Afton Clarke-Sather
Water resources; political ecology; environmental policy; China
Faculty Leadership Council
Background & Expertise
Afton Clarke-Sather is an associate professor in the Department of Environment, Sustainability & Geography in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Clarke-Sather is a human-environment and political geographer interested in the management of water resources and biodiversity. His research has been situated in both the rural areas of both United States and Western China where he served as a visiting associate professor at the Lanzhou branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has written about rural water supply projects and the political and biophysical implications of water saving agricultural policies. His current research examines efficacy of local organizations in improving water quality and the perception of wildlife populations in Minnesota.
Featured Project: Afton Clarke-Sather
Assessing the Role of MN Lake Associations in Improving Water Quality
Challenge
State-led initiatives track water quality; however, local non-government entities like lake associations often drive actions to improve water quality. Some literature has characterized lake association form and effectiveness, but to our knowledge there have been no studies linking lake association characteristics or practices to changes in water quality.
Meet the Project Team
Project Leads
All Projects Featuring Afton Clarke-Sather
2023 Impact Goal Grants Award $1.1M to Support Interdisciplinary, Sustainability-Focused Project Teams
As increasing concentrations of greenhouse gasses and environmental degradation threaten people and ecosystems around the world, sustainability issues have never been more pressing. At the same time, signals are emerging of pathways to a liveable future, including growth in clean energy, greater consideration of natural capital in decision-making, and advocacy for socio-economic equity.