Highwire Earth

12/06/2021

Dear Highwire readers,

I am pleased to announce the new Editorial Board at Highwire Earth. Ying-Chiang Jeffrey Lee will be our new President and Editor. Shashank Kumar Anand, Kaylie Cohanim, and Sam Ditkovsky will be our new Associate Editors. You can read more about the Editorial Board at the following link:
http://highwire.princeton.edu/about-us/editorial-board/

We look forward to a new year at Highwire with Jeffrey, Shashank, Kaylie, and Sam!

Sincerely,
Emily Wei-Hsin Sun
Outgoing Editor-in-Chief

Ying-Chiang Jeffrey Lee | President and Editor Jeffrey is a fourth year PhD candidate in the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University in the Donia Lab. He has an MPH focusing on Glob…

11/23/2021

09/17/2021

Can university food procurement contribute to social and environmental justice? This new Highwire article looks at the relationship between universities, consumer food certifications, and environmental justice:

“University food procurement is a massive enterprise with a large societal impact. It has been suggested that this purchasing power be wielded for good: sustainability is a frequently cited aim for alimentary purchasing; social and environmental justice, while still relevant, are less commonly considered in this context. Social justice aims to eliminate inequities between discrete demographics. Environmental justice (EJ) falls under the wider umbrella of social justice: EJ is the notion that specific ecological burdens of society (like pollution and presence of hazardous pesticides) should be shared equitably across communities. Social and environmental justice are the cousins of sustainability; all three are a prerequisite to ethical spending. Both forms of justice can be difficult to quantify, making it difficult for institutions to gauge just spending habits. Some consumer certifications are touted as informative tools for doing so. We examine four major certifications: two which focus on sustainability, USDA Organic, and the Non-GMO Project, and two which focus on EJ, Fair Trade USA and the Rainforest Alliance. This article reveals potential blind spots in the certification process that should be considered as administrators attempt to improve social and environmental justice at the farm level. We conclude with advice for ethical university food purchasing.”

Written by Shashank Anand, Hezekiah Grayer II, Anna Jacobson, and Harrison Watson Sustainability is the notion that we should consume with caution, as the Earth is a delicately balanced ecosystem w…

01/22/2021

Revisit Prof. Laurel Mei-Singh’s article on environmental justice.

Yesterday, a federal judge in Michigan gave preliminary approval to a $641 million partial settlement of lawsuits filed by victims of the Flint water crisis. Last week, former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder was charged with two counts of willful neglect. U.S. District Judge Judith Levy wrote in yesterday’s court opinion, “there may be no amount of money that would fully recognize the harm the residents of Flint have experienced.” This settlement will be one step on a long road towards justice for the community.

From Prof. Mei-Singh’s article: “I recount this history to show that, when tackling environmental racism in Trenton, a narrow focus on the intentional decisions of racist individual policymakers cannot possibly address the myriad environmental injustices that the people of Trenton face. Rather, the issue of lead poisoning and the failure of those with political power to address this problem cannot be separated from long and overlapping histories of racism, capitalist restructuring, and careless development plans literally built into the environment. Addressing this issue requires first and foremost an awareness of the many processes that have historically produced the organized abandonment of the city.”

Full article at the link in bio!

01/20/2021

Submit an article of your own by emailing us at [email protected] or visiting the link in our bio!

Pieces can be synopses, analyses, opinions, or creative writing related to sustainable development. It can draw from your research, your extracurricular activities, or talks you’ve attended! For inspiration, take a look at the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Pieces can be anywhere from around 300 to 2000 words. Feel free to email us with any questions!

There are also opportunities to join our team!

12/18/2020

When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started building coastal flood protection over 60 years ago, they weren’t thinking about climate change, but a PhD student at Princeton University shows that old Army Corps projects may hold valuable insights for future climate adaptation efforts.

https://highwire.princeton.edu/2020/12/18/what-can-climate-adaptation-learn-from-whats-in-grandpas-garage-a-historical-tale-of-two-flood-protection-megastructures/

When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started building coastal flood protection over 60 years ago, they weren’t thinking about climate change, but a PhD student at Princeton University shows that o…

12/11/2020

Wondering how to give more effectively this holiday season? Check out Tim Treuer's guide to carbon offsetting!

https://highwire.princeton.edu/2020/12/10/offsetting-your-greenhouse-gas-emissions-can-impact-more-than-just-your-carbon-footprint/

By Tim Treuer This Giving Tuesday, I decided to offset my 2020 carbon footprint. And help protect endangered biodiversity. And help eliminate poverty. And improve air, water, and soil quality. And …

10/17/2020

Check out our latest piece on cowboys and climate change. Ashford King compares American and Mexican country music and finds two different stances towards the environment.
https://highwire.princeton.edu/2020/10/16/sustainability-that-aint-country/

Written by Ashford King In the US, the fight against climate change often looks more like a fight to achieve the public recognition that climate change is real. Flat out denial of science by the do…

10/11/2020

While thinking about investments aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, revisit the Highwire article on mass incarceration and prison teaching by Kaia Tombak below.

Sustainable development encompasses access to justice for all (SDG 16) and requires commitments to address root causes of inequality.

For resources on divestment from the Prison-Industrial Complex, see: http://princetonspear.com/prison-divestment-2020

https://highwire.princeton.edu/2016/02/01/americans-are-paying-too-much-for-mass-incarceration-prison-education-programs-provide-a-way-out/

Written by Kaia Tombak Some names in this blog post have been changed to protect the privacy of those mentioned. Jack greeted me cheerfully as he strolled into class, asking me how things are going…

10/01/2020

What do university investments say about the overarching goals of the institution? Ryan Warsing of Divest Princeton outlines the group's push for divestment from fossil fuels in the article below.

https://highwire.princeton.edu/2020/09/30/its-past-time-for-princeton-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels/

Written by Ryan Warsing of Divest Princeton If you’re reading this, you probably don’t need to be persuaded that the planet is on fire, and we need to do something to put it out fast.  We…

09/30/2020

Last Spring, Highwire Earth collaborated with Climate Central and Princeton University Writing Center to offer a free scientific communication workshop. John Upton, Partnerships Journalism Editor at Climate Central, walked us through some writing and reporting guidelines for scientific journalism with stories from his experiences in the field. Then Judy Swan, Associate Director for Writing in Science and Engineering at the Princeton Writing Program helped workshop our attendees' pieces and article ideas. Thank you John and Judy!

We also thank Princeton Environmental Institute, Princeton University Graduate School, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for the support and funding to cater this event.

Look out for more events like these in the future!

09/16/2020

Interested in clean energy and careers outside academia? In our latest article, Ph.D. student Molly Chaney shares her experience interning at Momentum Solar, a rapidly growing solar energy company based in New Jersey.
https://highwire.princeton.edu/2020/09/09/inside-a-solar-energy-company/

Written by Molly Chaney Finding an internship as a Ph.D. student is hard. Finding one at a company you have legitimate interest in is even harder. In search of a more refined answer to the dreaded …

06/25/2019

Corruption threatens sustainable development by contributing to instability, undermining democratic institutions, and promoting inequality. To address corruption in nine countries around the world, Accountability Lab runs a grassroots program that recognizes civil servants of integrity. This work helps fight corruption by encouraging ethical practices under difficult circumstances, shifting institutional norms, building coalitions for reform, and raising public expectations for honest governance. In this new article, James Kiawoin and Sakari Ishetiar, two Princeton graduate students in the Master in Public Affairs (MPA) program, share their research and insights on corruption and government accountability in Liberia:

https://highwire.princeton.edu/2019/06/20/liberias-integrity-idol-pursuing-goal-16-through-public-awareness/

Written by James Kiawoin and Sakari Ishetiar In 2013, a Liberian government official was recorded colluding with another high-ranking government official to embezzle public resources. On the tape, …

10/03/2018

How can the U.S. transition to a more sustainable electricity system? Kasparas Spokas outlines economic constraints and policy considerations in Part Two of our series on integrating renewable energy. Read more below!

https://highwire.princeton.edu/2018/10/03/integrating-renewable-energy-part-2-electricity-market-policy-challenges/

Written by Kasparas Spokas The rising popularity and falling capital costs of renewable energy make its integration into the electricity system appear inevitable. However, major challenges remain. …

10/02/2018

"This week, foodies will put sustainability issues on center stage at the International Forum on Food and Nutrition. The summit, organized by the Barilla Center For Food and Nutrition, coincides with the meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, where the Sustainable Development Goals of "Zero Hunger" and healthier diets will come into focus."

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/09/23/650485867/do-healthy-diets-protect-the-planet-as-the-u-n-meets-a-focus-on-sustainability

As United Nations leaders gather in New York, top food and nutrition experts are convening for a forum to talk about how people around the globe can have both a nourished diet and a healthy planet.

09/27/2018

Replacing fossil fuel power plants with wind and solar farms might sound like a simple way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In reality, transforming the electricity system to utilize renewables is no easy task.
In the first article of a two-part series, Princeton Ph.D. Candidate Kasparas Spokas explains the technical challenges.
https://highwire.princeton.edu/2018/09/26/integrating-renewable-energy-part-1-physical-electricity-grid-challenges/

Written by Kasparas Spokas Meeting climate change mitigation targets will require rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation, which is responsible for a quarter of all U.…

09/17/2018

“Environmental justice means that all people have a right to a safe and healthy environment with clean drinking water, fresh food, and life-supporting homes.”
In Trenton, NJ, the drinking water is contaminated with lead and the struggle for environmental justice is ongoing. Learn more from Laurel Mei-Singh, who recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in American Studies at Princeton University and now serves as an Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of Hawai‘i.
https://highwire.princeton.edu/2018/09/13/sowing-the-seeds-of-environmental-justice-in-trenton/

Written by Laurel Mei-Singh Marvelous, a hairdresser who lives and works in downtown Trenton, New Jersey, is one of ten adults gathered together in a community space. Meanwhile, an equal number of …

02/22/2018

Would it be possible to counteract greenhouse gas induced climate change? Scientists have devised possible "geoengineering" solutions, such as removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or reducing incoming sunlight. Chua Xin Rong considers the risks and benefits of these schemes through an imagined conversation between a human and an interstellar doctor to the planets.

https://highwire.princeton.edu/2018/02/22/evaluating-the-geoengineering-treatment/

Might there be a remedy for the worldwide temperature and rainfall changes caused by humanity’s emissions? If so, what would the cure cost? We watch as Mr. Human grapples with these questions with …