Browsing by Subject "mitigation"
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Item Open Access Evaluating the Cost-Effectiveness of Domestic Policy Portfolios for Emissions Abatement in the Electricity Sector(2009-04-24T17:07:29Z) Wanner, BrentIncreased scientific certainty about anthropogenic climate change coupled with the Obama administration taking office has the United States poised to enact legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Studies have suggested that a combination of policy instruments will be more economically efficient than any single strategy in order to correct for multiple externalities in the market. This paper employs a theoretical model of the electricity sector developed in Fischer & Newell (2008) to compare the cost-effectiveness of individual and combinations of policy instruments. Despite many of the parameter values changing significantly in the numerical application of the model, this analysis affirms the relative rankings of the policy instruments in terms of economic efficiency found in Fischer & Newell (2008). Beginning with the most cost-effective instrument, the order is as follows: emissions price, tradable emissions performance standard, tax on fossil output, renewables portfolio standard, renewables production subsidy, and R&D subsidy. Several policy portfolios are modeled and costs compared to an emissions price. The results indicate that simultaneous policies for climate mitigation tend to be more cost-effective than any single instrument. While combining an emissions price with a renewables portfolio standard offers cost advantages over an emissions price alone, the best complementary policy for an emissions price is an R&D subsidy. The sensitivity analyses show that this is a robust conclusion for a broad range of parameter values. It is therefore recommended that policymakers seriously consider a substantial R&D subsidy for renewable energy technologies in addition to establishing a cap-and-trade system.Item Open Access Finding Opportunities for Pre-Compliance Species Conservation in North Carolina(2013-04-25) Whelan, AndrewPre-compliance conservation involves landowners working cooperatively with conservation managers to conserve imperiled yet unprotected species. This strategy has the potential to conserve many species by bypassing a long and contentions listing process under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) wants to pursue pre-compliance measures in North Carolina. Unfortunately, species require different mitigation strategies on the basis of the stressors they face and their unique suites of life history traits. EDF is unclear which strategies could potentially conserve the greatest number of species. This masters project identifies pre-compliance programs with the potential to protect multiple species. I targeted wetland or aquatic species that are imperiled yet unprotected, and focused on four North Carolina regions that had large numbers of target populations. I conducted a spatial threat analysis to identify the main stressor within each region, and identified potential mitigation techniques for each of these stressors. I then analyzed policy tools that might be used to implement these mitigation techniques. Finally, I conducted a literature review on the life history characteristics of the target species to ensure that the chosen mitigation techniques and policy tools aligned with the dominant species traits in each region. In western North Carolina, landowners should retrofit dams to naturalize stream flow conditions. In southern North Carolina, landowners should establish riparian buffers to limit runoff, reduce stream temperatures, and restore woody debris to aquatic ecosystems. In eastern North Carolina, landowners should establish riparian buffers and improve their management practices and technology. Threats in central North Carolina are more varied, and a combination of mitigation strategies may be needed. Several tools are available to implement these strategies, including Farm Bill conservation programs and federal guidelines to incorporate ecosystem services. This project hopes to provide a tool to aid EDF in its ability to optimize preemptive species conservation.Item Open Access Finding Opportunities for Pre-Compliance Species Conservation in North Carolina(2013-04-25) Whelan, AndrewPOLICY QUESTION: Which pre-compliance conservation strategies have the greatest potential to conserve multiple unprotected species in North Carolina? BACKGROUND: Pre-compliance conservation involves landowners working cooperatively with conservation managers to conserve imperiled yet unprotected species. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) wants to pursue pre-compliance measures in North Carolina. Unfortunately, species require different mitigation strategies on the basis of the threats they faced and their ecological characteristics. EDF is unclear which strategies could potentially conserve the greatest number of species. This project analyzes different conservation strategies on their ability to protect multiple species simultaneously in several geographic regions of North Carolina. It hopes to provide a tool to aid EDF in its ability to optimize preemptive species conservation. RECOMMENDED CONSERVATION STRATEGIES: EDF should consider the following criteria when deciding between pre-compliance strategies in each region: • Address the primary threats or stressors facing populations in the region • Align with the ecological characteristics of the species in the region • Align with the incentives, motivations, and opportunities of the region’s landowners Accounting for these criteria, I recommend that EDF implement the following strategies: 1) In the high-elevation western region of North Carolina, landowners should retrofit dams to naturalize stream flow conditions and allow for the passage of migratory species. The incentives for pre-compliance action may differ for private and public landowners. Private landowner participation might be incentivized by conservation easements or through protections from future regulatory action. Public landowners might be motivated by federal guidance promoting ecosystem services. I recommend focusing on this region first, due to its large number of unique species and potential for federal cooperation. 2) In the southeastern region of North Carolina, landowners should establish riparian buffers to limit siltation and runoff, reduce stream temperatures, and restore woody debris to aquatic ecosystems. Landowner participation might be incentivized by direct payments or through protections from future regulatory action. I recommend focusing on this region second, due to its large number of unique species. 3) In the agricultural eastern region of North Carolina, landowners should establish riparian buffers and improve irrigation technology; these strategies could be incentivized by direct payments or through protections from future regulatory action. Landowners should also adopt best management practices regarding fertilizer application, water use, and livestock management; these practices could be incentivized by conservation easements or the option to revert to previous management practices in the future. Reverse auctions could be used to identify participating landowners for all mitigation strategies in this region. I recommend focusing on this region third due to the abundant opportunities for landowner compensation provided by farm bill conservation programs. 4) In the developed central region of North Carolina, landowners should employ a combination of mitigation strategies. Potential strategies include riparian buffering, adopting best management practices, modifying development, retrofitting dams, stream shading, controlling erosion, removing invasive species, and conducting on-site stream restoration. I recommend prioritizing this region fourth; its large variety of threats might make it difficult to develop a comprehensive conservation plan. METHODS: 1. After identifying species that fit my criteria (wetland or aquatic animals in North Carolina that are imperiled yet unprotected), I grouped species populations into four geographic regions on the basis of spatial proximity, dominant land uses, and elevation. This was done to identify regions where a mitigation strategy might cover multiple species threatened by similar stressors. 2. I next conducted a spatial analysis of five stressors threatening target species populations: agriculture, development, deforestation, roads, and dams. For most stressors, threat levels were determined by the density of the threat within a 5 km radius; for dams, threat level was determined by the distance from the nearest upstream dam. 3. I conducted a literature review to identify common mitigation techniques for each threat class. 4. I analyzed programs that are commonly used to reach conservation agreements with landowners to identify policy alternatives, or tools. I then analyzed how the policy tools align with the previously identified mitigation techniques; this produced a list of mitigation techniques and policy tools that could be employed within each geographic region. 5. I then conducted a literature review on the ecological characteristics of the target species to ensure that the chosen mitigation techniques and policy tools aligned with the dominant species traits in each region. DISCUSSION: This project identified several opportunities for effective pre-compliance species conservation in North Carolina. While it tried to identify a “best option” for each geographic region, there are often multiple strategies with the potential for effective conservation. There are many resources that landowners and conservation managers can use to implement pre-compliance agreements. Section 319 of the Clean Water Act provides resources that allow farmers to reduce their NPS runoff (CWA 33 U.S.C. § 1329, EPA 2005). A variety of farm bill conservation programs provide technical assistance, financial compensation, and education to help farmers reduce their environmental impacts. This tool can potentially help EDF conserve many species by bypassing a long and contentious listing process under the federal Endangered Species Act.Item Open Access The Use of Neuroscience for Mitigation During Sentencing in Non-Capital Cases(2017) Capestany, Beatrice HeleneNeuroscience is increasingly used during sentencing in criminal courtrooms to mitigate punishment. However, neuroscience is not presented in a vacuum—it is generally used to describe a defendant’s neuropsychological state in the context of other mitigating circumstances. It is important to explore how decision-makers reason about neuroscience information in the courtrooms given the consequences of sentencing decisions. The present studies examine how neuroscience information presented across different mitigating contexts impacts legally relevant perceptions, including judgments of control over behavior and punishment decisions. Study 1 uses qualitative methods to explore how judges and lawyers use and reason about neuroscience information in the courts. Study 2 investigates whether neuroscience information, when paired with potentially mitigating circumstances about a defendant, differentially impacts legally relevant judgments. Study 3 assesses how the mitigating context in which neuroscience information is introduced differentially impacts causal attributions about a defendant’s behaviors. These studies offer novel insights about the use of neuroscience in the courtroom and demonstrate that the context in which this information is presented matters for the formation of legally relevant judgments.