Can the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities help upscale investments into urban nature-based solutions?

We analyze the potential of the European Union (EU) Taxonomy (ET) for Sustainable Activities to mobilize investments for the sustainability transition toward urban nature-based solutions (UNBS). We map the current investment landscape of UNBS in Europe and combine this mapping with document analysis of UNBS inclusion in the ET to understand how the ET might help overcome the well-documented barriers to UNBS finance. We suggest that the ET has a legitimizing effect on UNBS as climate investments, which can support their uptake, but also conclude that only some UNBS subtypes are explicitly included when they fit with existing investment classes. In particular, the ET (1) disregards innovative - and specifically urban - UNBS types and (2) fails to provide incentives for investments that can deliver multiple sustainable objectives, which would enhance the investment case for UNBS. Since the current investment landscape of UNBS is characterized by a strong presence of public actors and a high incidence of co-financing, we recommend that public actors leverage the ET to obtain private funding for UNBS via (green) bond issuance and public-private co-finance instruments. Our analysis indicates that the ability of the ET to upscale investments for specific sustainability transitions depends on the interplay among their current investment landscapes, specific financing barriers, and explicit inclusion in the ET

Can the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities help upscale investments into urban nature-based solutions?

We analyze the potential of the European Union (EU) Taxonomy (ET) for Sustainable Activities to mobilize investments for the sustainability transition toward urban nature-based solutions (UNBS). We map the current investment landscape of UNBS in Europe and combine this mapping with document analysis of UNBS inclusion in the ET to understand how the ET might help overcome the well-documented barriers to UNBS finance. We suggest that the ET has a legitimizing effect on UNBS as climate investments, which can support their uptake, but also conclude that only some UNBS subtypes are explicitly included when they fit with existing investment classes. In particular, the ET (1) disregards innovative - and specifically urban - UNBS types and (2) fails to provide incentives for investments that can deliver multiple sustainable objectives, which would enhance the investment case for UNBS. Since the current investment landscape of UNBS is characterized by a strong presence of public actors and a high incidence of co-financing, we recommend that public actors leverage the ET to obtain private funding for UNBS via (green) bond issuance and public-private co-finance instruments. Our analysis indicates that the ability of the ET to upscale investments for specific sustainability transitions depends on the interplay among their current investment landscapes, specific financing barriers, and explicit inclusion in the ET

Advantages & Challenges: An Assessment of SUNY Oneonta\u27s Current Approach to International Student Services

The decision to become an international student is a choice that is as challenging as it is rewarding, and is one that I am familiar with from both a professional and personal standpoint. Per a recent Open Doors’ account, 1,043,839 students from around the world have made the decision to study in the United States in 2016. These individuals make up 9% of New York State’s student population, and 10.1% of the State University of New York system (SUNY, 2016). Currently SUNY Oneonta is host to 56 of these international students, whom I was excited to work with through my practicum at SUNY Oneonta’s Office of International Education (OIE). Fostering intercultural relationships, gaining a new perspective and broadening one’s world view are among the many benefits that are valued as an international student, yet encounters with cultural, academic and social barriers present challenges that can lead to confusion or isolation. As a result of my work and experience with this practicum, and interactions with the international students who are supported through the OIE and other campus resources, I have concluded that SUNY Oneonta greatly values these individuals. There are many offices, programs and support systems that are designed to benefit international students on campus and I hypothesized that these specialized resources are readily available to this population, but I question the frequency in which they are used. To test this observation, I designed a study that would help me understand how international students felt they were being supported. I submitted a voluntary and anonymous survey for international students to comment on what they consider to be both beneficial and challenging aspects of life at SUNY Oneonta for the month of September 2017. Upon analysis of responses, I realized the data verified my initial observations but also made me aware of the larger context of international observation and how campus policy plays a role in international student satisfaction. As SUNY Oneonta continues to make great strides toward Strategic Plan goals, introducing and applying definite internationalization policy that promote greater global integration on campus would not only benefit international students but domestic students as well. The purpose of this capstone is to better understand the methods that SUNY Oneonta employs as a host to create a satisfactory experience for their international students through resources and advising, and propose policies that can augment these efforts while facilitating progression towards greater internationalization on campus

Why joint conservation and development projects often fail: An in-depth examination in the Peruvian Amazon

Conservation projects commonly claim to convert local people into long-term environmental stewards and improve their well-being. Yet, evidence frequently contradicts these win-win claims. The “multiple environmentalities” framework outlines distinct approaches that projects often use to foster environmental motivation and behavior: (1) neoliberal: constructing material incentives, (2) sovereign: imposing protective laws, and (3) disciplinary: fostering norms and values. We use a mixed method approach to examine how combinations of these environmentalities shape the land use motivations and behavior of 270 families living in 15 project settings in the Peruvian Amazon. We identify four direct reasons why these projects often fail to achieve their intended outcomes, regardless of the environmentalities employed: (1) self-selection of like-minded individuals, (2) limited ability of extrinsic motivators (i.e. material incentives and protective laws) to reduce reported deforestation behaviors, (3) limited internalization of motivations for conservation, and (4) ignored broader economic drivers of deforestation. We argue that these challenges stem from the typical external design of conservation projects based on fixed and limited interpretations of human motivation. Our findings point to the importance of deliberative processes that can support local and external actors to navigate and reframe competing motivations to co-design approaches to conservation governance at local and broader scales.</jats:p

The Pedagogical Impacts of the Common Core State Standards on Elementary Mathematics Teachers of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing

This study explored the intersection of the Common Core State Standards and the field of Deaf Education, specifically the impact of the Common Core on the pedagogy of elementary mathematics teachers of the deaf. Pedagogy was defined as the union of the philosophy and methodology of teaching a teacher uses. This study made use of an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design, which included a phase of quantitative data collection through a survey of elementary mathematics teachers in Deaf Schools in Common Core states and a phase of qualitative data collection through interviews with a sub-sample of participants from the quantitative phase. For the quantitative phase, I used an instrument I created for this study, the Deaf Education Common Core Mathematics Pedagogy questionnaire, which explored demographics, beliefs about teaching, and methods used in teaching by elementary mathematics teachers who teach in Deaf Schools in Common Core states. The instrument was disseminated using an online platform and was analyzed for reliability post-survey. Sixty teachers participated in the survey and their data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The qualitative phase included comments made during the survey and interviews I conducted with eight volunteers who had participated in the quantitative portion of the study. I analyzed these data using qualitative analysis coding following a phenomenological lens. The Common Core is having an impact on teachers of the deaf and hard-of-hearing, although the impact is a mixture of positive and negative. When the quantitative and qualitative data were integrated, six key themes emerged