Responsibility Assessment Tool for the Seafood Sector (SRA). Through a preliminary assessment of human rights risk in Guyana’s artisanal fishery, I determined that the SRA is an effective approach to identify visible and potential risk, though it must be supplemented with engagement with fishers and fishworkers through interviews. Next, I evaluated labor conditions in the shrimp and groundfish fishery of the Guianas-Brazil Shelf using a novel evaluative framework for decent work. I uncovered cross-jurisdictional challenges including trafficking and limited worker representation. My evaluative framework enabled a holistic analysis of decent work, identifying linked concerns such as widespread illegal fishing and threats to food security. Finally, I conducted an analysis of market-based approaches that include criteria for social responsibility. Interviews with experts highlight that market-based approaches, particularly fishery improvement projects, hold great potential as strategies to improve human rights in fisheries. However, concerns around market-based approaches include a lack of strong enforcement mechanisms, limited worker representation, and the voluntary nature of initiatives hinder effective change on the ground. Overall, my research suggests that efforts to improve human rights in fisheries are nascent and need further development. By encouraging mandatory due diligence, improved worker representation, and stricter accountability, interventions can more effectively address risks and ensure rights of fishers and fishworkers are protected and respected.
ContributorsLout, Gabrielle E (Author) / Vogel, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Finkbeiner, Elena (Committee member) / Chhetri, Nalini (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Food waste is one of the most significant food system inefficiencies with environmental, financial, and social consequences. This waste, which occurs more at the consumer stage in high income countries, is often attributed to consumers’ behavior. While behavior is a contributing factor, the role of other contextual factors in influencing this behavior has not been systematically analyzed. Understanding contextual drivers of consumer food waste behavior is important, as behavior sits in a matrix of technology, infrastructures, institutions and social structure. Hence designing effective interventions will require a systems perceptive of the problem. In paper 1, I used Socio-ecological framing to understand how personal, interpersonal, socio-cultural, built, and institutional environments contribute to food waste at the consumer stage. In paper 2, I explored the perception of stakeholders in Phoenix on the effectiveness and feasibility of possible interventions that could be used to tackle consumer food waste. In paper 3, I examined the impact of knowledge and awareness of the environmental consequence of food waste in terms of embedded water and energy on the cognitive factors responsible for consumer food waste behavior. Across these three papers, I have identified three findings. First, the most influential factor responsible for consumer food waste is meal planning, as many decisions about food management depend on it. However, there are many contextual factors that discourage meal planning. Other factors identified include the wide gap between food producers and consumers, the low price of food, and marketing strategies used by retailers to encourage food purchases. Systems level interventions will be required to address these drivers that provide an enabling environment for behavioral change. Second stakeholders in the city overwhelmingly support and agree that education will be the most effective and feasible intervention to address consumer food waste, 3) there is need to carefully craft education materials to inform consumers about other resources, such as water and energy, embedded in food waste to stimulate a personal norm that motivates change in behavior. In this study, I emphasize the need to understand the root causes of consumer food waste and exploration of systems level interventions, in combination with education and information interventions that are being commonly used.
ContributorsOpejin, Adenike Kafayat (Author) / Aggarwal, Rimjhim (Thesis advisor) / White, Dave (Thesis advisor) / Garcia, Margret (Committee member) / Merrigan, Kathleen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The proliferation of plastic has created a wicked global sustainability challenge. From the extraction of fossil fuels to end-of-life management and pollution, plastic imposes significant negative impacts to human health, economic well-being, and the environment. One proposed solution is to replace conventional plastic with biomass-based plastics and plastic alternatives (BBPAs), such as paper or bio-based plastics. While these products may have advantageous properties, they require biomass as a feedstock. Given the scale of the plastics problem, this biomass demand may be significant. In my dissertation, I evaluate the magnitude of biomass required, and assess the potential impact of this biomass demand on global land use. After examining the scope and the scale of the problem in chapter one, I evaluate the assumptions that have been made regarding the land-use impacts of BBPAs in chapter two. In chapter three, I use a global land-system model (CLUMondo) to evaluate the potential land-use change of large-scale production of BBPAs. In chapter four, I evaluate how certification schemes could be used as a policy tool to mitigate the land-use impacts of bio-based alternatives. I find that the current studies evaluating the land-use impacts of these products make optimistic and unrealistic assumptions regarding land-use. Using a global model, I show how high production scenarios of BBPAs could induce significant land-use change at the global level. Finally, I demonstrate that reliance on certification schemes would likely be insufficient to prevent negative impacts from this scale of land change. Overall, this dissertation suggests that large-scale replacement of plastic with BBPAs could incur significant land-use impacts. Policies designed to mitigate the impacts of plastic need to account for this impact to land-use, lest they risk substituting one global problem for another.
ContributorsHelm, Levi (Author) / Kinzig, Ann (Thesis advisor) / Dooley, Kevin (Committee member) / Turner II, Billie (Committee member) / Verburg, Peter (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The current epoch, the Anthropocene, is characterized by unprecedented environmental change brought on by climate change, biodiversity loss, globalization, the digital revolution, development, and population growth. Interdependence between social, ecological, and technical systems operating at multiple scales presents challenges in adapting and transforming to fit the changing conditions. Governance systems that can adapt to this complexity and uncertainty are critical to dealing with these changes. Polycentric governance systems are one such type of governance and are theorized to enhance adaptive capacity, improve institutional fit, and mitigate risk. Empirical evidence demonstrates that effective polycentric governance supports learning and experimentation, key adaptation processes. Polycentric governance systems are susceptible to the exercise of power. Power dynamics are fundamental to the study of policymaking and governance. Actors with different positions, interests, and abilities to access and mobilize resources shape the goals, processes, and outcomes of the governance system. However, the popular conceptualizations of polycentric governance rarely account for how social, economic, and political power shapes the system's dynamics and adaptability.
Learning is one of the crucial dynamics fostering adaptive institutions and governance. However, little attention has been paid to integrating power into policy learning frameworks. This dissertation uses the collective learning process framework to investigate learning and power. It employs diverse methodologies to investigate 1) the role of power in the structure of governance systems, 2) participation in the learning process, and 3) exercises of power in collective learning. In Chapter 2, I compare how local organizations perceive a governance system’s function and structure to help them learn and adapt to change. In Chapter 3, I analyze participation in collective learning using the case of housing supply legislation in Arizona. In Chapter 4, I aim to identify the impact of power at each stage in the collective learning process, creating scaffolding on which future studies may build. This dissertation contributes evidence to the ways in which power impacts learning in governance systems. It builds on evidence that power is a key dynamic in governance systems and provides examples of where it may be exercised to advance the common good.
ContributorsCastille, Eve L. (Author) / Janssen, Marco A. (Thesis advisor) / Drummond-Otten, Caitlin (Committee member) / Schoon, Michael L. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Development is a compelling, but imprecise goal. Although the concept can motivate action and mobilize resources, fundamental questions about what it means to ‘develop’ and what actions are required to achieve that goal remain the subject of intense debate. Faced with this uncertainty, development actors can look to two sources of guidance: other disciplines, or the practice of development itself. This dissertation explores the origins of the theories which guide development action and argues that in order for development to deliver on its mandate it must reject supposedly universal theories borrowed from other disciplines (‘exogenous’ theories) and instead must develop contingent, local theories based in the on-the-ground experiences of those doing development (‘endogenous’ theories).
This argument is demonstrated using the case of innovation theory in Guyana. Innovation and development are both popular ways to make sense of change and in recent decades they have become conflated, with innovation being presented as a near-universal fix for development problems. This discourse has taken root in Guyana, where the recent discovery of oil has made the questions of development increasingly urgent and the promise of innovation increasingly attractive. The argument proceeds in four phases:
Chapter one explores how and why certain theories become influential in development, then discusses the implications of doing development work based on ‘exogenous’ versus ‘endogenous’ theory. It then proposes four guidelines for the use of theory in development.
Chapter two traces how innovation came to become understood as a solution to development problems, and assesses whether and under what conditions it can be expected to contribute to development.
Chapter three turns to Guyana, and builds on interviews and participant observation to present an endogenous theory of innovation in Guyana. The chapter also explores the practical and methodological challenges of building such a theory.
Chapter four compares the endogenous theory of innovation presented in the previous chapter to several dominant exogenous theories, exploring the policy implications of each and demonstrating why the endogenous theory provides a superior source of guidance for development action in Guyana.
ContributorsBarton, Chris J (Author) / Crow, Michael (Thesis advisor) / Anderson, Derrick (Thesis advisor) / Grossman, Gary (Committee member) / Chhetri, Nalini (Committee member) / Calhoun, Craig (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
The management of underground utilities is a complex and challenging task due to the uncertainty regarding the location of existing infrastructure. The lack of accurate information often leads to excavation-related damages, which pose a threat to public safety. In recent years, advanced underground utilities management systems have been developed to improve the safety and efficiency of excavation work. This dissertation aims to explore the potential applications of blockchain technology in the management of underground utilities and reduction of excavation-related damage. The literature review provides an overview of the current systems for managing underground infrastructure, including Underground Infrastructure Management (UIM) and 811, and highlights the benefits of advanced underground utilities management systems in enhancing safety and efficiency on construction sites. The review also examines the limitations and challenges of the existing systems and identifies the opportunities for integrating blockchain technology to improve their performance. The proposed application involves the creation of a shared database of information about the location and condition of pipes, cables, and other underground infrastructure, which can be updated in real time by authorized users such as utility companies and government agencies. The use of blockchain technology can provide an additional layer of security and transparency to the system, ensuring the reliability and accuracy of the information. Contractors and excavation companies can access this information before commencing work, reducing the risk of accidental damage to underground utilities.
ContributorsAlnahari, Mohammed S (Author) / Ariaratnam, Samuel T (Thesis advisor) / El Asmar, Mounir (Committee member) / Czerniawski, Thomas (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Massive gaps exist within and across climate efforts, which are often siloed, inequitable, and ineffective within and across local, national, and global community contexts. Climate justice was defined in this study as the need for activism and advocacy to address the disproportionate crises, impacts, and intersectional needs that communities experience due to climate crises. The intent of the “Climate Justice Collaborative Toolkit” and co-development process that I developed and examined in this dissertation was to improve intersectional collaboration, capacity building, and reciprocal agreements that would ensure better mitigation and adaptation of climate crisis events. The purpose of this study was to answer this research question: What are community participants' perceptions of this toolkit and collaborative co-development process for purposes of climate and racial justice? The purpose of this study was also to assess the impacts of the toolkit and accompanying process among members involved in climate justice and action groups, and develop case study stories to help revise and finalize the toolkit and surrounding co-development process for inclusive purposes. I asked these questions via a mixed-methods action research study, in which participants completed a pre-survey instrument, engaged in group orientations and toolkit meetings, participated in group leader interviews, and completed a post-survey instrument. Mixed-methods data suggested the near-unanimous need for greater participation, as well as representation, in climate efforts in order to create more equitable and racial justice outcomes. Additional findings involved to what extent collective groups, organizations, and other entities might better focus on the significant impacts of gender inequality within climate change crises. Another finding evidenced was that the toolkit was also used by participants as a decision-making system that helped enhance participants’ communication efforts and subsequent identifications of climate and racial justice issues, as well as potential solutions. Future iterations from these findings will include more detailed toolkit versions to effectively promote collaboration as linked to case studies presented as stories in the toolkit. This supports that a diverse range of community members’ lived experiences and intersectional issues considered in any climate effort can lead to more equitable, intersectional, and systems changing processes and outcomes.
ContributorsPeel, Michael (Author) / Amrein-Beardsley, Audrey (Thesis advisor) / Morris, Vernon (Committee member) / Kinslow II, Anthony (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Rising inequality is a defining challenge in the 21st century and although the 2030 agenda for sustainable development is far from perfect, its commitment to tackling inequalities is praiseworthy. To this end, a deeper understanding of how social inequality affects sustainable development can help us rethink development policies and practices. Social inequality is multidimensional and in the last two decades, there has been an upsurge of research in this area. However, these research do not provide a comprehensive understanding of the nature and extent of inequality and its impact on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, they ignore important dimensions such as wealth and the environment in their analysis. In this dissertation, the discourse on how inequality has evolved is first explored and the analysis reveals that the inequality discourse has shifted from its early focus on the measurement of conditions, defined as the unequal distribution of income and/or material goods, towards a more comprehensive approach of measuring inequality of opportunities. Second, the dissertation examines the short run and long run relationship between social inequality and sustainable development. This is achieved by relying on panel data for 142 countries using the Coefficient of Human Inequality and the Sustainable Development Goals Index and the findings reveal that social inequality and sustainable development share a negative relationship which appears to be robust to the inclusion of controls and the country’s level of development. Finally, this dissertation examines the inequality situation in Guyana by relying on a survey of 403 households and in doing so it computes a measure of social inequality using the Atkinson index along with the dimensions of income, education, health, wealth and the environment. The dissertation finds that Guyana is experiencing a high level of social inequality and it is hindering the country’s progress on the sustainable development goals.
ContributorsArmstrong, Sydney (Author) / Chhetri, Netra NC (Thesis advisor) / Hernandez-Cortes, Danae DHC (Committee member) / Chhetri, Nalini NC (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Demand for specialty coffee worldwide is increasing, yet producers primarily located in developing countries struggle to cover their production costs and sustain their livelihood. Coffee producers are globally seeking higher profits by adapting their conventional production practices to be more socially and environmentally responsible. This dissertation aims to analyze the U.S. import demand for coffee and investigate consumer preferences and willingness to pay for coffee labels representing sustainability efforts. Chapter one introduces the coffee industry and the three chapters of this research. In the second chapter, I analyze the influence of consumers' values and the warm glow effect of giving on their willingness to pay for sustainable coffee using a non-hypothetical auction mechanism. I use an information treatment to test the effect of information on consumers' willingness to pay. Providing information increases the premium consumers are willing to pay for sustainable coffee. Regarding values, consumers that like coffee and experience the warm glow of giving are willing to pay a premium for coffee with a sustainability label. Using a hypothetical online choice experiment, in the third chapter, I investigate coffee consumers' preferences and willingness to pay for Fair Trade, Direct Trade, Rainforest Alliance and USDA Organic coffee. I find that consumers value sustainability labels that aim to solve social issues more than those whose primary goal is to solve environmental problems. I find that when two labels are together on a coffee bag, there is no effect on consumers’ utility. However, there is a positive effect on consumers' willingness to pay for coffee labeled simultaneously for Fair Trade and Organic, and simultaneously for Direct Trade and Organic. In the fourth chapter, I estimate coffee price elasticities between major coffee exporters to the U.S. and calculate pass-through import cost using a system-wide differential demand system. I compare imports of arabica and robusta green coffee and estimate the degree to which they complement each other or substitute one another. I find that arabica and robusta from Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico are substitutes but some exceptions show a complementary relationship. The inclusion of the exchange rate into the demand system has a significant effect on U.S. coffee demand. I find an incomplete pass-through cost of the exchange rate to U.S. import prices.
Chapter six concludes by summarizing the results of this dissertation and discussing the future challenges for the coffee industry.
ContributorsFuller, Katherine (Author) / Grebitus, Carola (Thesis advisor) / Schmitz, Troy (Committee member) / Hughner, Renee (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
Amidst mounting global crises spanning environmental, social, and economic domains, sustainability education has emerged as a vital pathway toward a thriving future. However, despite its promise, the concept of sustainability often remains superficial, leaving educators ill-equipped to address its complexities. While efforts to integrate sustainability into education are underway, critical pedagogy, a crucial tool for fostering social change, is notably absent from instructional practices. This action research project utilized critical pedagogy to design and implement a critical professional development (CPD) workshop within a larger fellowship program to center justice within sustainability in both content and pedagogical approach. As a result, participants’ definitions and understandings of sustainability increased across all measurements of extent, breadth, and depth. Specifically, participants redefined collaborative relationships and more prominently included notions of justice and equity in their conceptualizations of sustainability and sustainability education. The use of critical pedagogy encouraged teachers to analyze intersectional oppressive systems and fostered a new, critical perspective on sustainability. In their own educational designs, participants demonstrated an intention to model elements of critical pedagogy, such as dialogic action and permeable content. Finally, in alignment with the intended outcomes of CPD, participants developed cooperative space for co-learning, built unity, shared leadership, and felt confident implementing their own professional development to address context-specific concerns. By using critical pedagogy in sustainability education, the workshop participants prioritized deep and caring relationships which fostered empathic engagement with the intersectional and often dehumanizing systems that have led to interconnected global crises. The results indicated that using CPD as a framework could be effective in teacher professional development for sustainability as a design and implementation tool to center critical work that examines systemic issues of injustice and exploitation against both humans and our planet.
ContributorsCashion, Molly Elise (Author) / Judson, Eugene (Thesis advisor) / Casanova, Carlos (Committee member) / Goebel, Janna (Committee member) / Boyce, Ayesha (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2024