Monday 23rd November

After the floods, the clean-up operation

Cumbrian Floods Saturday 21st November

Cumbrian Floods ITN Friday November 20th 2009.

Cumbrian Floods November 2009

Yangtze delta warned to prepare for effects of climate change


The Yangtze delta, which is home to about 400 million people, has been warming far faster than the global average for more than a decade and the implications for food security and biodiversity will worsen without remedial action, according to WWF China

Gabura, Bangladesh: from daily life to disaster

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2009/nov/09/flooding-bangladesh?picture=355360103

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2009/nov/09/flooding-bangladesh?picture=355360089

A terrifying vision of a world devastated by climate change

climate refugees

Global warming could create 150 million 'climate refugees' by 2050
article Guardian.co.uk

Population forecasts

Population set to rise by 10 million in fastest expansion since the Sixties

Times online



Guardian

Thousands still trapped by quake

MAJOR INDONESIAN QUAKES

26 Dec 2004: Asian tsunami kills 170,000 in Indonesia alone
28 March 2005: About 1,300 killed after a magnitude 8.7 quake hits the coast of Sumatra
27 May 2006: Quake hits ancient city of Yogyakarta, killing 5,000
17 July 2006: A tsunami after a 7.7 magnitude quake in West Java province kills 550 people
30 Sept 2009: 7.6 magnitude quake near Sumatran city of Padang, thousands feared dead
1 Oct 2009: Second of two quakes near Padang, magnitude 6.8 - no damage or casualties reported


BBC


The quake struck on 30.09.09 close to Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, destroying buildings

The main earthquake struck at 1716 local time (1016 GMT), some 85km (55 miles) under the sea, north-west of Padang

A second quake of 6.8 struck close to Padang at 0852 local time (0152 GMT) on 1.10.09

Sumatra lies close to the geological fault line that triggered the 2004 Asian tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

Geologists have long warned that Padang - a city of 900,000 people - could one day be completely destroyed by an earthquake because of its location.

Almost 3,000 people are still trapped under rubble following the powerful earthquake
More than 1,000 people are known to have died.
Rescue teams from several countries are heading to Padang to save lives.
Although rescue efforts focused on Padang, aid workers and reporters said that in rural areas thousands more buildings had been destroyed and whole villages flattened.
Indonesia appealed for more foreign aid to help the rescue effort.

A team of British firefighters has travelled to Indonesia.

Australi has sent a plane carrying engineering and health teams together with a 44-strong rescue team.

Other nations have also pledged aid to Indonesia, among them China ($500,000; £315,000), South Korea (43-strong rescue team and $500,000), and Germany ($1.5m).

Population maps show bulging new world

this is how the countries of the world look if maps are based on population size rather than land mass.








The map below shows the distribution of the Earth's population, with the size of each territory showing the relative proportion of people living there. India, China and Japan loom large as they have the largest populations.



see article here or in the Mail Online

Eyewitness: Sumatra earthquake

Indonesia quake deaths pass 1,000

Flooding

A timely article for both GCSE and year 8 groups:
Flood protection 'needs doubling'

British supermarkets accused over destruction of Amazon rainforest

Amazon rainforests pay the price as demand for beef soars

British supermarkets accused over destruction of Amazon rainforest

How the west's appetite for beef is felling the Amazon

Greenpeace tracks beef and leather to Amazon deforestation

London 2012 pictures

Collection of photographs on Telegraph website

Flu virus outbreak in Mexico

BBC 24th April 09 Experts probe deadly Mexico flu
BBC 25th April 09 Mexico bid to contain deadly flu
BBC 26th April 09 Mexico flu 'a potential pandemic'

Q&A: Swine flu

Flu virus outbreak in Mexico kills 70 and causes fear
The outbreak of swine fever in Mexico has killed nearly 70 people and spread into the United States, raising fears of a global pandemic.
In Mexico, sports stadiums have been empty, schools and museums have shut and public events cancelled.
Mexicans have started wearing surgical masks which soldiers handed out in the streets.
Officials from the WHO said the virus from 12 of the Mexican patients was the same genetically as a new strain of swine flu, designated H1N1
Genetic analysis shows the flu strain is a never-before-seen mixture of swine, human and avian viruses

Can the world cope with billions more people?

article in Telegraph

Associated Press Powerful earthquake in central Italy kills 20

Year 7 pupils:
Where was the epicentre of the earthquake?
What was the magnitude of the earthquake?
What time did the earthquake occur?
List the primary and secondary effects of the earthquake
What are the social, economic and environmental effects of the earthquake ( hint: how has the earthquake affected people - their homes, jobs, communications, local environment
Who has been involved with the rescue efforts? What factors have hindered their efforts?
Why is Italy affected by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes - (hint: tectonic plates, type of plate boundary)

Chile volcano eruption

Read more at News 24.com

Reuters 4th April
Reuters Sun 5th April Chile volcano eruption revs up, ash Argentina-bound
Volcano Eruptions Intensify in Chile

New Volcano - Friday 20th March

Underwater volcano sends huge columns of ash into Pacific sky Times Online

Creation driven by restless Earth Times Online

Quake may have caused eruption BBC

Sightseers brave hot blasts to visit island charred by volcano Times Online

Your task:

1. Produce a list of 5w questions - who, what, why, where, when

Which of your questions cannot be answered from the news clips?

Where could you find the answers?

2. Produce a fact file for this eruption

Millions wasted on food schemes as the rich-poor health gap grows

Independent

Shrinking Amazon?

• Amazon could shrink by 85% due to climate change, scientists say


• Scientists say 4C rise would kill 85% of the Amazon rainforest


• Even modest temperature rise would see 20-40% loss within 100 years

Read more in Guardian.co.uk

Sea levels may rise by over a metre

Scientists have predicted:

• Sea levels could rise by more than a metre by the end of the century as a result of a warming climate, twice as much as previously predicted.
• It is unlikely sea level rise will be less than 50cm up to the end of the century, as oceans warm and expand, mountain glaciers melt and the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica lose ice.
• Low-lying coastal areas which are home to a tenth of the world's population could be flooded.
• The massive areas of ice in Greenland and Antarctica are already contributing more, and faster, to sea level rise than was anticipated.
• Large areas of the Norfolk Broads and Thames estuary are likely to vanish under sea by 2100 and cities such as London and The researchers also said countries such as Bangladesh and Burma and areas including South East Asia and Africa would be most at risk from sea level rises.Hull will need new flood defences.

Press Association

Scientists warn of catastrophic rises in sea level

what's making front page news?

interesting to browse on this website to look at the stories hitting the front pages of various newspapers across the globe

article on migration - IB

Number of eastern European migrants falls 40% as UK recession bites
Guardian

Nuclear Power

Nuclear power? Yes please...

Independent

The green movement must learn to love nuclear power

The mid-air collision and Pacific Ocean quirk that turned UK white

Guardian article here

Volcano erupts in Japan

Fantastic footage on the BBC website here
and an article here

Key points:

• Mount Asama volcano erupted at 1:51 a.m. Monday 2nd Feb 2009
• Situated 145km NW of Tokyo.
• Mount Asama is 2,568m (8,425 ft) high, with snow-covered peaks.
• No lava flows could be seen.
• Smoke billowed about 2,000 meters into the air and caused ash to drift over parts of the capital, Tokyo.
• Rocks were thrown more than 1 km from the crater
• There have been no reports of injuries or serious damage.
• The meteorological agency issued a crater proximity warning Sunday after detecting swelling at the top of the volcano, which is seen as a precursor of an eruption. It also raised the alert level from level 2 (do not approach the crater) to level 3 (do not go within four kilometers of the crater).
• Traffic in the area has been restricted and 45,000 local people warned to be ready to leave their homes should the danger intensify.
• It last erupted in August, 2008, causing no major damage.
  The last major eruption of Mount Asama took place in September 2004, when it spewed ash and rock as far as 200km away.
  
  Questions:
  What is 'ash'?
  This volcano lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire. What type of plate boundary exists here and can you name the plates?

Rainforest razed so cattle can graze

Read the full article in the Independent

What is the cause of deforestation?

Who benefits? who loses?

What is the scale of deforestation?

What are the economic causes and effects?

Are there any social effects?

What are the local issues?

What are the global issues?

Who is responsible?

Plans for Severn Barrage

Severn barrage details unveiled

The great divide: Green dilemma over plans for Severn barrage - Independent

Global warming is 'irreversible'

A team of environmental researchers in the US has warned many effects of climate change are irreversible.
Read the BBC article here

Follow the link to see how the greenhouse effect works

Emperor penguins face extinction

Scientists are suggesting that numbers of Emporer penguins is likely to drop by 95% by 2100. These suggestions are based on predictions of sea ice extent from climate change models.
Emperor penguins are unique in that they are the only penguins that breed during the harsh Antarctic winters. Colonies gather far inland after long treks across sea ice, where the females lay just one egg that is tended by the male.
The extent of sea ice cover influences the abundance of krill and the fish species that eat them - both food sources for the penguins.

Read the full article from BBC

Avalanche kills three climbers in Scotland

The avalanche occurred on Buchaille Etive Mhor, near Glencoe, south of Fort William.

On Friday there were reports of wet and loose snow in many of the gullies in Glencoe. Snowfalls in the past few days have increased the risk of an avalanche and in places the snow reached up to four feet.

The Avalanche Information Service website warned that the hazard for Saturday would be "considerable - 3+". It stated: "Snowpack stability will remain poor on all steep north-north-west through north to east aspects above 850m where avalanches are likely. Weak cornices will continue to grow over these locations and be prone to collapse."

Guardian: Freak weather death toll mounts

Telegraph: Three climbers killed in Scottish highlands avalanche
Guardian: Danger warning as three climbers killed by Glencoe avalanche are named

Times online

Timber cargo washed up on Kent shores

Read more about the story in The Telegraph

Polish migrants return to Poland

Soaring pay lures Poles back home - BBC news article
Polish plumbers pack their bags as pickings get richer back east Times online