Half of babies 'will live to 100'

More than half of babies now born in the UK and other wealthy nations will live to 100 years, researchers say.

The study, published in The Lancet journal, also says the extra years are spent with less serious disability.

Data from more than 30 developed countries shows that since 1950 the probability of surviving past 80 years of age has doubled for both sexes.

e than half of babies now born in the UK and other wealthy nations will live to 100 years, researchers say.The study, published in The Lancet journal, also says the extra years are spent with less serious disability. Data from more than 30 developed countries shows that since 1950 the probability of surviving past 80 years of age has doubled for both sexes.

BBC NEWS | Health | Half of babies 'will live to 100'

Oil production could peak in 10 years' time

There is a 'significant risk' that global oil production will peak in less than ten years' time, say researchers in a report from the UK Energy Research Centre.

The report's authors add there is a growing consensus that the age of cheap oil is coming to an end.

But they warn that governments, including the UK's, are not concerned about global oil depletion, despite the fact that oil provides a third of the world's energy.

As the modern industrial world is largely built on the availability of cheap oil, this is likely to have a huge impact on the global economy.

The whole issue of peak oil has long been contentious. A growing number of commentators say the world is near peak oil production, predicting that oil will run out as reserves become more and more depleted. Others argue we have enough oil to see us well into the twenty-first century.

Oil production could peak in 10 years' time

Migrants, Go Home!

PANORAMA Reporter Paul Kenyon continues his journey out of Africa following the route taken by 40,000 migrants a year seeking a better life in Europe. He discovers the way to the UK blocked by a new hardline policy in France to round up economic migrants and send them home, and an unlikely partnership with Libya's Colonel Gaddafi, who has reached an agreement with Italy to capture Europe-bound migrants at sea and lock them up in desert prisons.http://bbc.co.uk/i/n6x4f/

BBC iPlayer - Panorama: Migrants, Go Home!

How to predict a hurricane

Iceland looks to serve the world

Since the financial crisis, Iceland has been forced to retreat back from high octane bubble living to nature.

Fortunately, there is a lot of that nature to retreat to.

It is a breathtaking world of volcanoes, endless prairies and ethereal winter landscapes. Not, you might think, the most obvious place to stick millions of the world's computer servers which are, for all their uses, rather less attractive. But the country now wants exactly that - to become home to the world's computing power.

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click | Iceland looks to serve the world

BBC NEWS | Business | Fear of steep energy bill rises

Domestic UK energy bills could rise by 60% by 2016 in a worst-case scenario identified by the energy regulator.

BBC NEWS | Business | Fear of steep energy bill rises

Exploring Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development in Africa

For developing countries, it is obvious that we have a lot of natural resources with the potential to produce alternative energy to combine with the traditional sources such as hydro - electric power and thermal energy technology, which are not environmentally friendly and also susceptible to climate change.

allAfrica.com: Africa: Exploring Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development (Page 1 of 1)

Warning over global oil 'decline'

There is a "significant risk" that global production of conventional oil could "peak" and decline by 2020, a report has warned.The UK Energy Research Centre study says there is a consensus that the era of cheap oil is at an end.

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Warning over global oil 'decline'

Worldmapper Gridded Population Cartograms: The countries of the world as you've never seen them before

Worldmapper has 200 new cartograms which show the world and its countries mapped based on population.  The maps “were created as part of a Leverhulme Trust project to remap the world and extend the Worldmapper project, have been created using population distribution data so viewers can understand how many people make up each nation.” Click on the map to see individual cartograms for each country or pick from the list of countries.

Worldmapper Gridded Population Cartograms: The countries of the world as you've never seen them before

South Africa: surfers in Cape Town claim world record

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Nuclear Europe: Country guide

There are 165 nuclear reactors producing power in Europe (excluding Russia), with six under construction and others planned.

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Nuclear Europe: Country guide

London on Tap: Reducing Bottled Water Consumption

London authorities have paired up with Thames Water, Britain’s largest private water company, to launch a water station program this month that aims to reduce the city’s use of bottled water. Mayor Boris Johnson’s push for more public drinking fountains in addition to the new station program could be the first steps towards banning bottled water in the city, The Guardian reported Sunday.

London on Tap: Reducing Bottled Water Consumption | Circle of Blue | WaterNews

BBC NEWS | World | Norway 'the best place to live'

Norway is the best place in the world to live while Niger is the least desirable, according to an annual report by the United Nations.

BEST

Norway

Australia

Iceland

WORST

Niger

Afghanistan

Sierra Leone

BBC NEWS | World | Norway 'the best place to live'

China

 

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | China: Population

Population maps

At first glance they could be mistaken for distorted creepy-crawlies - bloated body parts with randomly placed antennae and spindly legs, their gridlines looking much like the compound eyes and variegated wings of an insect. In fact, each image is a country map - reinterpreted by a pair of Sheffield University geographers. The result is a remarkable series of cartographic designs that cast the world in an entirely new light.

BBC NEWS | Magazine | People-powered maps

Sumatra quake 'levelled villages'

Thousands of people may have died in remote village areas when a powerful earthquake struck Sumatra last week, emergency workers and officials fear.

There is now a section on the GA website with a range of resources and weblinks:
http://www.geography.org.uk/resources/earthquakes/

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Sumatra quake 'levelled villages'

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/10/2009_sumatra_earthquakes.html
About 5:00 pm on September 30th, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck just offshore of the town of Padang in Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake toppled buildings and started many landslides, smashing homes and swallowing up entire villages. The following day, As rescue workers arrived and residents tried their best to dig out and help the survivors, another unrelated quake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck less than 1,000 km south of the original epicenter. Each of the two quakes had at least one aftershock greater than 5.0 as well. Over 1,000 people are known to have died, an additional 3,000 still missing. Today, October 5th, officials called off the search for survivors in Padang, and are focusing now on caring for the living and coordinating with international relief agencies

Dozens dead in Indonesian quake

At least 75 people are dead and thousands are trapped under rubble after a strong earthquake shook western Indonesia, officials say.Buildings, including at least two hospitals, were brought down by the 7.6 magnitude quake, centred about 50km (30 miles) off the coast of Sumatra. Officials say the death toll is expected to rise. It comes hours after a tsunami from a separate quake killed more than 100 people in the South Pacific. A tsunami watch issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in the wake of the Indonesian quake has been lifted.

 

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Dozens dead in Indonesian quake

BBC - Wildlife Finder

 

Journey with Sir David Attenborough as he shares his favourite moments from the last 30 years of wildlife film making. Dive into the BBC's archive, explore the wealth of video, sound, stories and breaking news, and let the greatest show on Earth unfold.

BBC - Wildlife Finder - Homepage

geographyalltheway.com - GCSE / IGCSE Geography - Energy and Water Resources

 

Candidates should be able to

- Describe the significance of fuelwood in LEDCs and of non-renewable fossil fuels in terms of their availability in certain areas and in terms of the contribution made by coal, oil, natural gas and wood in supplying vast amounts of energy.
- Describe the growing significance of renewable energy supplies [geothermal, wind, running water, solar, biogas] to reduce dependence upon fossil fuels, to alleviate the world's energy crisis, and to offer opportunities for the development of alternative energy sources.
- Describe the factors influencing the siting of different types of electrical power stations with reference to those listed in the Syllabus [thermal, hydro-electric power, nuclear].
- Describe the uses made of water for agriculture, domestic and industrial demand. Candidates should also recognise that in certain areas there are water shortages which impact upon the local people and the potential for development. This leads to competition for the use of the available water resources and requires careful management.
All these aspects would benefit from the selection of appropriate case studies.

geographyalltheway.com - GCSE / IGCSE Geography - Energy and Water Resources

BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Energy

All life on earth is sustained by energy from the sun. Plants and animals can store energy. Some of this energy remains with them when they die. It is the remains of the stored-up energy of ancient animals and plants that make up the fossil fuels that power our cars and factories today.But fossil fuels are non-renewable energy sources and will one day run-out and because burning them generates greenhouse gases, relying on fossil fuels for energy generation is unsustainable. Hence the need to find more renewable, sustainable ways of generating energy.

BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Energy