Series of images of the area prior to development.
Wednesday, 25 April 2007
How soya is destroying the Amazon rainforest - Google Video
Soya farming is chewing up the Amazon rainforest at unprecedented rates as huge areas are cleared to make way for massive monoculture ... all » plantations. In the Name of Progress, a film produced by Greenpeace, illustrates the devastating effects that the booming soya market is having on the world's largest remaining rainforest.
An Online Atlas of the Millennium Development Goals
This site has an excellent interactive atlas of the 8 MDG's.
Link to THE WORLD BANK - An Online Atlas of the Millennium Development Goals
Tuesday, 24 April 2007
Saturday, 21 April 2007
Illegal Roads and Deforestation
Article in the Guardian Despite a crackdown, illicit logging is on the rise in lawless areas of the Amazon. Logging is encouraged by Illegal roads.
LINK
Drought in Australia
Series of images of current drought
Link to Drought in Australia | International news | Guardian Unlimited
Wednesday, 18 April 2007
Japan's age-old problem Guardian Unlimited
Good audio slideshow and report on Japans Ageing Population .
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
Monday, 16 April 2007
Asphalt Jungle: BR-163
The BR-163 highway is in the state of Para, Brazil. The road cuts directly through the National Forest and is used for illegal logging operations and deforestation inside the protected area. The 1,100 mile road is the main north south artery. Built in the 1970's to open up the jungle to colonisation.
April 2007 President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has announced that 600 miles of this road is to paved. This will be called the Sustainable BR -163 Plan and is Brazils most ambitious attempt to reconcile growth and conservation.
YOU do not drive on the right of the BR-163, nor do you drive on the left. You drive on whichever bit of the road seems least likely to tear off the undercarriage of your vehicle. During the six-month rainy season, when the road becomes a river of mud, men with tractors wait for you to founder and haul you out for a fee. Under such conditions, the 1,765km (1,097 mile) journey from Santarém, a port on the Amazon River, to Cuiabá, capital of the state of Mato Grosso, can take a fortnight.
Yet the paving of the BR-163 is feared as much as it is yearned for.
The road joins what Brazilians call, without great exaggeration, the “world's breadbasket” to the “world's lungs”—the fields and pastures of Mato Grosso to the Amazonian rainforest. If the past is any guide, the lungs will suffer. Paving the BR-163 could lay waste to thousands of square kilometres of forest, carrying deep into the jungle the “arc of deforestation” through which it passes. It may visit similar destruction on the small farmers, gatherers and indigenous folk clustered along its axis. In Pará, the more northerly of the BR-163 states, older settlers are already battling loggers and land grabbers up and down the road. “On the one hand [it] will bring development,” says CÃcero Pereira da Silva Oliveira, head of the union of rural workers in Trairão, a settlement 380km south-west of Santarém. “On the other it will bring ruin to the region—more land grabbing, more drug trafficking. Total violence will arrive.”
Road development could deforest 30-40% of the Amazon by 2020, according to one estimate. But the paving of the BR–163 is supposed to be a different sort of roadworks, bringing growth that is ordered rather than chaotic, reducing social inequities rather than exacerbating them, preserving the Amazon rather than despoiling it.
Getting it right has now become a global project, involving NGOs, multinationals and grass-roots groups, as well as all levels of Brazil's government. There are plenty of disagreements, but this throng is forming unlikely alliances, overturning assumptions about how to police the forest and proposing novel ideas for reconciling growth and conservation.
The road will transform as well as transport, but not necessarily for the better. The Amazon forest has already shrunk by 15% since the 1960s. In general, some 85% of deforestation takes place within 50km of a road, because a road makes it more profitable to fell trees, first for timber and then for pasture, the biggest contributor to the denuding of the forest. The paving of the BR-163, which passes through one of the Amazon's most varied bird habitats, will destroy 22,000-49,000 square kilometres of forest within 35 years, according to a report in 2002 by two research institutes, IPAM and the Instituto Socioambiental. Without law and order, the road could usher in the strong and flush out the weak.
Links to : the Economist magazine
GREENPEACE
TIME MAGAZINE
Energy
Did you know that all of the uranium on Earth was formed in exploding stars about 6.6 billion years ago? We depend on energy from the world around us to make electricity and fuel. We collect it from places where it's stored, as fuels like uranium or oil buried deep underground. Or we catch it as it passes, like the energy in flowing water or the wind. Try our quiz on energy. See if you can get 10 out of 10. Along the way you can also visit some bonus stuff: games, animations and stories from around the world.
Did you know that washing a pair of pants again and again during its lifetime uses more energy than making it in the first place?
Without energy on tap, life would be very different. Energy is costly to capture, easy to waste and using it to make electricity and fuel takes its toll on the planet. The world's favourite energy stores are fossil fuels. Now we're under pressure to cut back and clean up.
Here's the challenge: future energy supplies must deliver enough to power all our lives, without unnecessary damage to the planet. We can't rely on fossil fuels for ever - but different places will need different energy alternatives. By joining the debate we can all help to get power to the people.
LINK
Supervolcano
Link to BBC - Science & Nature - Supervolcano
The beauty of America's Yellowstone National Park masks one of the rarest and most destructive forces on Earth - a supervolcano.
A two-part BBC factual drama asked: 'What if Yellowstone erupted?'
Centre for the Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes and Tectonics
Link to Centre for the Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes and Tectonics
Good site giving good information on Earthquakes.
Tornadoes....Nature's Most Violent Storms
Although tornadoes occur in many parts of the world, these destructive forces of nature are found most frequently in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains during the spring and summer months. In an average year, 800 tornadoes are reported nationwide, resulting in 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries. A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of 250 mph or more. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. Once a tornado in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, carried a motel sign 30 miles and dropped it in Arkansas!
Maps and Graphics at UNEP/GRID-Arendal
LINK
This service is an on-going project to collect and catalogue all graphic products that have been prepared for publications and web-sites from the last 15 years in a wide range of themes related to environment and sustainable development.
There are currently 903 graphics available in the database, with the last update April 12, 2007.
An interactive world atlas with country statistics related to sustainable development. Globalis aims to create an understanding for similarities and differences in human societies, as well as how we influence life on the planet.
The Gapminder World 2006, beta
LINK
Version of Gapminder that comapres countries in terms of progress beiong made towarsd the MILLENIUM dEVElOPMENT GOALS.
games4geog: interactive geography games for starters and plenaries
Link to site
This site offers a collection of interactive geography games on various KS3 and KS4 topics.
Games are arranged vaguely in topics and it would be advisable to keep checking back as new ones will be added every week
BBC NEWS Special Reports Climate change around the world
Good case study information in the following categories.
Water, Ecosystems, Food, Coasts, Industry and health.
Link to BBC
Google Earth Library: Interesting things to do with Google Earth
The basic idea is to categorize interesting content that’s available for Google Earth. The blogs intention is to keep this site focused on content instead of news items.
Globalisation
Link to BBC
Globalisation attracts increasing interest and importance in contemporary world affairs. It also inspires passionate supporters and critics. These in depth reports explore different facets of the complex, evolving phenomenon of globalisation.
Friday, 13 April 2007
E.ON UK - Energy Experience - Energy
Link to E.ON UK - Energy Experience - Energy
The E.ON Energy Experience is a major new programme for teachers to help them teach young people about energy. The resources will help young people to understand about the different sources of energy we use, the relative merits of each, the options for energy production going forward and what their choices will mean locally, nationally and globally.
Young people aged 5-16 will be given the essential facts and figures. But more importantly, will be allowed to make virtual decisions about all stages of energy production, distribution and consumption and see the different effects of those decisions.
Thursday, 12 April 2007
Thursday, 29 March 2007
Pictograms
Good clear instructions given HERE on how to create pictogram in EXCEL.
Click on the link at the top of the page for instructions on Population Pyramids.
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Earth Album
This is a link to EARTHALBUM, a site that uses Google earth and Flickr to give access to photographs around the world. Just click on the world map and a series of photgraphs will be revealed.
Sunday, 25 March 2007
worlds largest indoor beach
This is the Shearton Seagaia Resort Miyazaki Japan. The Ocean Dome, is the worlds largest indoor water park. Great set of photographs here.The park has a retractable roof and its own volacno.
Antartica
These are links to resources about Antartica.
1. British Antartica Survey
2. Class room Antartica
3. Cool Antartica
4. Discovering Antartica (recommended)
5. BBC's science and natura page on antartica's animals
Thursday, 22 March 2007
Hazards
National Geographic has interactive activities for Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Tornados and Volcanoes.
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
Sustainable Development
The International Institute for Sustainable Development have produced a sustainable development TIMELINE.
There is a good DEFINITION here.
The UK Sustainable Development Action Plan.
Rural Setttlements
The Guardian has a section today on Rural issues. The excellent GORGEOUSGEOGRAPHY by Melanie R has an excellent blog with links.
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
KOBE Earthquake 2007
Geography Review Vol 20 No4 March 2007 has an excellent article on Kobe and the effects of the Earthquake.The earthquake
TIME: 5.46am 17 January 1995.
Epicenter: 16km below surface,Awaji Island
The effects include:-
Cost: $100 billion.
Dead: 4.571
Injured: 14.678
Over 60 yr olds dead:59%
Emergency Shelters provided 599
People needing emergency shelter:236,899 Building destroyed 67,421; Schools damaged: 85%; Hospitals damaged 191 of 222; 100% power failure (fixed in 7 days). 25% phones lines damaged. Whole city lost water supply, fixed in 91 days. Gas failure 80% (fixed in 85 days) 1 0f 3 shopping districts heavily damaged.
Over 1.13 million volunteers arrived to help local communities.Laptops used for storing information on missing persons and identifying availability of water, shelter and food.(Informal GIS ). Later information on job opportunities, schooling and housing collected.
Japanese goverment allocated over $58 billion for rebuilding city infrastructure in first 3 years.
Thousands of buildings damaged particularly the old timber framed houses. Low income households, elderly people lived in the older timber houses. The middle income households lived in modern more expensive homes, that were stronger. Half of those affected moved to live with relatives or into rented accomadation. 236,899 remained homeless. these were mainly lower income elderly people.Emergency shelter and temporary housing in suburbs were provided. Many homeowners were not allowed to build a new house on teh same plot as their old one, as planning regulations had changed since the original houses were built. many landowners sold their their city centre plots to private developers so they could build high cost housing. Low income housing (public housing) was built on the edge of the city. By 2000 all temporary housing had been removed.
Monday, 19 March 2007
Sunday, 18 March 2007
Plates, Earthquakes and Volcanoes
There is an excellent blog from St Ivo School Geography Department. (GCSE@geobytes)
In January 2007 they published blogs on:-
In January 2007 they published blogs on:-
- Plate Tectonics Revision
- Bam Eartquake 2003 CASESTUDY
- Comparing Earthquakes
- Preparing for earthquakes
- San Francisco 1989 Earthquake CASESTUDY
- Cause of earthquakes
- Volcanoes - prediction
- Hazard Assessment
- Living with Volcanoes
- Mt ST Helens 1980 CASESTUDY
- Volcanoes
- Plate Tectonic
GEOGRAPHY MAP GAMES
Here is an Interactive map game.
The Geography Challenge.
Be warned this is difficult.
GCSE Geography
BBC EDUCATION SCOTLAND has a good 14+ Geography page. Topics covered include
- COASTLINE - Physical Environment Human Impact
- DEVELOPMENT and HEALTH Physical and human factors that influence Development. Social and Economic Indicators of Development.
- HAZARDS - Floods and Volcanoes
- EUROPE - Environmental Inequalities Rivers and Coasts
- GLOBAL POPULATION Measuring data Collecting Data and Migration
- RIVERS - Hydrological Cycle and the Drainage Basin
Friday, 16 March 2007
World Water Day 2007
WATER AID is an international charity aiming to improve people's access to clean water and sanitation. There is a very good FILM outlining their work. The BBC have a web page dedicated to water week.
WORLD WATER DAY is 22 March.
UNWATER.org have produced a PDF Download.
How much water do you use in your household. Why not try out the from household water survey
Good photos from the Guardian.
Index of Human Well being and environmental impact
The HPI is Life satisfaction multiplied by Life expectancy divided by the Ecological Footprint. Produced by the New Economic Foundation you will find maps and lists of countries.
You can also calculate YOUR OWN HPI. Give careful answers to get a more accurate results.
Eating the Planet- ECOLOGICAL DEBT
16th April is the date at which Britain goes into Ecological Debt.
The WORLD goes into Ecological debt on the 9th October.
The information for this was generated by the New Economics Foundation who have created the Ecological Debt Day Calender.
Ecological Footprints
Year 9 will need the CALCULATOR that is here. An alternative simpler version can be downloaded HERE.
The WWF has produced a Living Planet report. This is a large PDF that contains country statistics, graphs and world maps.
The WWF has a good DEFINITION of a Ecological Footprint.
Comparative graphs are available from Footprintnetwork.org., and a series of MAPS, that include footprints over time, Ecological debtors and creditors and a world consumption cartogram.
A very detailed GLOSSARY of ecological terms.
The RPPROGRESS site is suitable for A-Level candidates.
NATIONAL FOOTPRINT graphs can be found using the drop down menu on the right.
Thursday, 15 March 2007
Migration
This is an interesting exercise to do. This is a IMMIGRATION POINTS CALCULATOR which will show you if you complete the survey wether you would be accepted by the Canadian Government to live in Canada.
Tropical RainForests
RAINFOREST CONSERVATION FUND is a voluntary organisation that aims to raise awarenes of Rainforest destruction. It is very detailed and suited to A-Level mainly.
Tropical RainForests
BBC Revisewise CASE STUDY. Covers Location, Climate, Structure, Vegetation adaptations, Water and Nutrient Cycles, Human Intervention.
DEFORESTATION
Excellent site on Tropical rainforests that includes statistics on deforestation rates and a good range of graphs and detailed case studies.
DEFORESTATION
Excellent case study is available on the RGS site "Geography in the News" - Retreating Rainforest (12th October 2006).You will need the username and password from OC.
Wednesday, 14 March 2007
Meteorological Office
This is the official site for the Meteorological Office, they supply the BBC with their weather information.This site has :
- UK Weather
- Weather for our Region the South west
- European Weather
- World Weather
There is a superb section on resources for KS3 and KS4 students and you can get access to the information provided for STAFF.
- Data
- Satellite Images for European and British Isles (EXCELLENT)
- Satellite Images for world regions, choose the region you want from the drop down list.
- CLIMATE data. From the climate list make your choice and you will get a series of bar charts for your climate.
- PRESSURE charts
- PAST WEATHER DATA
- FACTSHEETS
- IMAGES
The BBC Weather site is more than a source of weather forecasts. You can get 5 day forecasts for different cities around the world and the COUNTRY GUIDES give a thumbnail guide to the climate of a country.
There is good section on Climate Change
The reference section information explains, weather basics, UK Weather, Historical Weather Events, Forecasting, World weather phenomenon and Climates.
There is a Weatherwise section this includes a Photo Gallery, Factfiles, Weather Basics, Forecasting, Extremes of Climate, How the weather affects us, a detailed Glossary and a section on jobs in the weather industry.
REVIEWS of the year are available current and past.
and finally REGIONAL weather maps from around the world.
Ozone Holes
This is part of the NOAA site. Excellent images on OZONE HOLES.
Use the FAQ button here for very good information on Ozone depletion. Its in PDF Format that can be downloaded.
NOAA satellite images
Satellite images are available here. This site also has "Image of the Day". You can subscribe to this with youir email address to receive a Satellite Image every day from around the world.
NOAA Weather
NOAA satellite images
There are good weather images on the NOAA site. On the left hand side is a column labelled "Event Categories". Click on a year to reveal some beautiful weather images.
NOAA
This is the NOAA site. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it is American but a good source of information. There is a "HOT TOPIC" section that has information on Earthquakes, El Nino, Floods, Hurricanes, Natural Hazards, Tornadoes, Tsunamis and Volcanoes.
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