Publications

Many environmental pollutants are known to have disproportionate effects on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) as well as communities of low-income and wealth. The true fix is to shift the USA to a more just system based on the Precautionary Principle to prevent harmful pollution exposure to everyone, regardless of skin tone or income. However, there are actions that can be taken within our existing framework in the short term to make our unjust regulatory system work better for everyone.

Particulate matter (PM) 2.5 generates a variety of negative effects on health, such as heart and lung disease, asthma, and respiratory symptoms. Our findings suggest that developed land use, tall buildings in dense areas, and major traffic networks are the key contributors to PM2.5. However, we also find that tree canopy cover can significantly reduce PM2.5 concentrations.

This chapter discusses some issues of diversity in hazard mitigation when just recovery is considered or not. The chapter makes some recommendation on how to achieve diversity in hazard mitigation.

The ubiquitous use of heavy trucks in fracking leads to traffic congestion and damages to the existing infrastructure in energy producing corridors. Based on the study’s findings, appropriate recommendations to reduce traffic crashes in this energy corridor have been made.