Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Environmental Patterns Revision

Patterns in Environmental Quality and Sustainability (19 hours)

ATMOSPHERE AND CHANGE (4 hours)

I thought long and hard about letting you watch an inconvenient truth at this point but I decided that it was fraught with too many errors and it also strays off the path we need to follow, but if you want to watch it on your own time just do so with an open mind, and be aware of Al Gore's footprint as he jetted around the world publicising the film!
Planet Geography Chapter 14, the global heat budget and atmospheric circulation questions 14.3 to 14.6.

Watch the mini movies from NASA and make notes on what is said, this will hopefully enable you to understand some of the most important issues and reasons behind climate change.
Geography through diagrams pages 73 & 74 will supply some of the crucial diagrams and you will be able to perfect your skills of annotation as well.
Definitions and explanations for dynamic equilibrium and positive and negative feedback will be introduced along with a brief overview of the systems approach to geography and climatic processes.
You could also watch this video and join the campaign for climate justice in the wake of the Copenhagen climate conference.


Check out the climate justice website and join the campaign to be a positive force for good for the world. One person can make a difference, so become a climate ally.
Small countries are claiming that the Climate Change money pledged by the EU is simply not enough to make a real difference.
The interactive climate change map makes for scary reading.
You will finish this module by making notes on the wide variety of global impacts of climate change. This includes weather patterns, health, wildlife, glaciers and sea level.

A specific case study here is not absolutely necessary as the notes you have made on the different global impacts will be sufficent.
Kofi Annan has emphasized throughout the ‘tck tck tck – Time for Climate Justice’ campaign that: “Climate change is having a real impact on the lives of individuals and communities around the world”. In Copenhagen, some of the very people, whose lives are negatively impacted by climate change, are sharing their stories illustrating the urgent need for Climate Justice. Kofi Annan has emphasized throughout the ‘tck tck tck – Time for Climate Justice’ campaign that: “Climate change is having a real impact on the lives of individuals and communities around the world”. In Copenhagen, some of the very people, whose lives are negatively impacted by climate change, are sharing their stories illustrating the urgent need for Climate Justice.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Disparities in Wealth and Development Revision

CORE - Patterns and Change
Disparities in Wealth and Development (16 hours)

MEASUREMENTS OF REGIONAL AND GLOBAL DISPARITIES (3 hours)
We have read and completed exercises in Population, Resources and Development by Jane Chrispin and Francis Jegede, looking specifically at chapter 1.
Planet Geography, Chapter 5 looking at HDI, global variations and indicators of development also enabled us to improve our overall understanding of the main themes of this core module.

We considered what the definition of development is and what are the different criteria tat can be used to define it. The idea of prioritising them into least and most important was initially easy but became progressively more complicated as we considered the Millennium Development Goals.
ORIGIN OF DISPARITIES (3 hours)

DISPARITIES AND CHANGE (5 hours)
REDUCING DISPARITIES (5 hours)

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Populations in Transition Revision

CORE - Patterns and Change
Populations in Transition (19 hours)

POPULATION CHANGE (5 hours)
RESPONSES TO HIGH AND LOW FERTILITY(4 hours)
MOVEMENT RESPONSES - MIGRATION (6 hours)
GENDER AND CHANGE (4 hours)

Hazards and Disasters Revision

OPTIONAL THEME 30 hours
Hazards and Disasters Risk Assessment and Responses

CHARACTERISTICS OF HAZARDS (7 hours)
We started the term with a general overview of the definitions of exactly what a hazard and a disaster are,we then classified them according to different criteria such as spatial and areal extent, intensity, speed of onset, duration of impact and length of forewarning. This enabled us to objectively classify a variety of media reported hazards and disasters.
For a general overview of Hazards Waugh - GAIA is good. pages 31-2
we also have a variety of other books in the department.


For hazard characteristics we have focussed on the following specific areas, follow the links for more specific information on each particular hazard and/or disaster;

Droughts;

Australia

North East Africa

Earthquakes;
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Iran - Bam

Kobe as a multiple hazard area

San Francisco as a multiple hazard area

Hurricanes;

Hurricane Katrina

Cyclone Nargis


Technological;
Chernoble

Bhopal

Buncefield

VULNERABILITY (4 hours)

RISK AND RISK ASSESSMENT (6 hours)

DISASTERS (4 hours)

HAZARD MANAGEMENT (9 hours)