July 25, 2007

The University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment is the only graduate environmental school in the nation to combine natural science, social science and design into one shared research and educational enterprise.

Nine faculty members representing multiple disciplines are hosting five symposia that address distinct and complex facets of sustainability science.

The symposia are as follows:

• Which Came First, People or Pollution? How Race and Socioeconomic Status Affect Environmental Justice
• Social Science Insights for Sustainability
• Advances in Modeling Coupled Human-Natural Systems for Sustainability
• New Models for Materials Use, Biocomplexity and Sustainability
• Uncertainty in Global-Change Scenarios

"We work to understand the scientific underpinnings of environmental problems and formulate solutions that are technically, economically and socially feasible," says Rosina M. Bierbaum, dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment. "Thatí¢â‚¬â„¢s environmental sustainability for the long term."

Synopses of the symposia, including date and time, are as follows:

Presenter: Paul Mohai
Title: Which Came First, People or Pollution? How Race and Socioeconomic Status Affect Environmental Justice
Track: Environmental Justice 20 Years after í¢â‚¬Å“Toxic Waste and Raceí¢â‚¬ 
Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 17; 8:00-11:00 A.M.

Press conference: Saturday, Feb. 17; Nikko Ballroom, Hilton San Francisco; 3 P.M.

Race is a factor in the location of hazardous waste facilities in the United States.

Paul Mohai, a leading environmental-justice scholar, has devoted much of his career to studying why poorer minority neighborhoods are more often located closer to hazardous waste facilities than more affluent white neighborhoods.

The results of his latest study confirm what the environmental-justice movement has argued for years, that minorities were living in the surrounding neighborhoods prior to when the hazardous facilities were sited. The study also shows that the demographics in these neighborhoods were already changing, and that white residents already had started to move out when the facilities were located.

"We discovered that demographic changes occur after the hazardous waste facilities are sited, however these shifts began before the actual sitings took place," says Mohai, who collaborated on the study with Robin Saha, Ph.D.í¢â‚¬â„¢02 and assistant professor at the University of Montana.

"What's likely happening is that the area is going through a demographic shift, and this lowers the social capital and political clout of the neighborhood so it becomes the path of least resistance," he adds. Mohai contends that new policies are needed to manage the siting and permitting process of hazardous waste facilities to prevent them from being located disproportionately in areas where minorities are concentrated.

Mohai will present the findings of his study at the symposium he co-organized with Robert Bullard, professor at Clark Atlanta University. The session, which also will feature talks by other scholars, reflects the measurable strides made by environmental-justice organizers since the release of the groundbreaking study, "Toxic Waste and Race," put the movement on the map 20 years ago.

In addition, during the AAAS meeting, Mohai, Saha, Bullard and Beverly Wright, founding director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, will release a comprehensive report serving as a 20th anniversary follow-up to the original report.
Contact Paul Mohai at pmohai@umich.edu.

Organizers: Gloria Helfand, Michaela Zint
Presenters: Helfand, Zint, Andrew J. Hoffman
Title: Social Science Insights for Sustainability
Track: Science and Policy of Sustainability
Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 17; 9:45-11:15 A.M.

"We need natural and physical scientists to understand the environmental implications of human behavior," says Gloria Helfand, associate professor at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. "And we also need social scientists who study human behavior and can teach natural and physical scientists how to promote and achieve their goals."

Helfand and her co-presenters, Michaela Zint, an associate professor with joint appointments at Natural Resources and Environment and Education, and Andrew J. Hoffman, an associate professor with joint appointments at Natural Resources and Environment and Business, believe the social sciences hold the key to addressing environmental problems and ultimately achieving sustainability. Their symposium will provide insights on individual, business and government behavior as they pertain to sustainability.

Hoffman, for example, will present his findings on sustainability strategies that have proven successful in the corporate arena. Drawing on the report he prepared for the Pew Center on Global Climate Change titled, Getting Ahead of the Curve: Corporate Strategies that Address Climate Change, he argues: "Sustainable climate strategies cannot be an add-on to business as usual. They must be integrated with a companyí¢â‚¬â„¢s core business activities."

Helfand hopes the symposium will dispel common misconceptions about human behavior and offer strategies for promoting sustainable actions. "At the individual level, it is erroneous to believe that if we just tell people about environmental problems, theyí¢â‚¬â„¢ll change their ways," she says.

"Information alone does not bring about behavioral change. Instead, you must target specific behaviors that resonate with peopleí¢â‚¬â„¢s norms and values, and urge them to publicly commit to those behaviors," she adds. At the business level, promoting sustainable development first requires overcoming fear of the unknown as well as threats to political interests and habitual distrust of other stakeholders.

Finally, at the government level, where there is often a mismatch between the scale of the problem and the reach of the public authority, governments need to work together through international agreements and consortiums to address global problems.

"The bottom line is that the social sciences can provide many insights which will help to promote more sustainable behaviors at all three levels," Helfand concludes.
Contact Gloria Helfand, ghelfand@umich.edu; Michaela Zint, zintmich@umich.edu; Andrew J. Hoffman, ajhoff@umich.edu.

Organizers: William S. Currie and Rosina M. Bierbaum
Presenters: Andrew F. Ford (Washington State University), Robert Costanza (Gund Institute for Ecological Economics), Miguel F. Acevedo (University of North Texas-Denton)
Title: Advances in Modeling Coupled Human-Natural Systems for Sustainability
Track: Science and Policy of Sustainability
Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 17; 2:00-3:30 P.M.

Computer modeling has the potential to assist decision-makers in understanding the complex two-way interactions between ecological processes in ecosystems and human land use, resource extraction and economic optimization.

"Modeling is moving in an exciting new direction. Ecosystem models are being coupled to models of human activities, such as harvesting forests, applying fertilizer to agriculture fields and clearing natural vegetation, in order to build suburban homes," says William S. Currie, an associate professor at the School of Natural Resources and Environment.

Currie, an expert in natural systems, teamed up with Rosina M. Bierbaum, dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment and an authority on bridging the gap between the science of natural systems and the human, policy dimension, to organize this symposium.

Each of the presenters is working at the vanguard of developing advanced computer models that link human actions and ecosystem responses. "Andrew Ford, for example, will be discussing new approaches to anticipate the benefits of a cap-and-trade market for carbon emissions on the electricity system in the western United States," explains Bierbaum. "Robert Costanza will look at ways to evaluate ecosystem services across spatial and temporal scales, and Miguel Acevedo will address the integration of human values and decision making in landscape decisions."

Currie and Bierbaum hope advanced modeling will eventually enable researchers to simulate human decisions and actions that affect the ecosystem and couple those to simulations of how natural systems respond. This new technology may also help explore the compatibility of different goals for land and water use.

Currie, for example, uses ecosystem modeling to gain a systems perspective of how different parts of the natural environment interact with one another and work together to govern the way ecosystems respond to change. This modeling helps to explain how the cycling of nutrients affects plant ecology and how forests act to retain nutrients that otherwise would be washed into a lake or stream.

As advanced models are developed, society will become better able to use the results of ecosystem science to make informed choices. í¢â‚¬Å“The bottom line is that we want to inform decision-makers at a higher level where they can put into place zoning regulations, land-use incentives and other policies that ultimately promote sustainability and human well-being,í¢â‚¬  Currie says.
Contact William S. Currie, wcurrie@umich.edu; Rosina M. Bierbaum, rbierbau@umich.edu.

Organizers: Gregory A. Keoleian and Jonathan W. Bulkley
Presenters: Keoleian, Steven Skerlos (University of Michigan), John Crittenden (Arizona State University), Thomas Graedel (Yale University)
Title: Integrated Design Framework for Sustainable Concrete Infrastructure Materials and Systems
Track: New Models for Materials Use, Biocomplexity and Sustainability
Date/Time: Monday, Feb. 19; 9:15-10:45 A.M.

"We are developing new materials and technologies that will improve the life-cycle performance of infrastructure systems and address major environmental, economic and social challenges," explains Gregory A. Keoleian, associate professor at the School of Natural Resources and Environment.

Keoleian, together with colleague and symposium organizer, Professor Jonathan Bulkley, are working with other faculty from various disciplines to explore ways to enhance the sustainability of concrete materials used in constructing roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure.

This symposium brings together the principal investigators leading four diverse sustainability projects sponsored by the National Science Foundationí¢â‚¬â„¢s Materials Use: Science, Engineering and Society (MUSES) Biocomplexity Program. "We will present our findings," says Keoleian, "and invite other colleagues in the NSF MUSES program to make similar presentations of their work."

Among the promising new products the University of Michigan team has developed are green engineered cementitious composites, which have special physical properties that make them more durable than ordinary concrete.

"To achieve this, we are simulating how alternative materials will perform in an infrastructure application and analyzing its sustainability using metrics, such as the energy required for producing the materials and constructing, repairing or removing infrastructure, the cost to government and consumers, and the amount of greenhouse-gas emissions and other pollutants released," he adds. "Based on our results and feedback, materials engineers are modifying material composition and creating improved, greener materials."

Other presenters will address the implications of automotive greenhouse-gas policy on materials use, the use of metals and their loss to landfills and the environment, and the material and energy flow impacts of urban development.

The discussion of issues and innovative solutions by principal investigators will not only contribute to a better understanding of the impact of materials use on the environment, economy and society but also provide new frameworks and methods for improving sustainability, Keoleian says.
Contact Keoleian, gregak@umich.edu; Bulkley, jbulkley@umich.edu

Organizer: Edward A. Parson
Presenter: Parson, Stephen Schneider (Stanford University), Robert Lempert (RAND)
Title: Uncertainty in Global-Change Scenarios
Track: Climate-Change Science and Policy
Date/Time: Monday, Feb. 18; 9:15-10:45 A.M.

As global climate-change policy increases in prominence, together with the urgency of addressing it, Professor Edward A. Parson sees a key challenge in how policy advisors and decision-makers consider and respond to uncertainty.

"There are substantial uncertainties both in our understanding of the magnitude, timing, and precise character and impacts of the climate-change risk, and in estimating the effectiveness, costs and other consequences of potential responses," says Parson, who has a joint appointment at Natural Resources and Environment and the Law School. "For the most part, however, uncertainty is not adequately incorporated into either decision-making or assessments of climate change."

The challenge of dealing with this uncertainty was underscored in a recent report that Parson directed for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, the federal governmentí¢â‚¬â„¢s interagency research program on climate change. The report, titled Global Change Scenarios: Their Development and Use (www.climatescience.gov/Library), critically examined the development and use of scenarios of global climate change for assessment and decision-making.

The report, one of 21 assessments produced in response to a Congressional call for periodic national assessments on climate change, examined emissions scenarios that project how greenhouse-gas emissions will grow in coming years to provide inputs to climate-model projections of future climate change, as well as other forms of scenarios used to support climate-impact assessments and decision-making for mitigation and adaptation.

"The treatment of uncertainty emerged as one of the most important and controversial topics in the CCSP report," Parson says. "So I decided to assemble a symposium on that topic and bring in other scholars to look at the use of uncertainty in climate assessments and decisions from different angles."

During the session, experts will discuss tools and methods that policy advisors can utilize to make better recommendations to government and other decision-makers. "The people who are creating scenarios need to be more explicit about their judgment of probabilities and uncertainty, and not just pass out half a dozen scenarios for others to interpret," Parson adds. "Policymakers will always make decisions based on the best information available, however the technical experts have to help them translate the scientific analyses into usable information."