UNIT 1 WORLD AT RISK CASE STUDIES

?

Oklahoma+Texas Dust Bowl

  • 1930
  • 150,00 sqaure mile area
  • soil locked strong route system
  • choked cattle, 60% population had to leave
1 of 18

Pakistan Floods 2010

  • huge levels monsoon rainfall=flood- 203mm in 3 days
  • 1,781 killed
  • 2,900 injured
  • 23% crops destroyed
  • BUT HELPED MANAGE MANGROVES
2 of 18

Eyafjallajokull 2010

  • triggered by meltwater floods, being on constructive plate boundary
  • PRIMARY: ash blocked sun, homes destroyed and roads damaged,£80 million costs
  • SECONDARY: fresh food imports stopped,water contamination
3 of 18

London Tornado 2006

  • High levels of energy in air
  • 150 houses destroyed
  • 6 injured but no deaths
  • £10 million damage
  • lasted 20 seconds
4 of 18

Community Hydropower in Kenya

  • kathamu and thima- community hydroelectric systems
  • provide lighting, radio and telecommunications to over 200 homes
  • saves 42 tonnes of c02 emissions each year
  • appropriate tech
5 of 18

Low Carbon Wolvercote, Oxfordshire

  • Each road has a waste champion who organises rubbish swaps 
  • Green transport introduced
  • Cloth bags instead of plastic
  • Climatexchange acted as a catalyst in area to lower carbon footprint
6 of 18

CALIFORNIA

  • 40 million 
  • huge risk from geophysical hazards
  • 70% live within 50km of fault line
  • earthquakes= 3 times a year
  • 20% below poverty line
7 of 18

PHILLIPPINES

  • 7000 islands, 25% bigger than UK
  • 91 million in 2007
  • Problems: sits across major plate boundary, tsunami prone, drought+flooding and landslides
8 of 18

Hurricane Jeanne, Haiti 2004

  • 2004 september= 3,000 died
  • 250,000 left homeless and starved
  • efforts for aid hampered by mudslides blocking main road
  • trees= only affordable fuel
9 of 18

Maldives

  • 311,000 
  • 1,196 islands most just 2m above sea level
  • prone to natural disasters
  • LOW LYING
  • economy dependant on tourism 
10 of 18

Tuvalu

  • 1978 independance
  • 9 islands= 10,500 people
  • no more than 5m above sea level
  • relies on semi-subsistence farming
  • lack adaptive capacity
  • high fertility rate
  • £12 million= GDP
11 of 18

Netherlands

  • richest countries in world
  • 50% land is reclaimed by sea
  • densely populated 
  • LOW LYING BUT DEFENDED
  • 1m rise in sea level will cost $12 million to defend
12 of 18

ARCTIC

  • Temp rising at twice rate of rest of the world
  • thawing permafrost releases methane
  • coniferous forests enroach on tundra
  • increased risk of forest fires
  • loss of hunting culture for indigenous
13 of 18

AFRICA

  • Water issues

- demand outstrips supply

- war and famine

-food insecurity

- 70% subsistence farmers

-health

-debt crisis

- development of coastal zones =60%

14 of 18

India and China

  • both critical role to play in controlling emissions
  • Indias greenhouse gas emissions will rise 70% by 2025
  • Both desperate for energy to fuel economic expansion
15 of 18

London Climate Change Strategy

  • 2007 "Action today to protect tomorrow"
  • reduce its c02 levels to 30% of 1990 levels by 2025
  • green homes programme
  • low carbon goods
  • clean,efficient public transport
  • small scale renewable energy schemes
16 of 18

Biomass Cooking

  • 2.5 billion people burn biomass for cooking
  • accounts for 80% of global renewable energy 
  • sudan
  • kenya
17 of 18

Kyoto Protocol

  • 120 countries- 1997
  • havent been huge success
  • 0.5% by 2012
  • london=6%
18 of 18

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Geography resources:

See all Geography resources »See all Case studies resources »