Case studies Flashcards
Use for: water and extreme climates
Lead by Dutch NGO - Creating Water Foundation
Nets catch water vapour from the cold moist air
Condenses on the nets to form water
Meets need of local population for water
Uses intermediate technology so that locals can maintain and run the projects without the NGO’s sustainably
Volcanic eruption
US airbase Clarke airbase, which was 15 miles from Mount Pinatubo, was the base of operations for the geologists who were predicting when Mount Pinatubo was going to erupt.
Valuable equipment to predict the eruption could easily be flown from America as the Philippines couldn’t afford such equipment, as it is an LEDC.
The equipment could predict the eruption and help to plan and prepare better
Evacuated around the volcano in circular plot zones
Ash rose 12 miles in the sky in a mushroom shape
Volcanic bombs fell 30 miles from Pinatubo
The Aeta tribe lived near and worshiped Pinatubo
Monitored by the USGS (US geological survey)
20000 people were evacuated, and 10000 were left homeless. 800 people were killed approximately.
Earthquake/tectonic event
- LDC poorest country in Western hemisphere
- 7Mw earthquake 25km south-west of the capital Port-au-Prince, focus was very shallow (13km below surface).
- Caused by contraction and deformation along a fault near the conservative plate boundary between the North American and Caribbean plate.
- 316000 dead and 300000 injured
- 3 million affected and 1.5 million homeless
- All 8 hospitals collapsed
- All 3 universities collapsed
- Port-au-Prince severely damaged and airport tower collapsed, so initially there was no airport to allow aid to reach Haiti, as Haiti is an island and it’s port was ruined.
- Factories closed and tourism stopped leading to huge economic loss
- Looting and crime increased as police force and gov’t collapsed as their buildings collapsed
- Chlorea epidemic began 10 months after, killing over 8000 and infecting 6% of all Haitians by 2013
- Very little preparation due to Haiti being very poor
- International Aid from UN
- Social media played a huge part in relief and recovery
- UK’s Disaster’s Emergency Committee (DEC) raised over £100 million
- Gov’t moved 235000 away from Port-au-prince
- 3/4 of damaged buildings inspected and repaired with earthquake resilient techniques, such as building with bamboo and lighter roofs.
- Food imports as Haiti was reliant on food imports but their major port at Port-au-Prince was destroyed
Past Climates
Deforestation and soil erosion of land from overgrazing
Little Ice age began and climate cooled
{ Sea ice reduced trade between Greenland and Norway
{ Less food caught in shorter summer
{ Less vegetation - less hay for cattle to eat in Winter
Three above points meant that people ran short of food and animals didn’t survive the winter - resources ran short and people starved and died
Failed to adapt to local environment and live sustainably
Should’ve taken advice from Inuits who controlled the population, used natural resources sustainably and lived in Igloos which contain heat
Battle for the biosphere
Mining in the Amazon rainforest from Vale (TNC)
Belo Monte Dam on Xingu River - cost $18.5 billion
Started 2011 opening 2016-9 and 4th largest dam in the world - flood 400km ² of forest
Locals against the TNC’s and government
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Water
Completed in 2008 at the expense of $26 billion
Designed to:
- Reduce seasonal flooding along the Yangtze River
- Improve water supply by regulating the river flow
- Generate electricity through hydropower
- To make the Yangtze River easier for ships to navigate
The 175 metre concrete dam has created a reservoir 600km long.
The 34 hydro-electric generators produce 80 billion kWh of electricity annually.
In 2011 the dam provided farms downstream with millions of m³ of water, and held back flood waters in 2012.
However, upstream 632km³ of land was inundated by the reservoir leading to river wildlife to suffer.
1.3 million locals upstream had to be relocated from 1350 villages and 150 towns.
Water quality in the reservoir is low die to upstream industry, sewage and farm waste like fertilisers.
Coasts
Different types of management both used along North Kent coastline - soft and hard engineering
Kent coastline is sedimentary rock - london clay
Coastline is weak and therefore easily being eroded
Therefore valuable land is being protected with sea defences and hard engineering
Who are the ‘stakeholders/players’ in the coastline:
- Homeowners
- Local councils
- Conservation and wildlife organisations
- Local business owners and operators
- Visitors and tourists
The coastline is managed to prevent flooding and the erosion of valuable land. Erosion is the responsibility of the council and flooding the responsibility of the Environment Agency
The North Kent coastline is managed with the needs of locals and the councils in what is called Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)
Extreme environments
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Extreme environments
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