Lithium ion batteries are quintessential components of modern life. They are used to power smart devices — phones, tablets, laptops, and are rapidly becoming major elements in the automotive industry. Demand projections for lithium are skyrocketing with production struggling to keep up pace. This drive is due mostly to the rapid adoption of electric vehicles; sales of electric vehicles in 2020 are more than double what they were only a year prior. With such staggering growth it is important to understand how lithium is sourced and what that means for the environment. Will production even be capable of meeting the demand as more industries make use of this valuable element? How will the environmental impact of lithium affect growth? This thesis attempts to answer these questions as the world looks to a decade of rapid growth for lithium ion batteries.

Water affordability is a critical issue for rural and tribal communities in Northern Arizona. However, measuring affordability in these communities can be extremely challenging due to a lack of accessible data and several unique, structural, barriers. This thesis evaluates both the challenges and opportunities for measuring water affordability in the City of Show Low and the Hopi Nation and explores potential solutions to improve measurement accessibility. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study found that data necessary to measure water affordability is often unavailable or difficult to collect in rural and tribal systems, and limited resources, personnel & capacity, as well as sociocultural and political factors within these areas further hinder their ability to assess affordability. Additionally, analysis of existing resources and initiatives for assessing water affordability in these communities revealed several limitations that must be addressed to improve measurement accessibility. The study suggests that several actions can be taken at the state and federal levels to improve the ability of small and rural systems to study water affordability in Northern Arizona. These actions include conducting a state-wide water affordability assessment, improving existing guidebooks and resources specifically for rural and tribal systems, providing low-cost consultants to assist in utility management, detailed federal review of SRF funding application requirements, and oversight on new allocations following the recent historic investment in the SRF. Overall, this thesis highlights the challenges faced by rural and tribal communities in measuring water affordability and provides recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders to improve measurement accessibility. By advocating for policy changes and addressing limitations in existing resources, this research aims to improve water affordability in Northern Arizona and beyond.

Food waste is a crucial issue in stores, restaurants and other institutions. Specifically, there is a high amount of food waste in grocery stores, especially in the produce section. As a result, environmental damage occurs, and many individuals struggle to have food in their homes. This thesis will analyze the cause, quantity, and effect of this waste, and how it can be changed or mitigated. An overarching question was posed to analyze these causes and effects of waste, asking how does the amount of produce waste that occurs in Scottsdale, Arizona contribute to environmental issues and what is being done to remedy this issue? As this is a difficult question to answer on its own, the research was broken down into two more answerable questions, which are Why does produce get wasted in grocery stores? How much of this occurs? and What remedies already exist to limit/reduce this waste? These questions are important because they contribute to knowledge and understanding about food waste, consumer waste, as well as the overall environmental impact of being wasteful. It is also important for both retailers and consumers to understand that waste has an immense and negative impact on the environment and contributes to climate change, and that taking steps to reduce this waste is essential.

Mining is a key component of both the Brazilian and Chilean economies and accounts for an outsized share of these countries’ exports. Yet, it is a common target for environmental criticism, especially due to its impacts on local populations and ecosystems. Brazil and Chile have adopted markedly different trade strategies over the past three decades, most notably with regards to their involvement in international trade agreements. This paper investigates how these differences in trade policy since 1990 have affected the sustainability of each country’s mining sector by identifying and comparing the channels through which free trade agreements influence the environmental impacts of resource extraction.