This blog has been created, by Mr O'Callaghan to share Geography online resources and websites with the Geography students of Kingdown Community School Warminster Wiltshire.
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Confronting a World Freshwater Crisis: In-Depth Reports
Features
Top 10 Water Wasters: From Washing Dishes to Watering the Desert
The many ways we squander water, from unintentional leaks to outright negligence
Slide Show
A Six-Point Plan to Avert a Global Freshwater Crisis
Policymakers need to figure out how to supply water without degrading the natural ecosystems that provide it.
Ask the Experts
Why don't we get our drinking water from the ocean by taking the salt out of seawater?
Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, distills an answer
Features
Freshwater Conservation: Drip by Drip
Doing small things consistently over time—if enough people participate—can make a dent, even in a global problem. Here are a few suggestions:
Features
Get Involved in Freshwater Conservation
To find out more about your local water situation, check in with your local water authority
Map
Freshwater Crisis Map: Current Situation
Lots of Water, but Not Always Where It Is Needed
Map
Freshwater Crisis Map: Looming Shortages
Models examining the effects of climate change and of population and economic growth on water availability by 2025 indicate that climate change alone will bring scarcity to many places.
Palm oil
It's an invisible ingredient, really, palm oil. You won't find it listed on your margarine, your bread, your biscuits or your KitKat. It's there though, under "vegetable oil". And its impact, 7,000 miles away, is very visible indeed.
The wildlife-rich forests of Indonesia and Malaysia are being chain-sawed to make way for palm-oil plantations. Thirty square miles are felled daily in a burst of habitat destruction that is taking place on a scale and speed almost unimaginable in the West.
When the rainforests disappear almost all of the wildlife – including the orangutans, tigers, sun bears, bearded pigs and other endangered species – and indigenous people go. In their place come palm-oil plantations stretching for mile after mile, producing cheap oil – the cheapest cooking oil in the world – for everyday food.
Rothiemurchus, Aviemore
Rothiemurchus is a special place at the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, near Aviemore, in the Scottish Highlands. It offers a warm welcome, stunning scenery and outdoor activities for individuals, families, groups and corporate parties to enjoy.
Rothiemurchus, Aviemore, Scotland for Walking, Outdoor Activities, Camping and Shopping
Protecting nature and the economy
Grantown Grammar School in the Highlands is next to Cairngorms National Park. School Reporters investigate if it is possible to protect both nature and local peoples' livelihoods.
VIDEO
BBC NEWS | School Report | Protecting nature and the economy