Environmental Effects Of Climate Change Research Articles

Predicting the fundamental fluxes of an eddy-covariance station using machine learning methods

Monitoring tools are needed to maximise living systems' ability to mitigate emissions and adapt to changing environmental conditions. Therefore, it is important to be able to predict the fundamental fluxes in crops, in this case vineyards, such as sensible heat flux (H), latent heat flux (LE) and carbon dioxide flux (CO2), in order to know their capacity to adapt to the environmental effects of climate change. In this study, Linear Regression (LR), Elastic Net (EN) regression, K-Nearest Neighbours (KNN), Gaussian-Process (GP), Decision Tree (TREE) Regression, Random Forest (RF) Regression, XGBoost (XGB) Regression, Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP) models have been applied to predict fundamental fluxes of an eddy-covariance station from conventional meteorological parameters. These models reproduced well the estimations of three output parameters from the eddy-covariance station. The performance of each predictive model was evaluated using Root-Mean-Squared Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Square Error (MSE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), Mean Absolute Scaled Error (MASE) and the coefficient of determination (R2). The findings indicate that for the variable H, the GP model outperformed the SVR and all other models, achieving an R2 value of 0.99. Conversely, the SVR demonstrated superior performance for the variables LE and CO2, with R2 values of 0.96 for both. In summary, these findings suggest that the three models proposed show a robust performance in the prediction of the studied fluxes, underlining their versatility and adaptability to the various environmental conditions of the vineyard.

Effect of Green Finance on Environmental Performance of Banking Institutions: A Critical review

Effect of Green Finance on Environmental Performance of Banking Institutions: A Critical review

Evaluation of nutritional value for some vegetarian kofta as a sustainable strategy for combating the environmental effects of climate change

Evaluation of nutritional value for some vegetarian kofta as a sustainable strategy for combating the environmental effects of climate change

Nanotechnology as a sustainable approach for combating the environmental effects of climate change

Currently, there are a huge number of environmental issues that the world is facing from past few decades. However, the climate change is possibly the major environmental threat to deal with. The rise of 1.5–2 °C surface temperature has been recorded in last 40–50 years. In next 50–100 years the earth temperature will create harsh conditions for living and consequences would be catastrophic. Global warming is the major cause of climate change. The common reason of global warming is carbon-associated gas emission (greenhouse gases) from burning of fossil fuels in various industries, transportation, electricity production, agriculture and commercial sources. Though, pollution, urbanization, population etc. in similar way also contribute to climate change by disturbing the balance of the ecosystem. Nanotechnology, because of unique properties of nanomaterials, offers a wide range of applications in environment, agriculture, food and energy sectors. Not only the environmental nanotechnology can handle a range of environmental problems but also the nanotechnological products and processes are considered as the most effective and innovative tools/mode to accomplish sustainability goals. Nanostructured materials such as nanocomposites, functionalized nanomaterials, metal organic frameworks, nanocatalysts, carbonaceous materials, nano zeolites, nano silica, nano lubricants and nano coatings etc. have enormous possibilities in sequestration and reduction of greenhouse gases, biofuel production, wastewater treatment and environmental remediation using a sustainable approach. The present paper is an attempt to summarize the nanotechnology-based approaches to combat climate change. It aims to review the long-term effects of new nanocompounds to environment and promotion of sustainable methods to solve the climate change related problems.

The application of game theory-based machine learning modelling to assess climate variability effects on the sensitivity of lagoon ecosystem parameters

The extent of changes at the ecosystem level due to external dynamics from year to year of meteorological conditions is one of the basic determinants of climate change. The object of the study is the sensitivity of a set of environmental and planktonic factors shaping the ecosystem of a temperate shallow lagoon (the Vistula Lagoon, South Baltic) to weather fluctuations from year to year. The specific question concerned the short-term advantage of the sequence of environmental changes related to the impact of wind or those caused by the air temperature. The average speed in the prevailing westerly winds in the first summer research season was 3.05 m/s, while in the second it was 3.84 m/s. Simultaneously, the air temperature changed on average from 16.8 to 17.3 °C. The accuracy of the division of the two-year data set of ecosystemic parameters into the first colder and less windy and the second, warmer and windier summer was analyzed. For this purpose, several machine learning models were used. Next, the model with the highest accuracy was selected for the explanatory modelling based on game theory metrics Shapley Value. The analysis based on the interactions among ecological factors shows that the dynamics of the climate on a year-to-year scale can bring significantly more environmental changes in the shallow lagoon by an increase in wind speed rather than by an increase in air temperature. More windy weather in the summer in the subsequent year caused higher wind action, suspended solids, silicates and diatoms concentration. Simultaneously, the same conditions resulted in lower concentrations of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen forms in water, accompanied by a reduction of Cyanobacteria biomass. The procedure presented in the study can be used for environmental prognostics of the environmental effects of climate change.

The intersection of pediatrics, climate change, and structural racism: Ensuring health equity through climate justice

Understanding and intervening at the intersection of climate change and child health disparities require pediatric providers to broaden their competency with structural determinants of health - even in the clinic. The environmental effects of climate change at the community level intersect in complex ways with structural racism and social influences of health. Climate injustice is further evident in policies and practices that disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color through exposure to harmful pollutants from industrial plants, heavy vehicular traffic, and flooding waterways, as well as to harm from degraded civic infrastructure such as leaking water lines and unsafe bridges. To support child health, pediatric providers must recognize the environmental health harms posed to children and multiplied by climate change as well as identify opportunities to center the voices of families and communities to dismantle these inequities. In this article, three case examples demonstrate the links between structural racism, climate change and child health. We then use a healing centered engagement approach to offer specific suggestions for how pediatric providers can actively promote health and resilience, advocate for patient needs, and contribute to efforts to change structural racism in existing practices and institutions.

A global child health perspective on climate change, migration and human rights

Current indicators of anthropogenic climate change are foreboding and demand immediate collaborative action and policy change to reduce carbon emissions rapidly. Human and environmental effects of climate change are already widespread. Large-scale disruptive disasters and weather-related events have downstream and cascading effects on livelihoods, national economies, population health and global human rights. These effects create human displacement and migration crises with far-reaching implications for children. Displacement and migration, both within and across national borders, have sequelae for the physical and mental health of children. Young children are vulnerable-both physiologically and developmentally immature-and dependent on others for safety and resources. They also are least responsible for the climate crisis. Child health threats stemming from displacement and migration exemplify questions of social and intergenerational injustice inherent in the climate crisis. Pediatric health care providers are increasingly called upon to care for children and ensure access to care for children who have experienced displacement from climate change, even as dire predictions for the future are escalating climate adaptation efforts. Pediatric health care providers have a role in these efforts-to identify and advocate for those children most at risk from climate change and to bolster clinical care and education strategies to prevent harm to our patients and children. This paper provides a global perspective on climate change for pediatric providers, including how climate change reflects and reinforces colonial legacies that harm child health. We provide action steps for those providers who care for children who have been displaced in the U.S. and who advocate for children's health globally.

Projected effects of ocean warming on an iconic pelagic fish and its fishery

Increasing sea temperature is a driver of change for many fish traits, particularly for fast-growing epipelagic species with short life spans. With warming, altered spawning phenology and faster growth may produce substantially larger body sizes of the new cohort, affecting fishery productivity. We present an individual-based model (IBM) that predicts the distribution of fish length at catch under observed and projected thermal scenarios, accounting for mortality, temperature-dependent spawning phenology, temperature- and photoperiod- dependent growth. This IBM was demonstrated with Coryphaena hippurus (common dolphinfish), a circumglobally-distributed and highly thermophilic species sustaining commercial and recreational fisheries where it is present. The model projected a 13.2% increase in the average length at catch under marine heatwave conditions compared to the current thermal regime (1995–2005 average). Projections under RCP scenarios 4.5 and 8.5 by the end of the century led to 5.1% and 12.8% increase in average length, respectively. Furthermore, these thermal scenarios affected spawning phenology differently, producing higher variance in body size under RCP 8.5 scenario with respect to marine heatwave conditions. This study highlights how the environmental effects of climate change can alter the distribution of species length at catch.

Factors Affecting Adaptation to Climate Change through Agroforestry in Kenya

The environmental effects of climate change have significantly decreased agricultural productivity. Agroforestry technologies have been applied as a solution to promote sustainable agricultural systems. This study evaluates the factors influencing the adoption of agroforestry technology in Kenya. A multistage sampling technique was employed to collect data from 239 households in West Pokot County, Kenya. A Probit model and K-means algorithm were used to analyze the factors affecting farmers’ agroforestry technology adoption decisions based on the sampled households’ socio-economic, demographic, and farm characteristics. The study found that the total yield for maize crop, farm size, extension frequency, off-farm income, access to training, access to credit, access to transport facilities, group membership, access to market, gender, distance to nearest trading center, and household education level had significant effects on the adoption of agroforestry technologies. The findings of this study are important in informing policy formulation and implementation that promotes agroforestry technologies adoption.

Climate Change and the Vulnerable Occupied Palestinian Territories

Two of the most commonly discussed responses to climate change are mitigation and adaptation.  It is necessary that the world continues to mitigate greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to prevent the most severe effects of climate change, but it is just as important that adaptation measures are implemented to prepare for the unmitigable effects.  With the ongoing Israeli occupation—now reaching its fifty-third year—Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) are prohibited from accessing resources and pursuing necessary measures to repair their existing infrastructure or prepare for the environmental effects of climate change.  As such, this Comment sheds light on the Palestinian voice, struggle, and experience while examining climate impacts under occupation by analyzing the environmental, political, legal, and humanitarian impacts of climate change on Palestinians in the OPT.

Stratigraphy and its environmental implications of the Late Pleistocene Shuidonggou Formation in the western Ordos Block, North China

The Late Pleistocene sedimentary strata that is widely developed in North China records the signature of prehistoric human settlement. The Late Palaeolithic Shuidonggou Formation that is mainly distributed in the western Ordos Block of North China is best known for containing abundant palaeontological fossils and palaeolithic artefacts with an age span of ~35–20 ka B.P. However, its sequence and chronostratigraphy are poorly understood due to the lack of stratigraphic correlation of a uniform relative stratigraphy, hindering our understanding of the way of human adaptation to the environmental and climatic changes. In this article, analyses of high‐resolution stratigraphy of Shuidonggou Formation complemented with chronostratigraphic framework were performed based on our field investigations, Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating and literature survey, to reconstruct environmental and climatic conditions in western Ordos Block in the Late Pleistocene. Stratigraphic correlations and chronological evidence indicate that the sedimentary units of the Shuidonggou Formation are ~35–10 ka B.P. in age, and three lithologic units of Shuidonggou Formation that is well approximated on a regional basis were identified: gravel layers that were deposited in a fluvial environment at the bottom, rhythm layers consist of sand layers, and clay layers deposited in a lacustrine environment in the lower part, and cycles composed of lacustrine silt and loess in the upper part. These units are defined by sedimentology, matching to lake levels. Continuous and widely developed clay and sandy clay about 3–10 m thick occur at various levels within river terrace II and littoral deposits located 10–20 m above the current lake level provide evidence for the existence of the high lake level/palaeo‐lake in western Ordos Block between ~35 and 22 ka B.P. Palaeo‐lake shrinking occurred after when lakeshore sand and gravel, as well as sandy facies of aeolian origin, started to accumulate in the study area in 22–17 ka B.P. The development of the palaeo‐lake probably had been climate‐controlled since the warmer and humid climate conditions suggested by the lower sequences corresponds to the Marine Isotope Stage 3 while the cool and dry climate were identified in upper sequences corresponds to the Last Glaciation Maximum. Besides, the human occupation in the Shuidonggou site was synchronous with the development of the palaeo‐lake of the same time window. It is suggested that the evolution of the palaeo‐lakes in the Late Pleistocene, together with the environmental effects of climate change, play an important role in the human occupation and survival strategies.

On Modern Threats to Environmental Sustainability in the Arctic: The Climate Change Factor

Given the high pace of acceleration with which climate change is occurring, the unprecedented amount of floods and fires and the extremely high temperatures of the last years, new habitable and exploitable areas are bound to increase as a result of the extremely rapid ice melting in the Arctic. These areas will allow the exploration of natural resources and the use of new navigation routes in shipping. The Arctic region is rich in natural resources, but, at the same time, faces challenges due to its sparse population, limited logistical networks, and fragile environmental conditions; hence, any future sustainable growth and development in it should address the need to build sustainable infrastructure and explore and expropriate the natural resources sustainably, in an effort to achieve transformation towards an inclusive green economy that respects the indigenous peoples and their communities and lifestyle. This article not only synthesizes the existing literature on the topic of the impact of climate change on the Arctic, but also discusses and analyses the ways in which any exploration and exploitation of natural resources and any increased shipping activity in the Arctic should take place, in the light of the impact of climate change. By bringing together different literatures – on the Arctic exploration, legal regulation and Arctic shipping – not usually considered together, it analyses and discusses the multiple social and environmental effects of climate change in the region and its indigenous populations, and, finally, proposes policy options and legislative and other measures so as to best meet the various challenges imposed. climate change, sustainable development, Arctic oil and gas, Arctic shipping, environmental protection, Arctic

ANES 2019 Pilot Study Methodology Report: Climate Change Mitigation Policy Opinion (GW1 & GW2)

MOTIVATION. Policy efforts designed to mitigate the social, economic, and environmental effects of climate change have received substantial attention in the 2020 primary election cycle. While previous ANES time series studies have done an excellent job assessing whether or not the public thinks that the climate is changing -- and whether or not those changes are human caused -- less work has assessed which types of mitigation and adaptation policies are most likely to earn popular support (and why). PROCEDURE. In this methodology report, I explore the distributions, internal consistency, correlates, and predictive validity of two new climate change mitigation policy items added to the 2020 ANES Pilot Study. I also explore the possibility that speeding, satisficing, non-response, and/or question ordering effects may have influenced data quality. RESULTS. I find that a slight majority of Americans support taking policy action to regulate corporate polluters, and/or to tighten fuel efficiency standards. Survey meta-data suggest that nearly all ANES respondents answered these items (low item non-response), and that the average respondent spent about about ten seconds attempting to answer each question. Middle response selection does not appear to be influenced by time spent engaging with the task. Meta-data also suggest that the order in which these questions were arrayed in a matrix table did not substantively influence response patterns. Additionally, I uncover high levels of internal consistency between the two items; indicating that the two questions can be reliably indexed into a single scale. Critically, I find that these items have strong construct and predictive validity. In multivariate models, I show that -- when treated as an outcome variable -- support for both policies is associated with increased belief in global warming, support for the role that experts play in the policymaking process, positive views toward science, and ideological liberalism; consistent with what previous research might lead us to expect. Moreover, I find that -- when treated as an independent variable -- support for increased fuel efficiency requirements is associated with whether or not respondents self-report owning (or having owned) a fuel efficient car. METHODOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT. The two climate change mitigation policy items included in the 2019 ANES Pilot Study demonstrate high levels of internal consistency, and appear to be well validated. Additionally, levels of item non-response were low, and response patterns appear uninfluenced by survey satisficing or question ordering effects.

Assessment of Climate Change and Associated Vegetation Cover Change on Watershed-Scale Runoff and Sediment Yield

Climate change has an important impact on water balance and material circulation in watersheds. Quantifying the influence of climate and climate-driven vegetation cover changes on watershed-scale runoff and sediment yield will help to deepen our understanding of the environmental effects of climate change. Taking the Zhenjiangguan Watershed in Sichuan Province, China as a case study, three downscaled general circulation models with two emission scenarios were used to generate possible climatic conditions for three future periods of P1 (2020–2039), P2 (2050–2069) and P3 (2080–2099). Differences in scenarios were compared with the base period 1980–1999. Then, a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index climate factor regression model was established to analyze changes to vegetation cover under the climate change scenarios. Finally, a Soil and Water Assessment Tool model was built to simulate the response of runoff and sediment yield in the three future periods under two different scenarios: only changes in climate and synergistic changes in climate and vegetation cover. The temperature and precipitation projections showed a significant increasing trend compared to the baseline condition for both emission scenarios. Climate change is expected to increase the average annual runoff by 15%–38% compared with the base period, and the average annual sediment yield will increase by 4%–32%. The response of runoff and sediment yield varies in different periods, scenarios, and sub-watersheds. Climate-driven vegetation cover changes have an impact on runoff and sediment yield in the watershed, resulting in a difference of 5.8%–12.9% to the total changes. To some extent, the changes in vegetation cover will inhibit the hydrological impact of climate changes. The study helps to clarify the effects of climate and vegetation cover factors on hydrological variations in watersheds and provides further support for understanding future hydrological scenarios and implementing effective protection and use of water and soil resources.

The effect of regional sea surface temperature rise on fisheries along the Portuguese Iberian Atlantic coast

Abstract The environmental effects of climate change are expected to impact fisheries, and related economies, and represent a significant challenge for the development of government policy. The impact of ocean warming on fisheries yields is of particular concern. The effect of sea surface temperature (SST) on fisheries in three distinct biogeographic areas (north‐western, NW; south‐western, SW; and south, S) and different fleet sectors (trawl, seine, and multi‐gear) of the Portuguese coast was examined. The mean temperature of the catch (MTC) was applied to the official landings statistics to assess the effect of global warming on the exploited marine communities. MTC increased from 16.9, 16.7, and 17.4°C in 1989 to 17.9, 18.1, and 18.3°C in 2009, whereas the linear rate of MTC increase was 0.54, 0.49, and 0.70°C per decade in the NW, SW, and S regions, respectively. The increase of warmer species in fisheries landings is regional‐specific. The percentage increases in landings of warmer water species increased significantly from north to south: 5.1, 6.7, and 18% per decade in the NW, SW, and S, respectively. The results confirmed that ocean warming has affected the composition of fisheries landings (of warmer and colder species) in the three regions of the Portuguese coast. The results highlight the importance and urgency of considering the temperature‐induced shift in species distribution in fisheries management.

Rapid shifts in distribution and high-latitude persistence of oceanographic habitat revealed using citizen science data from a climate change hotspot.

The environmental effects of climate change are predicted to cause distribution shifts in many marine taxa, yet data are often difficult to collect. Quantifying and monitoring species' suitable environmental habitats is a pragmatic approach for assessing changes in species distributions but is underdeveloped for quantifying climate change induced range shifts in marine systems. Specifically, habitat predictions present opportunities for quantifying spatiotemporal distribution changes while accounting for sources of natural climate variation. Here we demonstrate the utility of a marine-based habitat model parameterized using citizen science data and remotely sensed environmental covariates for quantifying shifts in oceanographic habitat suitability over 22years for a coastal-pelagic fish species in a climate change hotspot. Our analyses account for the effects of natural intra- and interannual climate variability to reveal rapid poleward shifts in core (94.4km/decade) and poleward edge (108.8km/decade) oceanographic habitats. Temporal persistence of suitable oceanographic habitat at high latitudes also increased by approximately 3months over the study period. Our approach demonstrates how marine citizen science data can be used to quantify range shifts, but necessitates shifting focus from species distributions directly, to the distribution of species' environmental habitat preferences.

Climate change and gender equality in developing states

It is commonly accepted that women can be more vulnerable than men to the adverse environmental effects of climate change. This paper evaluates whether the unequal distribution of costs women bear as a result of climate change are reflected across broader macro-social institutions to the detriment of gender equality and women's rights. It argues that gender disparities in climate change vulnerability not only reflect preexisting gender inequalities, they also reinforce them. Inequalities in the ownership and control of household assets and rising familial burdens due to male out-migration, declining food and water access, and increased disaster exposure can undermine women's ability to achieve economic independence, enhance human capital, and maintain health and wellbeing. Consequences for gender equality include reductions in intra-household bargaining power, as women become less capable of generating independent revenue. Outside the home, norms of gender discrimination and gender imbalances in socio-economic status should increase as women are less able to participate in formal labor markets, join civil society organizations, or collectively mobilize for political change. The outcome of these processes can reduce a society's level of gender equality by increasing constraints on the advancement of laws and norms that promote co-equal status. I empirically test this relationship across a sample of developing states between 1981 and 2010. The findings suggest that climate shocks and climatic disasters exert a broadly negative impact on gender equality, as deviations from long-term mean temperatures and increasing incidence of climatological and hydro-meteorological disasters are associated with declines in women's economic and social rights. These effects appear to be most salient in states that are relatively less-democratic, with greater dependence on agriculture, and lower levels of economic development.

Global issue, developed country bias: the Paris climate conference as covered by daily print news organizations in 13 nations

To understand how media portrayed the pivotal 2015 UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris, we assessed 2580 articles that appeared during the 2 weeks of the conference in the online versions of the two or three leading print newspapers in four developed countries, six emerging economies, and three developing countries: the USA, France, UK, Australia, India, China, South Africa, Brazil, Bolivia, Nigeria, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. Categorization by key topics revealed that much of the coverage left readers with little understanding of many of the issues discussed at COP21, and in particular, those of high priority to developing nations. For example, there was little coverage of adaptation to climate impacts and far higher coverage of emissions reductions (mitigation). Print stories largely were updates on the talks, or focused on activists, the actions of world leaders at the conference, and the environmental effects of climate change. Furthermore, articles under-reported key issues for poorer nations such as equity, human rights, and the effects on human populations. Online coverage by print news organizations was heavily skewed towards the developed world, with little discussion of the most vulnerable countries or the issues that are important to them. These trends highlight the bias of coverage to developed nation perspectives and the persistence of journalistic norms that seek to emphasize drama, novelty, and balance in news coverage.

Conceptualising the interactive effects of climate change and biological invasions on subarctic freshwater fish.

Climate change and species invasions represent key threats to global biodiversity. Subarctic freshwaters are sentinels for understanding both stressors because the effects of climate change are disproportionately strong at high latitudes and invasion of temperate species is prevalent. Here, we summarize the environmental effects of climate change and illustrate the ecological responses of freshwater fishes to these effects, spanning individual, population, community and ecosystem levels. Climate change is modifying hydrological cycles across atmospheric, terrestrial and aquatic components of subarctic ecosystems, causing increases in ambient water temperature and nutrient availability. These changes affect the individual behavior, habitat use, growth and metabolism, alter population spawning and recruitment dynamics, leading to changes in species abundance and distribution, modify food web structure, trophic interactions and energy flow within communities and change the sources, quantity and quality of energy and nutrients in ecosystems. Increases in temperature and its variability in aquatic environments underpin many ecological responses; however, altered hydrological regimes, increasing nutrient inputs and shortened ice cover are also important drivers of climate change effects and likely contribute to context‐dependent responses. Species invasions are a complex aspect of the ecology of climate change because the phenomena of invasion are both an effect and a driver of the ecological consequences of climate change. Using subarctic freshwaters as an example, we illustrate how climate change can alter three distinct aspects of species invasions: (1) the vulnerability of ecosystems to be invaded, (2) the potential for species to spread and invade new habitats, and (3) the subsequent ecological effects of invaders. We identify three fundamental knowledge gaps focused on the need to determine (1) how environmental and landscape characteristics influence the ecological impact of climate change, (2) the separate and combined effects of climate and non‐native invading species and (3) the underlying ecological processes or mechanisms responsible for changes in patterns of biodiversity.

Effects of Climate Change on Environmental Hazards in Local Communities: A Data Visualization Prototype

Introduction: Although the effects of climate change on health risk have been extensively studied, it is unclear how climate change affects exposure pathways for environmental hazards. We create data visualization maps that inform policy makers to identify areas and people at greatest risk. Methods: Working with the EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program and the Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC), we leveraged publicly available data (e.g. from the TRI, State health and environmental agencies, and NOAA and Landsat satellites) to develop an interactive web portal to display and communicate potential health and environmental effects of climate change on a disadvantaged neighborhood: the Near West Neighborhood. We created visualizations to identify: 1) locations at increased risk of flooding and associated vulnerabilities with respect to housing structures (mold), other critical infrastructure (including hospitals and schools), and contaminated sites and repositories for waste; 2) areas with an increased level of ozone formation from mobile and non-mobile sources of VOCs as they relate to increases in overall ambient temperature and localized urban heat island effects; and 3) hotspots where residents are more vulnerable to acute cardiovascular emergency call and hospitalization as a result of urban heat island effects. Results: these maps may aid decision-makers in identifying targeted areas and/or at-risk populations for disaster prevention, preparation, and response as a result of climate change and provides a cost-effective way to mitigate potential impacts of climate change. We have gained permission from the Near West Neighborhood to display this tool in the Neighborhood’s community center so the residents are empowered for environmental justice. Conclusion: the mapping tool will be invaluable for policy makers, as evidenced by our first prize award for the NIH/NIEHS Climate Change and Environmental Exposure Challenges. http://arcg.is/1K1mElG