From the Dakota Access Pipeline demonstrations to increasing popularity around climate-activist-turned-household-names like Greta Thunberg, a resurgence of environmental advocacy has taken the 21st century by storm. The environmental justice movement, a term first coined in the 1980s, was born from the idea that mainstream environmentalism does not examine environmental policy in the intersection of socioeconomic status and race. This literature review explores the history and impacts of environmental racism and the evolution of the environmental movement. It finds that not only have the burdens of environmental degradation been disproportionately distributed across different communities, but that analyses of the ecological impacts of imperialism have created a singular discourse that is paradigmatic of colonial ideologies. It parallels the colonial vision of conservation in North America with the treatment of its Indigenous populations and explores nature as something portrayed as the antithesis of culture. Finally, further examination of the changes from the Trump to Biden administrations is warranted by the construction of a new framework for examining environmental policies, with an emphasis on social equity. The intended outcome of this paper is to create a set of criteria for existing and future environmental legislation.

Thirteen months after the first confirmed case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the United States (U.S.), over 500,000 people have died. However, the pandemic in the U.S. has not affected all populations equally; there are vast differences in morbidity and mortality in areas of differing population densities. We hypothesized that the number of SARS-CoV-2 mutations would be higher in densely populated areas due to closer proximity among inhabitants, which would lead to increased viral spread from person to person, and thus a greater number of mutations. These mutations can impact and reduce vaccine efficacy, as well as morbidity and mortality, depending on where they occur in the virus’s genome. The complete genomes of SARS-CoV-2 cases from March 1^st, 2020 to March 1^st, 2021 were collected from the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) for counties of varying population density. These genomes were analyzed to identify geographic areas where problematic mutations had the potential to occur. Demographic data was collected at the county level from Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) for additional analysis. Mapping the incidence of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome and the correlation of these mutations with population density and other demographic indicators may help decrease disease spread and ensure the vaccines will remain effective.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic emerged in the United States in January 2020, altering how most individuals interact in public spaces. Many familiar indoor spaces such as restaurants, planes, and classrooms suddenly posed a significant risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Most transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is airborne through contagious aerosols exhaled with carbon dioxide (CO₂) by infected individuals in indoor and outdoor spaces. Indoor CO₂ levels are impacted by factors including: size of the space, air changes per hour, number of individuals present, the activities of the individuals, humidity, and temperature. Vigorous activities — such as speaking or exercising — increase CO₂ levels just as they increase aerosol production. Thus, CO₂ levels provided a good approximation of the transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 in a specific location. We investigated how available ventilation impacts the transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 in different indoor settings. An indoor air quality monitoring system that utilized CO₂ levels was developed to evaluate risk of transmission. CO₂ levels were measured using CO₂ sensors in Seattle, WA from March 2021 to April 2021. This data was collected in a variety of public indoor spaces including public transit, educational buildings, restaurants, gyms, and grocery stores. CO₂ levels were analyzed with a COVID-19 Aerosol Transmission Estimator based on the Wells-Riley equation. This information is critical to understanding the comparative risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 in various indoor public spaces and highlighting where improvements can be made to mitigate such risk.