UNC-Chapel Hill Climate Change Resources // Carolina Digital Repository

Works (753)

11. Using Oral History to Document Climate Change on the North Carolina Coast

Title Tesim:: Using Oral History to Document Climate Change on the North Carolina Coast
Creator:: Hinton, Tara
Date of publication:: August 20, 2023
Abstract Tesim:: The frequency of storms, such as hurricanes and nor’easters, is increasing due to climate change (Pörtner et al., 2022), exposing coastal communities to renewed surges of threats. Further, the Core Banks (Carteret County) remains vulnerable to catastrophe, with higher poverty rates than Dare County (EPA, n.d.). In the context of this changing climate, eight oral histories were conducted with eleven participants in "Down East" Carteret County to document local understandings of environmental change and processes of remembrance and recovery from Hurricane Florence.
Affiliation Label Tesim:: Department of Sociology
Type:: http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
DOI:: https://doi.org/10.17615/6wh2-vk97
Language Label:: English
ORCID:
Other Affiliation:
Person:: Hinton, Tara
Rights Statement Label:: In Copyright

12. Seize Your Solar Power: Strategic Communication to Encourage Support of Residential Solar in North Carolina

Title Tesim:: Seize Your Solar Power: Strategic Communication to Encourage Support of Residential Solar in North Carolina
Creator:: Reid, Jessica
Date of publication:: July 21, 2023
Abstract Tesim:: Installing residential solar is one way that North Carolina (NC) residents can save money on their energy bills, reduce their contribution to climate change, and contribute to energy resilience in the state. Despite these benefits, most NC residents do not have residential solar. People may not have solar for many reasons such as a lack of motivation, high costs, not having a home suitable for solar, homeowner association rules, and a lack of trustworthy information about installing solar. North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA) supports a transition to clean energy technologies like residential solar. It can strategically communicate with residents to help them understand the benefits of solar and how to overcome barriers to getting solar. The organization can encourage its audience members to consider getting solar or to at least support solar in their communities even if they are not in the position to get solar themselves. The purpose of this thesis project is to understand the factors that influence adoption of residential solar in NC and to create a communications plan that takes these factors into account to help NCSEA increase residential solar. Elements of the plan include the target audience, primary and secondary messages, objectives, goals, strategies, tactics, channels, evaluation measures, and sample communications materials.
Resource type:: Masters Thesis
Affiliation Label Tesim:: Hussman School of Journalism and Media and UNC Institute for the Environment
Degree:: Master of Arts
Type:: http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
DOI:: https://doi.org/10.17615/nn0x-ee67
Graduation Year:: 2023
Language Label:: English
ORCID:
Other Affiliation:
Person:: Noar, Seth, Kathleen Gray, McGregor, Shannon, and Reid, Jessica
Rights Statement Label:: In Copyright

13. DECARBONIZING SCHOOLS: A SPATIAL ANALYTIC FRAMEWORK TO PRIORITIZE SCHOOL-BASED SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLATIONS IN DURHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

Title Tesim:: DECARBONIZING SCHOOLS: A SPATIAL ANALYTIC FRAMEWORK TO PRIORITIZE SCHOOL-BASED SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC INSTALLATIONS IN DURHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
Creator:: Moodliar, Kira Francesca
Date of publication:: July 20, 2023
Abstract Tesim:: Public schools play a crucial role in renewable energy investment as they can serve as emergency spaces during extreme weather events due to climate change and offer an avenue for decarbonizing the building sector, which accounts for 10% of US public building electricity consumption. Recent legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS & Science Act will boost renewable energy technology and infrastructure investment in the US. Public schools, especially those eligible under the DOE Office of Legacy Management’s Environmental Justice Initiative and the Justice 40 Initiative, stand to benefit significantly. Focusing on Durham County, North Carolina, this study develops a spatial analytic decision-support tool to prioritize solar installations on schools based on various criteria, including solar potential and social vulnerability indicators. Using a GIS-based framework and linear optimization, the tool guides investment decisions by considering solar insolation, financial benefits, energy demand reduction, and Justice40 criteria. The approach is tested in Durham County and can be scaled up for larger regions. The study estimates that each school in Durham County could potentially host 216 kW of solar PV generation per roof, resulting in substantial financial savings based on building energy load profiles.
Resource type:: Masters Paper
Affiliation Label Tesim:: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Degree:: Master of Science in Public Health
Type:: http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
DOI:: https://doi.org/10.17615/q2sk-xx63
Graduation Year:: 2023
Language Label:: English
ORCID:: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3449-7823 and https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8278-5043
Other Affiliation:: Department of City and Regional Planning and
Person:: Kittner, Noah and Moodliar, Kira Francesca
Rights Statement Label:: In Copyright

14. Decarbonizing Schools: A Spatial Analytic Framework to Prioritize School-Based Solar Photovoltaic Installations in Durham County, North Carolina

Title Tesim:: Decarbonizing Schools: A Spatial Analytic Framework to Prioritize School-Based Solar Photovoltaic Installations in Durham County, North Carolina
Creator:: Moodliar, Kira Francesca
Date of publication:: July 20, 2023
Abstract Tesim:: Public schools play a crucial role in renewable energy investment as they can serve as emergency spaces during extreme weather events due to climate change and offer an avenue for decarbonizing the building sector, which accounts for 10% of US public building electricity consumption. Recent legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS & Science Act will boost renewable energy technology and infrastructure investment in the US. Public schools, especially those eligible under the DOE Office of Legacy Management’s Environmental Justice Initiative and the Justice 40 Initiative, stand to benefit significantly. Focusing on Durham County, North Carolina, this study develops a spatial analytic decision-support tool to prioritize solar installations on schools based on various criteria, including solar potential and social vulnerability indicators. Using a GIS-based framework and linear optimization, the tool guides investment decisions by considering solar insolation, financial benefits, energy demand reduction, and Justice40 criteria. The approach is tested in Durham County and can be scaled up for larger regions. The study estimates that each school in Durham County could potentially host 216 kW of solar PV generation per roof, resulting in substantial financial savings based on building energy load profiles
Resource type:: Journal Item
Affiliation Label Tesim:: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Degree:: Master of Science in Public Health
Type:: http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
DOI:: https://doi.org/10.17615/2s6z-ge77
Graduation Year:: 2023
Language Label:: English
ORCID:: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3449-7823 and https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8278-5043
Other Affiliation:: Department of City and Regional Planning and
Person:: Kittner, Noah and Moodliar, Kira Francesca
Rights Statement Label:: In Copyright

15. Quantifying the benefits of wetland restoration under projected sea level rise

Title Tesim:: Quantifying the benefits of wetland restoration under projected sea level rise
Creator:: Davis J., Currin C.A., Heppe M.E., Cohen S., and Familkhalili R.
Date of publication:: 2023
Abstract Tesim:: The capacity of vegetated coastal habitats to mitigate erosion and build elevation in response to sea-level rise (SLR) has led to growing interest in their application as Nature Based Solutions (NBS) for shoreline protection. However, a significant uncertainty in the performance of NBS is how these features will respond to future rates of SLR. In this study, we applied the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) to a fringing shoreline wetland complex that is directly adjacent to the primary runway of a regional airport in coastal North Carolina, US. The SLAMM model was run at high spatial resolution (1 m cell size) to investigate the effects of projected SLR by 2100 on the wetland communities and to estimate the potential benefits of a proposed NBS project involving the use of dredged sediment to increase wetland surface elevation. Modeling future habitat extent under three SLR scenarios (i.e., intermediate, intermediate-high, and high) with no land modification reveals a consistent pattern of salt marsh expanding into fresh marsh, salt marsh transitioning to higher elevations, and substantially larger overall extents of intertidal and subtidal habitats within the project footprint at relatively high rates of SLR. Simulations that include the NBS indicate changes in the composition of wetland types over time compared with the no-action scenario. Model results help to better understand the long-term behavior of fringing coastal wetlands and the efficacy of their use as part of coastal resilience strategies.
Resource type:: Article
Affiliation Label Tesim:: UNC Institute for the Environment
DOI:: https://doi.org/10.17615/aq2p-rg47
Edition:: Publisher
Identifier:: https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1187276
ISSN:: 2296-7745
Journal Title:: Frontiers in Marine Science
Journal Volume:: 10
Keyword:: nature-based solutions, sea-level rise, coastal resilience, SLAMM, and restoration
Language Label:: English
License Label:: Attribution 4.0 International
ORCID:
Other Affiliation:: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc, and
Person:: Davis J., Currin C.A., Heppe M.E., Cohen S., and Familkhalili R.
Publisher:: Frontiers Media S.A.
Source:: 7ee7da72-40d9-47ab-9af7-bc055aecac29

16. Linking Cost Decline and Demand Surge in the Hydrogen Market: A Case Study in China

Title Tesim:: Linking Cost Decline and Demand Surge in the Hydrogen Market: A Case Study in China
Creator:: Shan, Rui, Zhu, Jiahui, Xu, Danlu, Fang, Qin, and Liu, Zhoubin
Date of publication:: 2023
Abstract Tesim:: Hydrogen is crucial in achieving global energy transition and carbon neutrality goals. Existing market estimates typically presume linear or exponential growth but fail to consider how market demand responds to the declining cost of underlying technologies. To address this, this study utilizes a learning curve model to project the cost of electrolyzers and its subsequent impact on hydrogen market, aligning with a premise that the market demand is proportional to the cost of hydrogen. In a case study of China’s hydrogen market, projecting from 2020 to 2060, we observed substantial differences in market evolution compared to exponential growth scenarios. Contrary to exponential growth scenarios, China’s hydrogen market experiences faster growth during the 2020–2040 period rather than later. Such differences underscore the necessity for proactive strategic planning in emerging technology markets, particularly for those experiencing rapid cost decline, such as hydrogen. The framework can also be extended to other markets by using local data, providing valuable insights to investors, policymakers, and developers engaged in the hydrogen market.
Resource type:: Article
Affiliation Label Tesim:: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
DOI:: https://doi.org/10.17615/fg6y-v920
Edition:: Publisher
Identifier:: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en16124821
ISSN:: 1996-1073
Journal Issue:: 12
Journal Title:: Energies
Journal Volume:: 16
Keyword:: market dynamics, electrolyzer, hydrogen, China, and learning curve model
Language Label:: English
License Label:: Attribution 4.0 International
ORCID:
Other Affiliation:: , Jianjing Investment Consulting Co., Ltd., and State Grid Corporation of China
Page Start:: 4821
Person:: Shan, Rui, Zhu, Jiahui, Xu, Danlu, Fang, Qin, and Liu, Zhoubin
Publisher:: MDPI
Source:: 952bf7f0-aa3d-436f-a650-cf51975fa63c

17. Core competencies to prepare health professionals to respond to the climate crisis

Title Tesim:: Core competencies to prepare health professionals to respond to the climate crisis
Creator:: Campbell, Haley, Finkel, Madelon, McDermott-Levy, Ruth, Sorensen, Cecilia, Mantilla, Gilma, Tun, SanYuMay, Wellbery, Caroline, Hadley, Kristie, Sack, Todd L., Haine, Dana, Depoux, Anneliese, Gilden, Robyn, and Potter, Teddie M.
Date of publication:: 2023
Abstract Tesim:: The now well-described climate change impacts on human health and disease present an urgent challenge to health professionals and health care systems, calling for a focus on efforts to mitigate harm. Yet, with a few exceptions, such as the United Kingdom, climate change education is generally absent in the mainstream health professional education curriculum, creating a situation in which health care professionals lack the knowledge and skills to recognize, prepare for, and respond to current and future climate change-related health and health system threats in a meaningful way
Resource type:: Article
Affiliation Label Tesim:: UNC Institute for the Environment
DOI:: https://doi.org/10.17615/mp2k-eq95
Edition:: Publisher
Identifier:: https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000230
ISSN:: 2767-3200
Journal Issue:: 6
Journal Title:: PLOS Climate
Journal Volume:: 2
Keyword:: Health systems strengthening, Health education and awareness, Health care policy, Communication in health care, Climate change, Behavioral and social aspects of health, Health services administration and management, and Global health
Language Label:: English
License Label:: Attribution 4.0 International
ORCID:
Other Affiliation:: Columbia University, Weill Cornell Medicine, Villanova University, University of Oxford, Georgetown University, Florida International University, , Universite´ Paris Cite, University of Maryland, College Park, and University of Minnesota
Page Start:: e0000230
Person:: Campbell, Haley, Finkel, Madelon, McDermott-Levy, Ruth, Sorensen, Cecilia, Mantilla, Gilma, Tun, SanYuMay, Wellbery, Caroline, Hadley, Kristie, Sack, Todd L., Haine, Dana, Depoux, Anneliese, Gilden, Robyn, and Potter, Teddie M.
Publisher:: Public Library of Science
Source:: 8ada3705-c9cb-4a04-9447-897e279ac9f8

18. “I DIDN’T WANT TO BE A VICTIM”: GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY-LED RECOVERY IN POST-DISASTER ROBESON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

Title Tesim:: “I DIDN’T WANT TO BE A VICTIM”: GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY-LED RECOVERY IN POST-DISASTER ROBESON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
Creator:: Ebanks Holloman, Diamond
Date of publication:: 2023
Abstract Tesim:: Focusing on post-hurricane conditions after Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Florence (2018), this dissertation examines how grassroots, community-centered approaches to long-term hurricane recovery in the American South combat systemic vulnerability-making processes in Robeson County, North Carolina (NC). To do this, I re-interpret the “disaster management cycle” (commonly used in disaster and risk management tools) as a “hydrosocial configuration,” which brings attention to how people, institutions, water flows, hydraulic technology, and the environment together shape the management of water. Focusing on the case of Robeson County, I argue that uneven power relations shape how this management works. Chapter 1 introduces the disaster management cycle and my critiques of its functionality in communities of color, post-disaster. Chapter 2 uses Photovoice as a Black Feminist epistemology and method to examine vulnerability from the perspective of those experiencing hurricane preparation and recovery processes. Chapter 3 argues that radical resilience is enacted in racially and ethnically marginalized communities in the wake - and further, the threat - of disasters. Chapter 4 has two purposes: 1) focusing on the case in South and West Lumberton, to highlight the importance of community organizing as a climate change adaptation strategy in communities of color. And 2) to highlight synergies between Black Geographies and Ecology while studying the human dimensions of climate change and disaster for racially marginalized communities. I conclude with a reflection on relationality, interdisciplinarity, and the policy implications of this work.
Resource type:: Dissertation
Affiliation Label Tesim:: Curriculum in Environment and Ecology
Degree:: Doctor of Philosophy
Degree Granting Institution:: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Deposit Record:: eec049e2-ee35-410e-ad34-7576fd0965a9
Type:: http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
DOI:: https://doi.org/10.17615/zde1-7942
Graduation Year:: 2023
Keyword:: Environmental Justice, Black Ecology, Natural Hazards, Geography, Environmental justice, Disaster Studies, and Ecology
Language Label:: English
ORCID:
Other Affiliation:
Person:: White, Peter, O'Connell, Caela, Valdivia, Gabriela , Ward, Ashley, Spurlock, Danielle, Woods, Courtney, and Ebanks Holloman, Diamond

19. Extreme Temperature and Adverse Birth Outcomes for Black and White Women in North Carolina

Title Tesim:: Extreme Temperature and Adverse Birth Outcomes for Black and White Women in North Carolina
Creator:: Wooten, Bryttani
Date of publication:: 2023
Abstract Tesim:: Climate change has been named “the biggest health threat of the 21st century,” with pregnant mothers and infants among the most vulnerable populations to extreme temperatures, particularly extreme heat. Previous studies that have evaluated the relationship between extreme temperatures and birth outcomes show a lack of uniformity in research design as they use varying methods of defining and measuring extreme temperatures. Consequently, they offer differing conclusions on the critical exposure window during gestation, and rarely acknowledge racial disparities in their outcomes. Using North Carolina birth certificate data from 2011-2020, this study evaluates the relationship between extreme cold and heat temperature exposure and adverse birth outcomes for Black and white women at four points during gestation. The relationships were strongest when exposure to the most extreme temperatures occurred cumulatively across the third trimester. Black women experienced far worse birth outcomes than their white counterparts.
Resource type:: Masters Thesis
Affiliation Label Tesim:: Department of Geography
Degree:: Master of Arts
Degree Granting Institution:: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Deposit Record:: eec049e2-ee35-410e-ad34-7576fd0965a9
Type:: http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
DOI:: https://doi.org/10.17615/xbwx-0186
Graduation Year:: 2023
Keyword:: extreme temperature, climate change, Climate change, Black studies, Public health, black women, and birth outcomes
Language Label:: English
ORCID:
Other Affiliation:
Person:: Purifoy, Danielle M, Planey, Arrianna M, Konrad, Charles E, and Wooten, Bryttani

20. HIGH TEMPERATURES AND HOSTPLANT IDENTITY INTERACT TO AFFECT SUCCESS IN A TRITROPHIC SYSTEM

Title Tesim:: HIGH TEMPERATURES AND HOSTPLANT IDENTITY INTERACT TO AFFECT SUCCESS IN A TRITROPHIC SYSTEM
Creator:: Parker, Anna L
Date of publication:: 2023
Abstract Tesim:: Interacting species exert ecological and evolutionary pressures on one another, forming reciprocal relationships that are sensitive to abiotic and biotic perturbations. Understanding how systems will respond to anthropogenic climate change is imperative for predicting broad, ecosystem-level consequences. In my dissertation, I investigated the effects of extreme temperature events and the introduction of a novel plant species on the evolutionary ecology of a tritrophic terrestrial system. I focused on the herbivorous caterpillar Manduca sexta, the specialist parasitoid wasp Cotesia congregata, and the common hostplant Nicotiana tabacum, introducing heat waves and the novel, non-native hostplant Proboscidea louisanica as system perturbations. I used laboratory and field experiments to measure ecologically and evolutionarily relevant traits (such as development rate, survival, and fitness) for each species, and separately parsed the bottom-up effects of differential plant quality and the top-down effects of parasitization and heat stress on the system. I first investigated how M. sexta feeding behavior changed based on diet type. I discovered that caterpillars fed P. louisianica more frequently switched between states of feeding and non-feeding, when compared to N. tabacum or artificial diet. Next, I identified how hostplant identity influences wasp development, and how the introduction of heat shocks disrupts this dynamic. While caterpillar developmental outcomes were consistent across hostplants, wasp success differed. More wasps survived on hosts fed P. louisianica when reared at normal temperatures; however, that trend was reversed when exposed to thermal stress early in development. I also uncovered that parasitization and heat stress interact to change the amount of leaf material consumed by M. sexta. Finally, I used this differential consumption to assess how tolerance to herbivory differed between the two hostplants, directly measuring hostplant fitness from a combination of seed set and germination success. In the greenhouse, P. louisianica exhibited lower tolerance than N. tabacum, although this result was not observed in the field. Due to the ubiquity of such parasitoid-herbivore-plant interactions in both wild and agricultural settings, this work has important implications for management and conservation in a warming world: it predicts lessened biological control ofinsect herbivores by parasitoids, with cascading negative consequences for novel hostplants.
Resource type:: Dissertation
Affiliation Label Tesim:: Department of Biology
Degree:: Doctor of Philosophy
Degree Granting Institution:: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Deposit Record:: eec049e2-ee35-410e-ad34-7576fd0965a9
Type:: http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
DOI:: https://doi.org/10.17615/0sz4-0h41
Graduation Year:: 2023
Keyword:: plant-herbivore, species interactions, tritrophic, fitness, high temperatures, host-parasitoid, Evolution & development, and Ecology
Language Label:: English
ORCID:
Other Affiliation:
Person:: Irwin, Rebecca, Yitbarek, Senay, Burch, Christina, Kingsolver, Joel , Mitchell, Charles, and Parker, Anna L

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