Thursday, 21 February 2008
Map pinpoints disease 'hotspots'
A detailed map highlighting the world's hotspots for emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) has been released.
Link to BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Map pinpoints disease 'hotspots'
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
How its economic miracle has not helped the peasants living in Stone Age poverty
China has swept to economic might on the back of a political system which resembles no other on earth.
Link to China: How its economic miracle has not helped the peasants living in Stone Age poverty | the Daily Mail
Sunday, 17 February 2008
Trial and error - the war on malaria
It is the world's deadliest disease, killing more than 900,000 a year in Africa alone. But can Bill Gates's dollars create a vaccine that would save a continent's children?
Link to Trial and error - the war on malaria | Science | The Observer
Beijing petrol stations to close
China is closing 10% of Beijing's petrol stations to improve air quality ahead of the Olympics in August.By the end of May, 144 will shut because they are not expected to meet higher environmental standards, according to state media.
Link to BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Beijing petrol stations to close
Friday, 15 February 2008
Spotlight on Lagos poverty crisis
We have report from Lagos in Nigeria on how the city's spiralling population has increased the numbers living in slums. Formerly the capital of Nigeria, Lagos's uncontrolled population growth has made one of the world's largest cities one of the world's largest slums.
CLICK ON Watch the report
Link to Channel 4 - News - Spotlight on Lagos poverty crisis
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
Water profile of Sierra Leone - Encyclopedia of Earth
Water information by country
Link to Water profile of Sierra Leone - Encyclopedia of Earth
Ethical Insight
Link to Ethical Insight | Latest issue: 83, 31 Jan 2008 - 13 Feb 2008
Webcam in the forest
A World Land Trust initiative is putting a webcam in the Ecuadorian rainforest to keep an eye on the many endangered species, using the internet as a tool for conservation.
The project has been set up in the Fundación Jocotoco Buenaventura Reserve in south-west Ecuador, and it has taken six months to install the equipment and establish a satellite connection for the feed.
The trust wants to plant half a million trees on the reserve in the next three years. It employs 20 local people full-time to work in the reserve, which has won recognition from the national government and is run entirely by Ecuadorian nationals. Altogether, the WLT has bought up eight reserves in the Ecuadorian region in partnership with the Fundación Jocotoco.
Fundación Jocotoco is an Ecuadorian organisation established to protect areas of critical importance to the conservation of Ecuador's 1,600 birds species - about 17% of the world's total, and almost as many as neighbouring Colombia and Peru, both of which are countries about five times as large.
Link to - The WEB CAM
Link to Webcam in the forest | Climate Change | Guardian Unlimited
Has the congestion charge been effective in reducing London's traffic?
Ken Livingstone yesterday announced the most wide-ranging shake-up of the London congestion charge in its controversial history. The capital's Mayor is proposing that the daily fee, which next week marks its fifth anniversary, would more than triple to £25 for gas-guzzling vehicles. Meanwhile, the levy could be scrapped altogether for the most environment-friendly vehicles.
Link to The Big Question: Has the congestion charge been effective in reducing London's traffic? - Home News, UK - Independent.co.uk
Sunday, 10 February 2008
Stats4Schools
Statistics paint a picture of who we are, where we live, and what we do. They help people, firms and government make choices which shape our lives.
stats4schools is about helping teachers and pupils to get more from statistics. For pupils, we have datasets you can download and include in your own projects, free of charge. For teachers, we have lesson plans and worksheets, which you are free to download and use in class.
stats4schools is managed by the independent Office for National Statistics, and includes data from across government.
Link to Stats4Schools > Homepage
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP)
The UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) provides scenarios that show how our climate might change and co-ordinates research on dealing with our future climate.
Link to UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP)
'leave it off'
Britons are being asked to "leave it off" later this month, to show that cutting home energy use can have an impact on climate change.During E-Day, which begins on 27 February, people will be asked to switch off electrical items not in use.
Link to BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | UK homes urged to 'leave it off'
Monday, 4 February 2008
Volcano Images
Maurice and Katia Kraft site... some excellent images and short film clips
Link to Au rythme des volcans
Sunday, 3 February 2008
How to survive hazards when you are on holiday!
CLICK on a label to find out how to survive the various hazards
Link to Education for Geo-Hazards - How to survive hazards when you are on holiday!
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
UK paying for 'migrant baby boom'
The NHS is spending £350m a year to provide maternity services for foreign-born mothers, £200m more than a decade ago, the BBC has found.Immigration has raised the birth rate so fast that some units have closed, so that midwives could be moved to areas of urgent need.
Link to BBC NEWS | Health | UK paying for 'migrant baby boom'
China Weather Crisis
The heaviest snow in decades is continuing to cause transport chaos throughout China ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. BBC News website readers have described their experiences of travelling across southern China.
LINK Pictures
LINK Weather Chaos
Link to BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Travellers describe China chaos
Monday, 28 January 2008
Cleaning Freetown, Filthy
The last Saturday of every month has been designated "Cleaning Saturday" by Sierra Leone's new government.The capital, Freetown has gained a reputation for filthy living conditions and overcrowding following the brutal 1991-2002 civil war when tens of thousands fled their villages to shelter in the city.But now once a month men and women, old and young, can be seen tidying up their country.
10 pictures available here
Link to BBC NEWS | In pictures: Cleaning Freetown, Filthy
Sunday, 27 January 2008
Hundreds of village schools face axe | UK News | The Observer
Hundreds of village schools across Britain are being closed, despite a long-term pledge by the government to maintain education in the countryside. The policy U-turn will affect 30,000 children in up to 300 schools in its first stage, The Observer has learnt. Campaigners warned last night that the 'nightmare scenario' would see more than 1,000 small schools in England and Wales at risk. The closures are taking place despite a promise by education minister Stephen Byers in 1998 that village schools would be protected.
Link to Hundreds of village schools face axe | UK News | The Observer
SA fumbles on through power chaos
"Load shedding" is suddenly South Africa's most commonly used phrase.The state's power utility, Eskom, says load shedding occurs when it becomes necessary to interrupt the electricity supply because demand cannot be met. More simply, load shedding is a euphemism for the blackouts that have beset the nation for the past two to three weeks. The traffic in Johannesburg is at a standstill more than usual at the moment. With the lights out, there is chaos at intersections as frustrated motorists find their journey to and from work taking twice as long.
LINK Gold mines forced to shut
LINK Eskom Home page
LINK Guardian Article
LINK news 24 article
LINK Google search results
Link to BBC NEWS | World | Africa | SA fumbles on through power chaos
Britain 'facing energy shortfall'
Britain is likely to face a shortfall in electricity generation within five to seven years, a report concludes.Energy and environment consultancy firm Inenco says that the number of nuclear and coal plants coming out of service over the period makes shortages likely. Old coal plants, whose operating hours are limited under European legislation, have been running more than expected because of higher gas prices.
Link to BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Britain 'facing energy shortfall'
Thursday, 24 January 2008
Brazil Amazon deforestation soars
The Brazilian government has announced a huge rise in the rate of Amazon deforestation, months after celebrating its success in achieving a reduction.In the last five months of 2007, 3,235 sq km (1,250 sq miles) were lost.
Link to BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Brazil Amazon deforestation soars
Wednesday, 23 January 2008
Tuvalu struggles to hold back tide
The fragile strips of green that make up the small islands of Tuvalu are incredibly beautiful but also incredibly vulnerable.The group of nine tiny islands in the South Pacific only just break the surface of the ocean - but for how much longer?
The fragile strips of green that make up the small islands of Tuvalu are incredibly beautiful but also incredibly vulnerable.
The group of nine tiny islands in the South Pacific only just break the surface of the ocean - but for how much longer?
Link to BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Tuvalu struggles to hold back tide
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Geograph British Isles
The Geograph British Isles project aims to collect geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of theBritish isles.
Link to Geograph British Isles - photograph every grid square!
Sustainable Aviation
click on one of the photos on the homepage and it gives bullet pointed summaries of how airports, airlines, manufacturers and Air Traffic Control claim they are trying to improve their sustainability
Link to Sustainable Aviation - Home
Is this the end of cheap food? | Focus | The Observer
While a litre of orange juice is 57p in Lidl, it sells for 99p in the Co-op. Such products, and staple foods like eggs, bread, frozen peas, butter and cheese have seen price rises of between 20 and 30 per cent in mainstream supermarkets. Mysupermarket.co.uk, which collates supermarket prices daily, puts the overall rise last year at 12 per cent. That means the average family's shopping bill has gone up by £750 a year.
Jacques Diouf, head of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation, spoke recently of a 'very serious crisis' brought about by the rise in food prices and the rise in the oil price. Various global economic bodies are forecasting rises of between 10 per cent and 50 per cent over the next decade.
There have been four chief drivers of food price inflation in the last two years.
1. the huge rise in oil prices
2 climate: drought, hurricanes and floods around the world last year made for terrible harvests.
3. the massive rise in the price of the staple-food commodities due to market speculation and the increasing demand for crops for Biofuels.
4. the financial boom in India and China. Around the world, and through history, people have eaten more meat as they have become richer. This is called the nutrition transition and it's now happening, very quickly, in the two most populous nations on the planet.
Link to Is this the end of cheap food? | Focus | The Observer
Thursday, 17 January 2008
Defra UK; Rural Affairs
Our aim is to reduce the gap in productivity between the least well performing quartile of rural areas and the English Median by 2008, demonstrating progress by 2006, and improve the accessibility of services for people in rural areas.
The evidence for poor economic and social conditions in some rural areas is both compelling and measurable. Our target is to lay solid foundations to achieve sustainable and long term regeneration in these areas.
Link to Defra UK; Rural Affairs
Countryside Quality Counts
The Countryside Quality Counts project (CQC) provides a systematic assessment of how the countryside is changing. It helps us to understand where change is occurring and whether change matters to people, in terms of the way it affects the things about landscape that people value. This information can be used to inform decision-making and policies for achieving sustainable development - enhancing and maintaining the character and quality of our countryside for this and future generations.
Link to Countryside Quality Counts
South West Observatory - State of the South West 2007
DATA for YEAR 12 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Welcome to the South West Observatory - the regional information gateway. Here you can access a network of analysts and information across a broad range of demographic, environmental and economic services.
The Observatory is made up of six thematic Modules, seven sub-regional intelligence networks and a co-ordinating core unit. The network is working to a common vision; that policy making in, and about, the south west region should be based on sound evidence. It is the Observatory's aim to be the automatic first port of call for intelligence about the South West region and its parts, with any one of our constituent bodies being a portal to all of our network of experts and resources.
Link to South West Observatory - State of the South West 2007
Thursday, 10 January 2008
World's cheapest car goes on show
Tata Motors has unveiled the world's cheapest motor car at India's biggest car show in the capital, Delhi. The vehicle, called the Tata Nano, will sell for 100,000 rupees or $2,500 (£1,277) and enable those in developing countries to move to four wheels. The four-door five-seater car, which goes on sale later this year, has a 33bhp, 624cc, engine at the rear. It has no air conditioning, no electric windows and no power steering, but two deluxe models will be on offer.
Link to BBC NEWS | Business | World's cheapest car goes on show
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
GEOGDOCS
The Geogdocs project is funded by an RGS-IBG Innovative Geography Teaching Grants, created in association with Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre's Geography Department and Key Stage 3 Total Curriuclum. It is also sister site to Geography at the movies.
A Geogdoc is a short 3-5 minute digital video documentary created by young people on a geographical subject. The digital video can be assembled using Microsoft Windows Movie Maker (WMM) and can include digital images, video, and voiceovers.
Completed Geogdocs is then uploaded to an online server and is available for parents and pupils to view and could be downloaded and used as a teaching resource.
Link to Home Page
Monday, 7 January 2008
Environment In Focus
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the decade of 1998-2007 is the warmest on record. The global mean surface temperature for 2007 is currently estimated at 0.41°C/0.74°F above the 1961-1990 annual average of 14.00°C/57.20°F. WMO states that among other remarkable global climatic events recorded in 2007, a record-low Arctic sea ice extent was observed which led to first recorded opening of the Canadian Northwest Passage.
Link to EarthPortal » Environment In Focus
Thursday, 3 January 2008
Korea The dark half
North and South Korea have been separated at the 38th parallel ever since the Korean War (1950-1953), which has never officially ended. In the ensuing ‘ceasefire’, North Korea developed into a communist dictatorship with a centrally planned economy, while South Korea became a capitalist democracy with a free market economy.
Economic hardship in the officially ‘self-reliant’ North has led to mass starvation, while the South has a vibrant economy able to compete with the best of the world. In 1996, the per capita GNP in the North was $920, while it was $11.270 in the South. A 1999 estimate of per capita GNPs put the South’s at 13 times that of the North. More recent figures will probably show an even wider gap.
Due to the different economic results on either side of the Demilitarized Zone, the ethnically quite homogenous Koreans have even begun to diversify physically, with the average North Korean male almost 7 cm shorter than his Southern counterpart (165,6 cm vs. 172,5 cm). North Korean females are on average 4 cm shorter than Southern women (154,9 cm vs. 159,1 cm). By 2025, the height difference is projected to increase to 11 cm for men, 6 cm for women. Unless the North’s economic situation changes drastically, that is.
So the South dwarfs the North, not just numerically (50 vs. 27 million), but also economically and even size-wise. Another stark reminder of the different worlds both Koreas now inhabit, is this map, a picture of the night-time illumination on the Korean peninsula.
The metropolitan area of Seoul, the South’s capital, holds 23 million people and is the second-largest conurbation on the planet (after Tokyo). Its huge lit-up area, close to the border with the North, is clearly visible from space. Other Southern cities, while quite a lot smaller than Seoul, are also clearly distinguishable on this satellite map, for example Gunsan on the western coast, directly below it the inland city of Gwangju, the cities of Masan and Busan on the southern coast, and several other cities, much smaller still.
By contrast (quite literally, even), the only speck of light north of the DMZ is the North’s capital of Pyonyang, a single, neat pinprick of white punched through an otherwise completely black canvas. The minimal lighting belies the fact that Pyongyang is home to an estimated 3 million people. Gunsan, in the South, has under 300.000 inhabitants.
Link to strange maps
Friday, 28 December 2007
Wednesday, 26 December 2007
Tsunami homeless three years on
More than 40,000 people in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands made homeless by the 26 December 2004 Asian tsunami are still living in temporary shelters.
Link to BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Tsunami homeless three years on
The Big Question: Three years on from the Boxing Day tsunami, have the countries recovered?
Sunday, 23 December 2007
World Capitals: We reveal the greatest city on earth - Independent Online Edition
Welcome to World Capitals, where we explain our methodology to determine a league table of great cities.
The information is in three parts. First, “World Capitals – How We Did It” explains the criteria chosen and the sources used (together with any deficiencies we identified in the data). It describes the formulae applied to the data – in other words, the weighting we gave to every piece of information. And it points out drawbacks with each criterion that may favour particular locations.
Link to World Capitals: We reveal the greatest city on earth - Independent Online Edition > News & Advice
Thursday, 20 December 2007
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
Green light for long-haul scampi?
It sounds mad: shipping UK-caught langoustine thousands of miles to be processed, then back again to be turned into breaded scampi and put on sale.
That's what leading seafood producer Young's started doing last year, triggering a storm of protest from environmental campaigners. They called the huge journey another example of food mile madness.
Link to BBC NEWS | UK | Green light for long-haul scampi?
Monday, 17 December 2007
Sustainable food
Link to BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Quick guide: Sustainable food
Shopping lists 'get more ethical'
Carbon cost of Christmas dinner
Sunday, 16 December 2007
Global Change and Environmental Hazards
How Do Societies Respond and Adjust to Environmental Hazards?
Link to Global Change and Environmental Hazards
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