Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0008-6765-8014

Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Mathematics

Second Department

Environmental Analysis

Reader 1

Shriya Nagpal

Reader 2

Susan Phillips

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2026 Leah J Glasser

Abstract

The Inland Empire (IE), made up of Riverside County and San Bernardino County, is home to a  high concentration of warehouses, making it a hub for the national logistics industry. Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are being implemented in warehouses in the IE. Much is unknown about the impact of these technologies, but current discourse and preliminary data indicates automation may reduce jobs and increase electricity usage in IE warehouses. To project the social and environmental impact of IE warehouse automation into the future, we created a system of nonlinear differential equations that captures warehouse square footage, jobs, and yearly electricity consumption. The results of the theoretical model indicate that from 2022-2036 we could see a loss of tens of thousands of warehousing jobs and an increase in electricity consumption by anywhere between about 4-30\%. The results of the model suggest that in the face of uncertainty around automation, local and state governments need to implement policy that improves the working and living conditions of IE residents who are already constrained by unsafe, low-wage warehousing jobs, and burdened by environmental harms from living in proximity to warehouses.

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