The replacement of traditional fuels with biofuels has dragged more than 30 million people worldwide into poverty, an aid agency report says. Oxfam says so-called green policies in developed countries are contributing to the world’s soaring food prices, which hit the poor hardest.
Archive for June, 2008
As part of an EU funded study into dam vulnerability, scientists breached a dam in Norway to observe the results. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7472193.stm
Italian architect David Fisher has unveiled his plans to create the world’s first revolving skyscraper. Taller than the Empire State Building, the so-called Dynamic Tower will be built in Dubai, with a second version featuring a retractable helicopter pad, later planned for Moscow.
“Urgent and fundamental changes” are needed to improve flood defences, the report into last summer’s floods says.
Sir Michael Pitt, who carried out the independent review, said building regulations must be stricter in flood-prone areas and planning better.
Arctic sea ice is melting even faster than last year, despite a cold winter. Data from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) shows that the year began with ice covering a larger area than at the beginning of 2007. But now it is down to levels seen last June, at the beginning of a summer that broke records for sea ice loss. Scientists on the project say much of the ice is so thin as to melt easily, and the Arctic seas may be ice-free in summer within five to 10 years.
Great movies to download and watch. http://www.geographyatthemovies.co.uk/
Amazing images from Google Earth http://www.gearthblog.com/
Plans to use a state-of-the-art camera onboard a satellite to monitor deforestation levels in Africa’s Congo Basin have been unveiled. The high resolution RALCam3 camera, designed and built by UK scientists, will provide the first detailed view of the area’s rate of forest cover loss. The project is part of the Congo Basin Forest Fund, a £108m joint-initiative by the UK and Norwegian governments. The fund aims to curb climate change by preventing deforestation in the region. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7459472.stm
