Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management

Within the context of the broader food sovereignty literature, and with a specific focus on notions of America Indian sovereignty, this article explores how members of thirty-nine different Native American community farming and gardening projects in the United States describe and define food sovereignty, as both concept and method. This article further distinguishes how principles of food sovereignty are being operationalized in the broader goals of promoting community health, sustainability, and local economic systems, and of reclaiming and maintaining tribal culture.

People of color in the United States are disproportionately and unfairly exposed to air pollution. Equity-oriented scientific evaluations quantifying these disparities often use population-average exposure metrics to capture the overall inequality within a system. Utilizing these metrics involves choices about the exposure input for assessing disparity, the study geography, and the reference population, which are critical to understanding disparities and effectively designing interventions. Here, we use a case study of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) from California's agricultural sector to dissect the implications of these decisions. Using a reduced-complexity model and emissions of PM_2.5 and precursors, we compare estimates of racial and ethnic disparities in exposure resulting from different combinations of these methodological choices. The full population distributions highlight differences between disparities at the extremes (e.g., 90th percentile) and at the mean. Additionally, the selection of study geography and reference population can influence the magnitude and relative ordering of exposure disparities. Thus, methodological choices can lead to different conclusions for the same concentration and population surfaces; this can impact not only the findings of an individual study but also have implications for mitigation strategies. We conclude with recommendations for best practices for making, justifying, and communicating these methodological decisions.

Abstract Purpose of Review Petroleum refineries are significant sources of toxic contaminant emissions globally that threaten the health of refinery workers and nearby populations. We conducted a scoping review of the epidemiological evidence concerning acute and chronic health impacts of petroleum and biofuel refineries on surrounding communities. We evaluated the evidence using risk-of-bias assessments and catalogued findings into an evidence map to identify gaps in the literature. We systematically searched studies published by August 2024 on PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science.Recent Findings Our review includes 54 studies published between 1977 and 2024 in 15 international regions. Most studies focused on cancer, respiratory effects, biomarkers of effect, acute symptoms, and cardiovascular effects; fewer studies examined other chronic diseases, reproductive or birth outcomes. Multiple studies find evidence that residential proximity to refineries is associated with higher risks of leukemia, asthma, bronchitis, respiratory symptoms, and healthcare utilization. 13 studies found evidence of dose-response relationships between proximity or duration of residence near a refinery and severity of risk. Common study limitations included imprecise exposure measures, limited control for confounding, and cross-sectional designs. Recent developments have improved causal inferences, including air pollutant dispersion modeling, quasi-experimental designs, and individual-level exposure measures. Summary The literature suggests a range of acute and chronic health effects among adults and children living near refineries. Additional longitudinal studies and studies of biorefineries are needed, especially as the energy transition from petroleum to bio-based transportation fuels accelerates. Our review underscores the need for additional measures to protect the health of refinery communities.

ABSTRACTRecent academic and activist critiques raise important points about the ways in which coloniality, migration and racialization are often overlooked in global health research and practice. In particular, these critiques highlight how such structural forces perpetuate inequalities and exclusions, as well as processes of epistemic violence in global health. While agreeing with these critical interventions, this paper argues for a focus on care and the importance that concrete acts and systems of care in postcolonial, migratory and racialized contexts have on the suffering and vulnerability of individuals and communities. Drawing on case studies from multiple different geographic and social contexts, we argue that the perspective of racialization can highlight how multi-layered inequalities in global healthcare are shaped by the intertwined processes of coloniality and migration; thereby explaining the contextual, structural vulnerability of specific groups of people to certain health conditions and their exclusion from adequate healthcare resources. We argue that social scientists and critical global health scholars and practitioners can play a central role in bringing the three strands of research - coloniality, migration and racialization - into conversation to explore their potential for jointly advancing the care and well-being of individuals and communities in different geographical and social contexts.

In the United States, people of color are disproportionately and unjustly exposed to air pollution. Historically, environmental policy has emphasized aggregate emission reductions, yet major emission reduction scenarios do not sufficiently mitigate relative exposure disparities. Here, we show that without focusing on relative disparity (percent difference) in exposure, the only way to improve air quality and eliminate absolute exposure disparity is to eliminate all emissions (an unlikely outcome). We demonstrate that the relative disparity metric is ethically important and also a controllable societal feature that can reduce absolute disparity in exposure. We illustrate a range of approaches to air pollution policy that go beyond traditional emission reductions to meaningfully address exposure disparities. These strategies should be at the center of the future US environmental policy.

Intergovernmental consultation between public agencies and Tribal governments is a critical component of affirming Indigenous land sovereignty and protecting sacred sites and cultural resources in land use and decision making. However, despite the growing prevalence locally and nationally of natural and cultural resource laws that mandate government to government consultation, achieving “meaningful consultation” remains elusive. This article analyzes barriers to meaningful consultation through a case study analysis of intergovernmental consultation around cultural resources and cannabis permitting on Tribal ancestral lands in California. This study argues that cultural resource laws in general suffer from asymmetrical power relations, which are codified into policy through provisions such as “agency discretion” and unfunded mandates. We differentiate between “structural” barriers to consultation as those which embody exclusionary mechanisms of settler colonialism and “soft” barriers such as cultural differences, knowledge gaps, and relationships, all of which undermine the consultation process. Meaningful consultation requires equitable Tribal-agency relations, which depend on policies that affirm Tribal authority in land use decision making, as well as agency and Tribal capacity building, with equitable funding for Tribal staff time, Tribal-agency trust and relationship building, and agency training in Tribal culture, history, and cultural resource policy. Cultural resource laws and consultation policies that affirm Tribal sovereignty demonstrate awareness of and incorporate measures intended to eliminate these barriers.

This article highlights the need for Cooperative Extension to increase awareness of Tribal concerns around activities that impact land, natural resources, and water. A research team at UC Berkeley worked with a Tribal Advisory Committee to conduct a survey of Tribal representatives’ perceptions of cannabis impacts on Native lands and cultural resources. The results show that there is widespread concern among Native communities about the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation, especially to water quality, access, and availability. These concerns underscore the need to include Native communities in Extension’s agricultural and natural resource activities across all regions and sectors.

Sea level rise (SLR) increases the risk of flooding at coastal sites that use and produce hazardous substances. We assess whether socially marginalized populations in the United States are more likely to be impacted by projected SLR-related flooding of hazardous sites that could result in contaminant releases. We identify 5500 facilities at risk of a 1-in-100-year flood event by 2100 under a scenario of continued high greenhouse gas emissions, including coastal power plants, sewage treatment facilities, fossil fuel infrastructure, industrial facilities, and formerly used defense sites. Seven states (Louisiana, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, California, New York, and Massachusetts) account for nearly 80% of projected at-risk facilities. Controlling for population density and county, a one standard deviation increase in the proportion of linguistically isolated households, neighborhood residents identifying as Hispanic, households with incomes below twice the federal poverty line, households without a vehicle, non-voters, and renters is associated with 19-41% higher likelihood of having a site at risk of SLR-related flooding within 1 kilometer (odds ratios [95% confidence intervals]: 1.19 [1.09, 1.31], 1.22 [1.08, 1.37], 1.27 [1.16, 1.39], 1.35 [1.21-1.51], 1.36 [1.21, 1.53], and 1.41 [1.32, 1.52], respectively). Results elucidate the need for disaster planning, land-use decision-making, as well as mitigation strategies that address the inequitable hazards and potential health threats posed by SLR.

Melamine, its analogues, and aromatic amines (AAs) were commonly detected in a previous study of pregnant women in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort. While these chemicals have identified toxicities, little is known about their influences on fetal development. We measured these chemicals in gestational urine samples in 3 ECHO cohort sites to assess associations with birth outcomes (n = 1,231). We estimated beta coefficients and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using adjusted linear mixed models with continuous dilution-standardized concentrations (log₂ transformed and scaled by interquartile range, IQR) or binary indicators for detection. As secondary analyses, we repeated analyses using categorical outcomes. Forty-one of 45 analytes were detected in at least one sample, with > 95 % detection of melamine, cyanuric acid, ammelide, and aniline. Higher melamine concentration was associated with longer gestational age (β^ per IQR increase of log₂-transformed: 0.082 [95 % CI: -0.012, 0.177]; 2nd vs 1st tertile: 0.173 [-0.048, 0.394]; 3rd vs 1st tertile: 0.186 [-0.035, 0.407]). Similarly in secondary analyses using categorical outcomes, an IQR increase in log₂(melamine) was associated with 1.22 [0.99, 1.50] higher odds of post-term (>40 & ≤42 weeks) as compared to full-term (≥38 & ≤40 weeks). Several AAs were associated with birthweight and gestational length, with the direction of associations varying by AA. Some stronger associations were observed in females. Our findings suggest melamine and its analogs and AAs may influence gestational length and birthweight.