Issue 44, 2020
Special Issue: In honor of Ryder W. Miller
Editorials
Editorial to the Special Issue: Commemorating Environmental Writing of Ryder W. Miller
Special Issue: In honor of Ryder W. Miller
Articles
Cleaning up the U.S.-Mexico Border: NADBank’s Efforts to Close the Wastewater Infrastructure Gap
The North American Development Bank (NADBank) was established in 1994 to “cleanup” the border region, which was characterized at the time as an open sewer. This research examines NADBank’s cleanup efforts to date by analyzing data from published reports, articles, and archival records using descriptive statistics and geospatial analysis. Overall, NADBank has provided almost $760 million in loans and grants to support the implementation of 133 wastewater infrastructure projects that have a total construction cost of $1.9 billion. Although a substantial investment, these projects have not fully addressed the wastewater infrastructure needs of the border, estimated in 1993 to be between $4.3 and $6 billion. However, these infrastructure projects have resulted in some tangible improvements in water quality in major transboundary rivers. Unfortunately, the border region continues to be plagued by discharges of raw sewage and additional investment in infrastructure and institutional capacity is needed to fully resolve the problems.
A Qualitative Case Study of Green Environment: Practices, Attitudes and Future Strategies of Pakistani University Librarians
Scope: This paper attempts to explicate sustainable practices’ status in university libraries with specific reference to Pakistan. This idea enunciates the potential of university libraries to address the environmental issues through work operations as a social responsibility.
Design/methodology/approach: This case study utilized multiple methods for mapping data from different sources, such as face-to-face in-person 27 interviews, observation (participants and the sites), pictures, document review and field notes to explore the existing status of sustainable practices of librarians. Furthermore, a cross case analysis was done to validate the findings.
Findings: Status of green work practices is unsatisfactory. Majority of librarians are not familiar, have a limited or different understanding of going green. Consequently, green work practices are highly uneven in absence of framed guidelines.
Practical Implications: Overall, there is a dearth of LIS literature in the domain of going green. The current research based on the belief that every small individual green action counts on protecting planet earth across nation and across globe.
Originality/Value: This case study is to stimulate a conversation on environmental education and promotion among library professionals. Additionally, the study will also place local librarianship into the latest perspective of “green literature” and increase the value and significance of local librarians’ green efforts in the global context.
Global Quest for Zero Routine Flaring: An Appraisal of Nigeria’s Legal and Regulatory Abatement Frameworks
This paper evaluates Nigeria’s commitment to ending gas flaring within the context of the global quest for zero routine flaring by 2030. The combination of strategies deployed by Nigeria has been generally ineffective in inducing compliance from IOCs. The ineffectiveness is linked to both Nigeria’s weak institutional framework and the unattractiveness of economic payoffs associated with investing in gas-gathering infrastructure by IOCs. Using data from secondary sources, the paper locates the non-realization of flare-out dates in the disconnect between legal enactments and economic permutations, especially in view of the huge capital outlay required to develop gas-gathering infrastructure and the uncertainty surrounding the gas market. The paper contends that achieving zero gas flaring in 2020 as planned by Nigeria or 2030 as projected by the international community will entail going beyond present operational arrangements by adopting a holistic implementation strategy that is capable of extracting unconditional compliance from IOCs.