Geography case studies Flashcards
River Regimes
Yukon: High seasonal variability, tundra/mountain climate, high flow in summer but frozen in winter, little human influence.
Amazon: tropical climate, high temperature&precipitation, low seasonal variability, many dams and HEP being built.
Murray-Darling: high variability, sub-tropical climate, mountainous climate leads to prolonged drought, is in rain shadow, water has been diverted from natural flows for farming.
Sahel, Africa
Has several of the poorest developing countries in the world in the region, is a very drought sensitive region, 85% of precipitation falls in the summer.
Human causes: climate change, rainfed agriculture, population is doubling every 20 to 30 years.
Effects: Lake Chad has reduced 10% in size, both Mali and Niger suffered droughts in 2005 and 2010, crops struggle to grow, 80% of drylands in Sahel has suffered from environmental deterioration from over-cultivation.
Storm Desmond (2015)
Caused by a deep Atlantic low-pressure system and position of jet streams.
Effects: 341.3mm of rainfall in 24 hours, 5200 homes flooded, road and rail systems disrupted for several days, insurance bills of more than $4.4billion, reduced house prices, eroded the banks and beds of the river, destroyed plants and agriculture, 2 deaths, landslides occurred in many landslides, 50,000 left without power, 1000’s force to evacuate, 81mph strongest gust.
Califiorna Drought
Is an issue for 40,000,000 people, has high droughts, reservoir levels only 77% of normal levels in 2016. 11 of the 15 years between 2000 and 2015 were drought years, lower surface runoff and soil moisture levels.
Cold War
Different political views: USA (Capitalist - democracy), USSR (communist - dictatorship), Population in 1990: Both around 290,000.
Both are self-sufficient in physical resources.
Economic system - Free Market (USA) vs Centrally Planned (USSR)
Allies - Western Europe, Japan, South Korea (USA) vs Eastern Europe (USSR)
Military: World’s largest, most powerful air force, also has a large nuclear arsenal (USA). Large army, nuclear weapons, outdated weapons (USSR).
Land: 3rd Largest (USA), Largest (USSR)
Space Race between nations - Who would be first?
USSR collapsed, mostly due to its smaller economic size.
London Docklands
Fall: Closed in the 1970’s, as the port couldn’t fit larger boats, 60% unemployment in some areas, high deprivation and ethnic tension led to riots in the 1980’s. 100,000 people left between 1971 and 1981, derelict warehouses.
Rise: Private sector put in charge that bypassed local councils, DLR: opened in 1987, cost £73 million, now operates at full capacity.
Limehouse Link: Connects Docklands to Central London.
Jubilee line extension finished in 2000.
Canary Wharf had 5.9 milllion2 feet of office and retail space. (remained somewhat empty until Jubilee Line). 100,000 workers by 2005.
BRIC’S
China: Has 2nd largest GDP, powerful manufacturing economy, growing military and technology power.
Cons: ageing population, environmental problems, excess demand for resources, unwilling to engage in global problems.
India: Youthful population, global leader in IT technology,
Cons: Widespread poverty, poor water infrastructure, lack of water resources.
Brazil: Huge natural resources, farming potential, modern economic structure
Cons: economic fluctuates, limited military strength
Russia: large nuclear armed military, large oil and gas reserve
Cons: difficult relations, ageing populations.
Japan: 3rd largest GDP, technologically advanced economy, global TNC’s
Cons: ageing and declining population, slow economic growth since 1990, hazard prone
Mexico: Advanced economy but high crime and corruption
Nigeria: High population and large oil reserves but high poverty and internal conflict.
Arctic oil and gas
Has 30% of the world’ undiscovered reserves. Different countries claim territory within the arctic circle, Military patrols have increased since 2007, only few resources are currently exploited.
Countries Involved: Russia, Canada, USA and EU
South China Sea
Disputed islands claimed by China and US allies, China has island settlements and has built artificial islands. Chins is giving policy ideas of a “nine-dashed line” and “2nd island chain”, which would give it a lot of land.
China’s relationship with Africa
Exploit China’s resources: Copper ore (Zambia), Cotton (DRC), Crude Oil (Angola, Chad, Sudan).
China has invested in HEP, railway, ports, roads. Trade is worth $200 billion.
Challenges: lack of investment in countries without resources. environmental degradation, jobs done by Chinese migrant labour, primary goods are cheap.
Conflict in the Middle East
Religious tensions between Shia and Shani groups. Has 80% of the world’s oil.
Colonial powers drew borders - didn’t separate communities and cultures.
USA: Israel, Arab. China: Syria, Iran.
Invasions in Iraq and Afghanistan to remove Hussain and the Taliban.
Refugee Crisis. Ongoing conflict between Palestine and Isarel.
Three Gorges Dam
Built to generate HEP and control flooding. Heights of 175m. Finished in 2009.
Pros: reduces coal use by 150 million tonnes a year, electricity for 60 million homes
Cons: displaced 1.3 million people, cost $31.3 billion, causes landslides, water pollution, cracks in structure, decomposing vegetation produces methane.
Water Transfer
Done as there is excess demand in the North due to its high population, industry and agriculture. Took 50 years to construct.
Cons: forced 345,000 to relocate, doesn’t solve water pollution, prone to attacks, cost $70 billion.
Desalination
Takes water from the Mediterranean sea and turns saltwater into freshwater.
Estimated to produce 1,100,000,000m3 of freshwater by 2030.
Pros: Could provide 70% of domestic supplies, supply is predictable and reliable, seawater availability is unlimited, supplies are not dependent on climate and politics, costs are reducing.
Cons: production leaves toxic saline’s behind.
Aboriginals in Australia
Under British rule until the 1970’s. Children stolen from their homes and trained to be “civilised”. Life expectancy is 10 years below Australia’s average.
Make up 3% of the population
Factors: Poor housing, low education, high unemployment, discrimination, hard to get their problems recognised, use of drugs and alcohol abuse, heavy smoking, lack of medical care, high chronic disease. 18.4% unemployment, 35% less weekly wage.
Saudi Arabia vs France Spending
Saudi Arabia: Oil exports is its main economy with economy controlled by royal elite.
Healthcare: State-funded and high quality
Welfare: only a third of Saudi’s are in work, only 20% of women work, benefits are £400 for 12 months, pensions are £300 a month.
Education: highly religious, low on science and technology, teachers are poorly trained, low spending.
France: health is state-funded, residents have to pay £150 in insurance a month, 4th highest spending as a % of GDP.
Welfare: high payments for welfare and pension. high education spending (more than London). High government spending - 56% of GDP.
India vs China Rights
India: Religious freedom but violence and intolerance between groups, freedom of speech but protests are common, political and press freedom, lack of LGBT rights, Caste system is controversial.
China: lack of religious freedom, internet censorship, only one political party, media is monitored.
Rwanda
2 groups of Hutu (85%) and Tutsi (15%). Was initially dominated by Tutsi.
Hutu then decided to eliminate the Tutsi. In April 1994 - 800,000 were massacred. Rebel group invaded the country and regained control by July.
2 million Hutu fled. There are still tensions today.
Does have a very good gender equality record.
Russia Conflict with Ukraine
Stopped supplying after saying Ukraine hadn’t paid off a £3.3 billion debt.
70% of Russia’s gas to Europe is carried through Ukraine
Russia building pipelines such as Nord stream that bypass Ukraine.
Biofuels in Brazil
Have used flex-fuel vehicles. Produces 930,000 barrels a day. Industry is worth $50 billion a year. employs 1.34 million people. Generates 16% of Brazil’s energy.
Is more expensive than fossil fuels, so consumption depends on price of both fossil fuels and biofuels.
River Nile Conflict
Runs through 11 countries, is 6700km long, Blue Nile makes up 70% of discharge and White Nile makes up 30% of discharge. Population expected to double by 2030.
Egypt threatened any country upstream that threaten supply.
1929 agreement gave Egypt right to majority of water and control of infrastructure. The agreement was signed by colonial powers. Ethiopia refused to recognise legitimacy. Unfair allocation.
NBI agreed in 1999 but little was achieved. In 2010, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda signed a new treaty but Egypt and Sudan opposed.
Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania have built dams and HEP.
Ethiopia Conflict
Has a controversial Dam building program.
Gilgel Gibe III Dam built between 2008 and 2016, costing $1.8 billion.
Dam will prevent flooding downstream for 200,000 who used it.
Threatens livelihoods of ethnic tribes. Stops irrigation.
China
Reasons to move to China: market-based economy, free trade, cheap and huge labour force, EPZ’s zone, good transport links, communication.
Opened up its economy in 1978. Joined the WTO in 2001
Pros: 680 million less in poverty since 1980 (reduction of 84% to 10%), workers can earn up to $10 a day, economic growth rate of 9.4% between 1978 and 2012, literacy rate growth of 20% to 84% between 1950 and 2015, many infrastructure projects such as 3 gorges dam and HSR link between Shenzhen-Shanghai-Beijing. 22,000 km of high-speed rail, TNC’s invest in education and training.
Cons: Work is long and repetitive (iPhone workers work 70 hours a week), 40% of farmland degraded, 85% of Shanghai’s river was undrinkable in 2015, air pollution was 20x the WHO’s maximum levels in Beijing, 50% of vertebrae’s lost since 1970, according to the WWF, 50% of rivers and lakes and 40% of groundwater polluted.
Guandong province
Close to Hong Kong, population of 94.5 million, is a SEZ zone encourage free trade and FDI, TNC’s such as Siemens, Nokia, Samsung, Sony.
Cons: Acid rain problem, 75% of city has no sewage treatment, pearl river is now biologically dead, substandard working conditions, workers live in poor dormitories, are beginning to be outcompeted by areas with even lower costs.
India (Global)
Opened up in 1991, many English speaking people, expected to be the 2nd largest economy by 2040, call centres for Dell, Intel and Yahoo, workers can earn a good middle class wage (£40 a week), Bangalore has high broadband capacity.
problems: ranked only 142nd in terms of ease of businesses, lack of bankruptcy laws and a long time to dispute legal restrictions, high inequality, time-zone difference.
British Empire
British personal migrated to India and occupied administrative positions and introduced culture like tea and cricket.
Modernised India with rail networks but had a strict social order.
Dominated the seas between 1700 and 1930 and had strong links with colonies. Their justification was that Britain believed they could improve the world.
Collapsed post world war one due to overspending and national liberalisation movements. Harmed by Suez crisis (War between Egypt and Israel).
Bristol
Population of 450,000 (16% is BIPOC)
Regeneration of docks with a retail, leisure and residential function.
Home of Lloyds TSB headquarters.
Regeneration financed by private and public money.
Opening of IMAX theatre, @bristol museum, millennium square.
Middlesbrough
Hurt by deindustrialisation since 1980’s.
Worsen by 2008 global recession. 20,000 left since 1990.
13% unemployment rate, average house price only £57,000,
1/3 of pupils attend schools that “requires improvement”.
Detroit
Rise: Population was 1.85 million, freeway constructed in the 1950’s and 1960’s, had highest income and home ownership in 1950, 1000’s of minorities moved there to get jobs in the 1930’s/40’s.
Hurt by overseas competition and lower wage costs in south-east. Japanese cars were better quality.
Fall: Racial tensions - White people moved out to suburbs, riots between 1943 and 1967, property prices - some $1 with average only $40,000, population decline since 1950’s: 1960- 1.67 million, 1980 - 1.2 million, 2000 - 950,000, 2020 - 640,000. Poverty rate of 38%, has the 2nd highest murder rate in USA.
Sydney
30% born overseas, 450,000 businesses, median age of 36,
GDP of $460 billion, average income is 7th highest of any city
Cons: expensive city
Reasons for success: has deregulated banking and finance, attracts businesses due to its beach and harbour environment, good climate and its strong relations with the USA and Europe.
Hartcliffe Riot
Riot in 1992 after 2 men were killed in a police chase after stealing a motorbike.
Police were stoned and the Synes avenue shopping centre destroyed. Lasted 3 days, 15 police officers injured, 80 arrests made, £1 million in destruction.
HS2
Cost £56 billion, aims to be completed by 2033, speeds of 250mph, aims to carry 15,000 seats an hour, will connect London to Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.
Heathrow Expansion
3rd runway to be built by 2026, full infrastructure by 2050.
Passengers expected to exceed 140 million.
Needs to: reroute rivers, replace utilities, build car park for 50,000.
Plans for low emission zones and congestion charges.
Local people will be offered: property compensation, insulation funding and a 6.5 hour nightime ban.
Cribbs Causeway
Has 135 top name stores with anchor stores of John Lewis and M&S. 7000 free parking spaces, easy access from M4 and M5, late night opening.
Cabot Circus
120 shops. Cost £500 million, Near Bristol temple meeds, linked to 3 park and rides. Designed with sustainability (glass roof, recycling, natural ventilation).
London 2012
Reasons for being chosen: youth engagement, sustainability, regenerate a deprived area, government financial backing.
Area was close to London and aim to turn it into media centre after the games.
Pros: new sport venues, a better image, site was transformed into “Queen Elizabeth park”, 98% of demolition waste was recycled, 10 railways connect to London, 16.5 billion ejected into economy, 46,000 jobs for the Olympic games, 9000 new homes, new Westfield shopping centre (10,000 permanent jobs), 1.2% unemployment reduction.
Cons: Only 1200 homes were affordable, 380 businesses forced to move, residents forced to move, increased cost of living in area.
Korowai Tribe
A small tribe of 3000, lived a hunter-gather lifestyle, first contact in 1974.
Environment: Wooden longhouses to clay bricks
Language: Korowai language to Indonesian
Food: Cannibalism to brands
Music: traditional with pig-skin drums to TV and radio
Clothing: loin cloth to t-shirts
Social relations: clan leader to Christianity
Natural Environment: ecosystem damaged and deforestation
Mumbai
Home of Bollywood and to some global brands. Population of 20.4 million, which is 3 times the population in 1971.
Retail jobs from Coloba Causeway. People moving from poor areas.
Karachi
Most populous city (400,000 in 1947, 15,000,000 now)
Pakistan’s financial centre for retail and banking. A port city
Good universities leads to skilled graduates.
Hub for CNBC, Geo TV, AOL Discovery
Wind Onshore - Quarrendon Fields
One 149m tall turbine produces 1.5MW.
Provides electricity for 2000 homes, helped town gain publicity.
Cons: Visual pollution, requires a large set up process, rejected by NIMBY’s, original housing estate overruled.
Wind Offshore - Hornsea
174 turbines with a capacity of 1.2GW, which powers 1,000,000 homes. Cost £6 billion, life span of 25 years, 190m high, more predictable and stronger than onshore, doesn’t consume water.
Cons: stops large container ships from reaching shore, damages communication for wildlife.
Nuclear - Hinkley Point C
Cost £60 billion, life span of 60 years, 25,000 employment opportunities, could produce 7% of UK energy, avoids 9 million tonnes of CO2 a year.
Cons: fearful of leaks and radiation, more expensive than wind and solar.
Solar - Chapel Lane
Cost £50 million, generates 51.3MW of energy for 60,000 homes, covers 310 acres, life span of 25 years, low maintenance costs, can be installed on roofs
Cons: Scarcity of materials to produce panels, safe checks need to be made daily
Kiribati
Is buying land in Fiji for Agriculture
Maldives
Removal of mangroves has increased wave energy and height, Unstable cliffs due to soil lacking roots.
Jurassic Coast
Arch - dandle door, Stack - Old Harry, Stump - Old Harry’s Wife, Wave-Cut platform - Kimmeridge, Headland - Durston Head,
Spit/Bar/Tombolo - Chesil beach, Bay/Sand dune - Studland, Bay/Beach - Swanage, Cliff - Seacombe, Headland/Cliff - Durlston Head.
Abbots Hall Farm
Owned by RSPB, originally surrounded by embankment, key sections were then breached, allows water in at high tide, is managed retreat, flooded for a salt marsh
Pros: good for wildlife, owners received market price, better water quality due to expansion of beads, new pathways for leisure, income from ecotourism and wildlife watching.
European Storm Surge
1953: poor defences, flooded at night, no warning, poor condition of dykes in Netherlands, as they were too low and weak, little investment in post world war two reconstruction, Netherlands were vulnerable due to land being below sea level and many rivers running through it.
306 dead in UK, 2551 dead in Netherlands, 47300 buildings damaged, 9% of Dutch farmland flooded, £50 million damage in UK(£1.2 billion in 2013)
2013: 2 dead in UK, 0 in Netherlands, cost the UK £100 million, 1710 homes flooded, 631500 lost power
Met office set up in 1953, environmental agency set up in 1996, Thames barrier set up in 1982
Netherlands Delta Project
Cost £2.5 billion - Was a system of walls and sluice gates to protect against storm surges, 13 dams built to close off mouths and inner reaches of the inlets, which was exposed to the region of the North sea.
Reduced vulnerable coastline by 700km. Freshwater replaced saltwater. Total dam length was 30km.
Holderness
85km long, made up of glacial till, erosion rate of 2m a year, 23 villages lost since roman times.
Mappleton: “Hold the line”, rock groynes, costing £2 million - protects the main road. Winners: Homeowners, Businesses.
Withernsea: “Hold the line” - Sea wall, rip-rap, high coastal resort
Easington: “Hold the line” - rip-rap, has 25% of British gas
Kilnsea: “Managed retreat” - Caravan owners - rollback
Hornsea: sea walls, groynes, rock armour, is reliant on tourism, has a population of 8350
Skipsea: small concrete revetment, reduced property values, lost caravan pitches
Spurn Point - spit was breached in 2013 by storm surge, road damaged
Flamborough head: Area of Chalk - has caves, arches and stacks
Tropical Cyclone Sidr
Category 4 storm (240mph)
Worsen by: funnel shape of bay of Bengal, intense rainfall, deforestation of mangroves, 60% of Bangladesh is on low-lying land
15,000 killed, 1,600,000 homes destroyed, 800km of road and 700km of electricity lines destroyed, cost of $1.7 billion, impacts not as bad as the 1970 Bhola cyclone
Impacts reduced due to: improved warnings, embankments, cyclone shelter network
Bam, Iran
Magnitude of 6.6, population of 110,000 with little knowledge and education, sufferers from frequent earthquakes.
34,000 dead, 90% of buildings damaged with 70% being destroyed, 100,000 left homeless, electricity and water cut, $410 million for reconstruction, more durable material used for reconstruction
struggle due to little knowledge, drug addict problems
Berkshire
M4 and M5 run through it, close to Heathrow airport.
6.4% population growth between 2001 and 2011 (fastest in SE), high employment rates, home to IT companies Microsoft and oracle,
home of TNC’s HQ such as O2, Vodafone, Waitrose, BMW
50% employed in knowledge-based or managerial occupations,
7000 to 11000 migrants in just 2011, historical villages with royal connections and home to TV dramas and Windsor castle
Problems: property rise of 40 to 50% in 10 years, many villages have increasingly elderly populations.
Eyjafjallajokull
Divergent plate boundary, 700 people had to evacuate, farming affected by a thick layer of ash, plume of steam and ash reached 9km into the atmosphere, cost $1.7billion, 30% global airline capacity cut (75% in Europe)
Cyclone Aila
Category 1 storm, winds of 75mph with heavy rain
Low lying land, main protection was embankments, 190 killed, 2,000,000 displaced, 750,000 homes destroyed, 1,000,000 left without clean water, animals and fish dead, 1,000’s of km’s of road damaged and embankments washed away
responses: cyclone shelters provided by NGO’s and basics provided, weather monitored and satellite images taken
Indian Ocean
Magnitude of 9.1 to 9.3, hypocentre was west coast of northern Indonesia
230,000 deaths, took 8 to 10 minutes to reach land to close countries and a few hours to countries far away
Primary effects: water supplies and farm fields contaminated, ecosystems damaged
Secondary effects: tourism cancelled, even in unaffected areas, fishing industries hurt with lost vessels, changes in seabed and navigational buoys, piracy reduction
Vulnerability due to: most countries affected were LIC’s with poor infrastructure, coastline flat, densely populated coasts, uneducated people, no warning system.
Japan
Magnitude of 9.0 to 9.1, hypocentre was 72km of East coast
19,750 deaths, took 6 minutes to reach land, had a warning system
Primary effects: $360 billion in damage, 45,700 houses destroyed, 4.4 million without electricity, 1.5 million without water, oil refinery set on fire, collapsed seawalls
Secondary effects: 0.47% GDP decline, Dams ruptured, snow due to low temperatures, train lines and airports disrupted, telecommunications disrupted, nuclear plant destroyed.
Vulnerable due to: high population, sea walls not high enough, tsunamis are hard to predict, use to frequent disasters
Haiti
Magnitude of 7.0, happened at 16:53, 100,000 to 316,000 deaths
Primary Effects: 250,000 residential and 30,000 commercial buildings destroyed, $8 billion in damage
Secondary effects: 52 aftershocks, 3m tsunami, landslides
Governance: decent aid but heavily reliant on foreign aid.
Has poor education, poor building codes, struggles to provide basic needs, high government corruption.
New Zealand
Magnitude of 6.2, 185 dead, 1500 to 2000 injured
Primary effects: road damage, 6-story Canterbury TV building collapsed, killing 115 people, residential zones infeasible due to soil liquefaction, vehicles collapsed
Secondary events: sport events cancelled, 2.4% population decline, rebuilding cost of $40 billion, increased depression, anxiety and PTSD.
Governance: Good aid, good relations, low to no corruption, good building codes, educated population, canterbury earthquake recovery authority was set up.
Sharia Law
Used by countries like Qatar, UAE, Afghanistan, Sudan and Yemen
Its a legal system used in Muslim countries that dictates life.
Covers behaviour and beliefs, which includes Zakat, which involves a payment of taxes to help the less fortunate. Also, denies fundamental human rights for women.
Contains many human rights violations: theft punishable by amputation of right hand, converting from Islam is punishable by death, a man can beat his wife for disobeying him, women can’t speak alone to a man who isn’t her husband or relative.
Afghanistan, Taliban
Women are banned from: going to school, working, leaving the house without company, showing their skin in public, accessing healthcare delivered by men, standing for public office
Punishments for transgression were brutal.
Applied in 195o’s after showing progress.
Military coalition led by USA in 2001 helped improve women rights
Today, Women rights are poor.
Syrian Conflict
Started in 2011, when peaceful demonstrations, inspired by the Arab spring against president Al-Assad were met with deadly forces from government troops.
Civil War took place with oppositions taking up arms to rebel
Invention of powers such as Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia and USA offered support for various sides - kept the fight going
Was possibly motivated by wanting to influence over future construction of pipelines through Syria to supply fuel to Europe, so they defended the government.
Iran is aligned with Russia. Qatar and Saudi Arabia are aligned with the USA.
Deepwater Horizon Disaster
Owned by BP at the time, had drilled 10,683m deep.
Was set one fire, with the fire being inextinguishable and sank in two days, leaving a well gushing at the seabed.
4 million barrels spilled, damaged marine life, 11 crewmen died, 100 injured, shrimp industry hurt, reduced oil supply, huge cost and reputation for BP
Nepal
Magnitude of 7.8, only suffers from a few big earthquakes, 9000 dead, 3.5 million homeless, villages flattened, avalanche at mount Everest, which killed 19 people, airport temporarily closed, lost 35% of its GDP, $3 billion given in Aid, hypocentre only 80km from Kathmandu, shallow focus of 15km, damage cost of $15 billion, landslides blocked river, 300,000 migrated from Kathmandu
Stricter building codes, re-opened for tourism and Everest.
Cornwall
Is a peninsula, is isolated and isn’t connected to a motorway, suffers from brain drain, has low income and high 2nd home ownership, economy is reliant on tourism, wages are 25% below the UK average, suffered from deindustrialisation.
Eden Project: Pros: has generated £1.1 billion, is opened all year round, had 1.9 million visitors in its first year, employs 400 full time staff, averages around 750,000 visitors a year.
Cons: traffic congestion, as road isn’t designed for huge number of people, high carbon footprint for materials, low return rate.
Watergate bay hotel: employs 50 to 60 people, extreme sports
Jamie Oliver’s “15” - trained local chefs - has shut down
Combined University Cornwall - from Exeter and Falmouth - attracts graduates and businesses.
Wave Hub - generated less than one solar panel worth of energy
Cost £28 million
Superfast broadband - attract businesses, was EU funded
Lobb’s Farm Shop - funded by objective one, created 14 full time jobs, generated £600,000 sales in 3 years. Funded by: EU, national lottery, businesses, individuals
Success: has had faster growth rate than the UK average, at 5.8% compared to 5.4%.
Aral Sea
Is an inland sea on the border of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
Once 68,000km2, the 4th largest inland sea
Decreasing in size due to diversion of water from 2 main rivers, which fed the sea with water
By 2007, was only 10% of its original size, only 50% of species remain, increased temperatures, a collapsed fishing industry, which once employed 60,000, ships lie stranded on exposed seabed, health problems caused by wind blowing salt and dust from a dried out seabed, drinking water contaminated.
Afghanistan intervention
US led an invasion post 9/11. They wanted to get rid of the Taliban and address various human right abuses. Cost was $100 billion.
Civilian government was but in place and rights did improve for women’s rights. 149,000 were killed during the intervention and 2.6 million people left the country. In 2021/2022, Taliban were back in charge and women’s rights were reduced.
Libya
Was involved in a civil war with civilian casualties. UN intervention involved 19 countries and a naval blockade, no fly zone and air strikes against president Gaddafi. Gaddafi was ousted but IS was able to infiltrate. 100,000 did and 650,000 left. Not one group in full control.
Syria
Uprising against Assad, who used chemical weapons against his own people, which led to s coalition force using air strikes against him and IS. The coalition was led by the USA. Russia supported Assad with airstrikes. 390,000 dead, half the population were displaced, Assad still in power, war still ongoing, control is on the edge between sides, considerable destruction of infrastructure.
Iraq (2003-2013)
Hussein had been in power for 23 years and caused 635,000 deaths and conducting wars against Kuwait and Iran. Evidence that he terrorised his own people. 185,000 people killed during intervention. First free election held in 2005, health spending improved and so did maternal mortality. Life expectancy and control of corruption remained the same. IS are now taking control of a power struggle.
Yemen
Civil war between Shia and Sunni Muslims. President requested for help after he was forced out. Saudi Arabia supported president and carried out air strikes and the US supported this by supplying weapons and president was returned to power. Rebels was supported by Iran. 1 million were displaced and UN described it as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. More diplomatic efforts in recent months.
Timor Leste (Diplomatic route)
9 days after it gained interdependence, it was invaded by Indonesia. UN requested they withdraw but this didn’t happen. By 1999, 25% of the population had been killed by disease. Diplomatic efforts started in 1982. In 1999, 75% of people voted for interdependence. USA and UK started an arms embargo. Independence in 2002. Took 20 years to get interdependence, the 1999 violence killed 7000 and displaced 400,000.
Zimbabwe
Under Mugabe, 72% of people lived below poverty line, very low life expectancy (60), high government corruption, low HDI. Often Africa nations felt Mugabe wasn’t a threat to global peace. EU imposed arms embargoes. Mugabe resigned in 2017 after the military took control. Mugabe used sanction to blame Zimbabwe’s poor economy. A former British colony, China and Russia voted against embargos and sanctions on arms. Reign lasted 37 years. Mugabe died in 2017.
Rwanda 1994 peacekeeping
UN peacekeeping force tried to stop a civil war between Hutus and Tutsis. Genocide began in April 1994. 800,000 killed in 100 days. Criticisms over the role of peacekeeping’s. Some stability has now returned to the country. Country has very good gender equality.
Zambia
Landlocked - makes trade difficult, relies on good relationships with to access ports with Tanzania and Angola by rail networks.
In the 1970’s, China invest 1860km’s worth of railway, Was in poor condition by 2000 and required further investment, copper exports have increased since 2008. Copper has fallen in value due to being replaced by fibre-optic cables. Construction cost of $406 million at the time.
Has become more switched on by: debt reduced since 2000 due to privatisation and debt cancellation, $20 billion of FDI has been invested into the copper industry, increasing the value of copper, raising the incomes of Zambia.
Tanzania
80% of its population employed in agriculture, reliant on cotton crops, prices of cotton fluctuate regularly, prices fall when there is an overproduction of global cotton, which means they are less able to import manufactured goods, no guarantee of an income.
Becoming more switched on: cancelled Tanzania’s debts, money from cotton has been invested in its school and healthcare, which has increased development, has had growing investment from India, China, Japan and the UAE to exports its farm produce and minerals.
