Copenhagen (Denmark) Summit, December 2009

You may have heard of the Copenhagen summit (a meeting) that is due to take place in Decemember. What's this summit all about? Well, basically 192 countries will be getting together in order to discuss climate change and set targets for CO2 reductions. It is a very important meeting and chance for the world to take action on Climate change before it is too late. Keep an eye out for news of the summit. There are some useful links below that will keep you informed of the latest news.

This BBC page has lots of really useful information about the summit and will keep you up to date on what is going on

This is the Guardian newspapers special site dedicated to what is happening in Copenhagen

Click here for a 5 minute clip from the BBC about the lead up to the summit

Plan to freeze the world's coral

Scientists reckon the world's coral is disappearing so fast they should freeze samples of it for the future.
They say that climate change is causing coral reefs to die off really quickly, because of changes to the water temperature and acidity.
The plan would be to freeze the coral, store it and then put it back into the oceans later on.
Coral is really important because loads of fish and other animals live in and around the reefs.
Millions of people also need the coral reefs to make money.
In a meeting in Denmark, scientists said that most coral reefs will not survive, even if tough rules to try to stop climate change are put in place.

BBC report about the same story

Click here to take a BBC sea and oceans quiz

Click here for an older story about coral from May 2009

'Day after tomorrow' map produced

This map has been produced by the Met Office and basically says Britain faces rising sea levels, floods and drought unless more is done to stop climate change. It predicts temperature rises may reach the dangerous tipping point by 2060 unless more is done to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Click on the map to see a larger version

Bosses call for later pension age

The UK state pension age should increase to 70 as soon as possible because people are living longer, the Institute of Directors (IoD) has said. The savings should be used to raise the basic state pension, it suggested.

A spokesman said:
"In 1950, somebody who retired at 65 was projected to live another 12 years. Now it is 19 years and by the middle of this century it is going to be between 20 and 22 years."

Women's retirement age is already being gradually increased from 60 to 65 to bring them in line with men. The Government want to delay pensions until 66 by 2026, while the Conservatives have proposed making people work until 66 by 2016

Another suggestion is that income tax should increase so that the Government could get enough money to help fund pensions and look after the elderly.

Why did the Maldives Government hold a meeting underwater?

The government of the Maldives has held a cabinet meeting underwater to highlight the threat of global warming to the low-lying Indian Ocean nation.
President Mohamed Nasheed and his cabinet signed a document calling for global cuts in carbon emissions.
Ministers spent half an hour on the sea bed, communicating with white boards and hand signals.
The president said the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen this December cannot be allowed to fail.
At a later press conference while still in the water, President Nasheed was asked what would happen if the summit fails. "We are going to die," he replied.
The Maldives stand an average of 2.1 metres (7ft) above sea level, and the government says they face being wiped out if oceans rise.
"We're now actually trying to send our message, let the world know what is happening, and what will happen to the Maldives if climate change is not checked," President Nasheed said.
"If the Maldives cannot be saved today we do not feel that there is much of a chance for the rest of the world," he added.

Click the title to watch a video

A video and artcle about how sea level rises have affected the Maldives

A video and article on how the Maldives have tried to become carbon neutral

Arctic heads for ice-free summer

The Arctic Ocean near the North Pole could be ice-free in the summer in around 10 years time, a top polar specialist has said.
Professor Peter Wadhams, who took part in a massive ice survey in the area, said for the first time it might be possible for ships to cross the area.
The team found floating ice that was around 1.8m thick, which means it's probably 'first year' ice.
That means it's more likely to melt again in the summer months.

The team brought their own equipment to dig into the ice but that quickly froze up so they had to do everything by hand. Where the ice had melted they had to swim.
Further investigation

Travelling to the North Pole and working in temperatures as cold as -70C is the only way scientists can really find out how the area has been affected by climate change.
If these ice sheets do melt it's not clear what the effects could be, so it looks like these results are the start of even more work in the Arctic.

Test yourself with a BBC interactive environment quiz

Africa's Food Crisis

Tens of millions of people across more than half the states in sub-Saharan Africa need urgent food aid, but the causes are often complex and varied.

Food crises were once primarily triggered by natural disasters like droughts. But according to research by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, man-made causes are increasingly to blame. These include conflict and poor governance, as well as HIV/Aids. Rural poverty, international trade barriers, overpopulation, deforestation, poor use of land and environmental problems can also be factors.

Find out more about Africa's food crisis now

The moon belongs to no one, but......

LAST week, NASA crashed a satellite into the moon's south pole in a bid to discover reserves of water and other resources.

This was the latest in a flurry of Moon missions: between 2007 and 2011 there will have been eight: one from Japan, two from China, one from India, one from Russia and three from the US.

The race back to the Moon has been prompted by the realisation that exploiting it may now be within reach. And it poses the question: who gets to use the moon's recoverable resources, such as oxygen or water?

Read more about this story by clicking the title.

For the attention of Year 9!

In your Geography lessons you should be working on, or about to work on presentations about your news stories. To make sure your group work is the best it can be you should try to make sure you do ALL of the following:

•Say what is the story about.
•Answer as many of the questions that you thought of as you can. Get the scrap book where the questions are written and find the answers through your research. Split the questions up so that for homework you all try to find answers for different aspects of the story.
•Relate the story to Geographical theories and ideas – for example Migration stories can be related to Push and Pull factors – ask your teacher and they will direct you to information.
•Try to cover differing viewpoints in your work (and don’t forget to include your own)
•Try to mention the idea of sustainability. This means whether something can keep going without doing damage.

If you include all of this then you are more likely to get a high grade for your work.

Remember, this work is also about teamwork. .You must learn how to work with others.....this means having good comminication skills, sharing the workload and cooperating!

What is teamwork??

Houses that float?

After the floods that destoyed so much of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (see further down the page for footage and more information), American designers have come up with a solution. They have designed houses that are meant to float should a flood arrive.

Click the headline to read more about this story.

There is an interview with the designer that you can listen to as well further down the page under the footage of Katrina.

Click here to learn more about flood management

Storm-Battered Philippines Struggles to Clean Up

More than a week after Typhoon Ketsana devastated the Philippines, large areas of the Manila metropolitan area and nearby provinces remain flooded, and residents face a host of other problems, including disease and ruined crops, according to relief and government officials.
Nearly half a million people were affected by flooding caused by Ketsana, with many of the displaced now in evacuation centers, while others remain marooned in homes surrounded by floodwaters. Several areas will probably have no power for weeks, officials say.

Click the title to read more about this story.

How can I revise?

• Flashcards: On small cards, summarise a case study into one (or both) sides of the cards and refer to it regularly. Make sure that you include key facts and number as you condense the case study to fit the card.
• Colour coding: colour code large pieces of text into sections. For example, it could be the social, economic and environmental impacts of the Cardiff Bay redevelopment.
• Memory tests: You could look at an important diagram (eg the cross section of a meander) for 20 seconds, then cover it over and draw what you remember. Then give yourself another 20 seconds to see what you missed and add it in. Eventually, you will be able to draw the sketch without looking at a copy.
• Key words test: You could ask someone to read out 10 definitions and you have to say what the key word is. Then you could try it the other way around which is harder with someone giving you a key word to define.
• Spider diagrams (mind maps): Write a key theme in the centre of an A3 piece of paper. Write the sub-themes around it with important ideas and case studies to back them up. Stick your finished spider diagram somewhere visible where you will be able to refer to it often (e.g. fridge door, bedroom wall).
• Practice exam questions: Look at the examples of past case study questions. Practice writing responses to these questions using the flashcards or colour coded case studies you have created.
• Summarising: Condense a section of text into a set number of bullet points.
• Reading aloud: Read a case study summary aloud, then try to say aloud all the facts and figures you remember without the summary. You could also read your keyword lists aloud.
• Repeated writing: Copy out pieces of information more than one time (five times would be appropriate). The repetition will help you to fix the facts in your memory.

For more revision and study skills tips use the links on the left hand panel.

India floods leave 240 dead, 1.5 million homeless

New Delhi - Heavy floods in southern and western India have killed 240 people and left more than 1.5 million homeless, news reports said Monday.

Days of heavy rains led to the worst floods in southern Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh states in 60 years, inundating hundreds of villages in the region. Karnataka accounted for 178 deaths and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh registered 37 deaths, the PTI news agency reported. At least 25 people were killed in flood-related incidents in western Maharashtra state, the report said. In the worst-hit northern regions of the state, an estimated 1 million people were rendered homeless, officials told the NDTV network.

More than 300,000 flood victims were lodged in 1,200 relief camps in the state. The Government pledged to rebuild 200,000 homes that had been destroyed in the floods, with help from the private sector(businesses). NDTV reported that the river Krishna had turned into a sea in Andhra Pradesh, flooding thousands of homes and forcing residents to leave all belongings and take refuge in government relief camps. Government officials said 500,000 people had been evacuated from their homes across the state.

More than 1,400 people have died across 19 of India's 28 states during the monsoon rains this year. The monsoon season usually begins in June and wanes by September. Heavy cloud formations over the Arabian Sea to the west of India's southern peninsula and a depression over the Bay of Bengal in the east have caused the unusually heavy rains, according to the Meteorology Department.

Click the title to read more

International rescue teams arrive in Indonesia

Rescue teams from all over the world are arriving in the Indonesian island of Sumatra to help search for survivors of Wednesday's earthquake.
Workers arriving in remote areas three days after the quake are finding villages completely destroyed.
So far more than a thousand people are known to have died, but now that number is expected to rise.
British, Australian and South Korean rescuers have arrived and the EU and Russia are also sending help.
The city of Padang, which is very close to the coast, is among the areas hardest hit by the tremors. Up to 3,000 people are believed trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
Charities like the Red Cross say more help is needed.
"We need drinking water and clothes because many people's clothes were burnt in fires," said one Red Cross worker.
"We also need medicines to stop infection."
It's quite difficult for search and rescue teams to work their way through to the worst affected areas, so it's going to take a long time to help people.
The earthquake, which measured 7.6 on the richter scale, and a really strong aftershock brought down hospitals, schools and shopping centres as well as causing landslides across the island.

Click the title to go to an animated guide about earthquakes

Kids for Sale: Stacey Dooley Investigates (click title to watch programme)

Stacey Dooley, from the BBC Three series Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts, returns with a two-part series exploring the issue of child labour in Nepal and the Ivory Coast. In 2007, fashion fanatic Stacey Dooley's life took an unexpected turn when she travelled to India for Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts to live and work alongside the people in the Indian fashion industry making clothes for the UK high street. In the cramped backstreet workshops of the Mumbai slums she came face to face with child labour and what she saw there changed her life. Stacey realises that this is a global issue and embarks on two separate journeys taking her into the heart of the child labour issue. She begins her journey in Nepal where tens of thousands of children, many under 10, are forced to leave their families to work in factories or within a form of domestic slavery. Stacey's mission is to try and find out how and why this can happen and if it's possible for her to make a difference. In Kathmandu it is estimated that thousands of children work for wages. As the government clamps down on child labour in India more children are crossing the border to work in Nepal's embroidery and carpet factories. Stacey discovers children working in terrible conditions and for very little pay. She befriends a young boy who is beaten by his factory manager and helps him escape to the safety of a children's hostel. Stacey meets children who have been sold into domestic slavery by their families, including a girl in her teens who was rescued three years ago and is now being looked after and educated in a hostel. With the aid of a charity Stacey joins her as she tries to save her 13-year-old sister from the same situation.

Broadcast on: BBC Three, 11:50pm Thursday 1st October 2009, available until Thursday 8th October

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n4fd2

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog of the Geography department at Kenilworth school. We hope to have lots of useful information on the blog, from the latest news reports from around around the world, to videos, links to other sites and useful information for each year group.

Thursday, 1 October 2009

Indonesian Eartquake death toll reaches 1000
Latest reports this evening on the BBC News website state that at least 1,100 people have died in the earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday, the UN humanitarian chief has said. John Holmes said many hundreds more were injured and both figures were set to rise further. Rescuers are working into the night to find survivors in the rubble of hundreds of collapsed buildings. The 7.6-magnitude quake struck close to the city of Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province. The earthquake brought down hospitals, schools and shopping malls, cut power lines and triggered landslides. For more reports, video and audio clips select: BBC News Indonesian earthquake reports