Climate Change Summit in Cancun

The Climate Change Summit starts today in Cancun, Mexico. At this summit representatives from almost 200 countries come together to discuss global warming and how to lessen it effects. The articles I read on the Summit were very realistic, talking about past failures and how the main powers in the world, like Indian, China, and the US, are no longer implementing climate control policies. Much talk is going to be about getting poorer countries to limit deforestation. I find this funny because since the US, China and India have more money, you would think it would be easier for them to try and limit climate change and the greenhouse effect because of the resources at their disposal. Also a lot of the deforestation happens due to the richer countries involvement, like transporting oil and creating plantation lands. Another angle taken by some is the need to assimilate to the climate change. So pretty much these articles are saying that some people have given up trying and are now accepting the inevitable. But I suppose this is a plan of action that these nations have to consider because nothing that they have tried to implement or use has worked so far.

Mexican news story on the Climate Change Summit:


Articles on the Cancun Summit:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/copenhagen-climate-change-confe/8165784/Cancun-climate-change-summit-deaths-from-floods-and-drought-double.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2010/nov/29/cancun-climate-change-copenhagen

Suriname Mine Collapses

Today in Suriname, 7 miners were killed when the gold mine they were working in collapsed.  It is said that these miners were mining at this mine without permission and were not employed by the company. I wonder how much less dangerous this type of mining is when you have permission to mine there, like if they use special safety equipment or something. Also most of the news articles put an emphasis on the fact that these men were mining illegally, which makes it seem like people view this as less tragic and like it was not that big of a deal. While it is true that those men should not have been there in the first place, the fact that the mine collapsed and they died shows that maybe the mines were not that safe in the first place. Also, if you have a gold mine, wouldn't you probably have some type of security to keep illegal miners off of your property? I would think so, especially since this company, Surgold, is mining in this area with the U.S. companies Newmont Mining Corp. and Alcoa Inc.

There is also alot of emphasis placed on the fact that these men were decendants of former african slaves that ran away and formed all african colonies called Maroons.  The area where the mine is located is home to many Maroon decendents and American Indians. I think this is going to show as well how they are left to try and make a living while others drain the land of its resources.

Those killed in the mining accident.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/7-Killed-in-Suriname-Gold-Mine-Collapse-109853559.html

Links:
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/7-Killed-in-Suriname-Gold-Mine-Collapse-109853559.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40304186/ns/world_news-americas/

Seattle Mass Wastage Mitigation

I just read this news article on landslides in Seattle, Washington. According to the article there is a lot of precipitation in November and December in Washington, and this local news article gives pointers on how to avoid landslides from happening on your property. While this article gives good tips, from planting vegetation to using a catch basin, it mentions that there are 18,000 homes in Seattle alone that are in landslide-prone areas. I think that it is funny that the article does not mention that these landslide disasters from the past and future could be, or could have been avoided with better zoning. In addition, the picture the article shows is of a huge house, obviously owned by a wealthy person, sitting on the edge of a steep slope.  This just goes to show how the most desired property to build on is often not the safest property, but people continue to build on these dangerous places, such as slopes, coasts or lake fronts, because of their aesthetic value. However, it is reassuring that the local news is trying to better prepare these people for disaster events that have a high chance of occurring.

It is also interesting that the article uses the term "landslides" when many different mass wastage events could occur. However, it would be confusing and different to the public to call them "mass wastage events" instead of "landslides". 

Above: the house from the article

The article from The Seattle Times:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013441916_landslide16m.html

Other similar articles:
http://www.westseattleherald.com/2010/11/15/news/landslide-season-looms-west-seattle

http://westseattleblog.com/2010/11/west-seattle-weather-watch-on-a-slope-be-landslide-aware

Vietnam Floods

Floods have deen present through out central Vietnam since Tuesday following days of heavy rain, making this a region flood that begun slowly and will end slowly. Because of this thousands of people were able to be evacuated. So far only about nineteen people have died in this flood, which also sticks with the characteristic of few deaths associated with region flooding. However, this flood is not the first to hit this area recently. Since the beginning of October 167 people have been killed in this area. This is suprising seeing as Vietnam is extremely flood-prone due to large amounts of rice paddies, low lying coasts, and 70 percent of the population at risk for flooding. I would have thought that the people would have better mitigation efforts and emergency plans. However, taken into account is the fact that this area of Vietnam is rather poor, so the people or government may not have all the resources they need to better mitigate this disaster. It appears as of now, that Vietnam is experiencing less deaths due to flooding than they were in October, whether that has to do with the people being more aware of the hazards, the intensity of the disaster or something else I am not sure.

Areas most affected in October

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/SNAA-8BB9L9?OpenDocument

Photo from 11-17-10

http://english.vovnews.vn/Home/Flood-in-central-Vietnam-causes-huge-losses/201011/121476.vov

Links:

Stories on the flood from 11-17-10:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/17/AR2010111707394.html

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2010/11/17/11-dead-in-Vietnam-floods/UPI-48091290000551/

Story on one of the previous floods 11-03-10:
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_asia/2010-11-03/679193439826.html

Story on one of the previous floods 10-22-10:
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Death-toll-from-Vietnam-floods-hits-75/701125/

International Focus Shifting Away From Pakistan Floods(?)

An article just came out from the IRIN that said the amount of disaster aid going into Pakistan for the floods is decreasing as media coverage decreases. This makes sense because once the main event with the most photographic opportunities is over, the media is quick to find the next event. So in times when areas need the most help, they don't get it because other countries are more interested in the emergency period.

I read this article and decided to find more on the topic. When I google searched articles on the Pakistan floods, I found three new press releases that said Canada and Japan were donating large amounts of money to help Pakistan. This made me wonder how much more Pakistan was getting before if Canada has donated 46.8 million dollars and Japan has pledged 500 million dollars.  The example of the Japanese pledging 500 million affirms what the article from IRIN said about not seeing some of the money that has been pledged to them so far.

It is estimated that Pakistan will need 1.93 billion within the next year to rebuild, and many are concerned with winter coming up that this disaster will become exacerbated. However, from a political standpoint, nations are worried that their donations will be used for corrupt purposes rather than to help the people of Pakistan.

Twenty minute discussion on trying to get more flood aid between Riz Khan, Salman Ahmad and Peter Gabriel:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=46715

Pakistan November 13, 2010 as compared to November 17, 2010 below



Links:

IRIN article on Pakistan needing more funds:
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportID=91101

Article on Canadian government donating more money to Pakistan:
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/11/15/pakistan-flood-relief.html

Article on Japan's pledge of money to help Pakistan:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japan-pledges-additional-500-mil-for-pakistan-flood-relief



Landslides and Floods in the Phillippines

Due to an October typhoon, the Phillippines are experiencing many disasterous floods and landslides.  These new disasters are made worse by the fact that they are still recovering from the huge typhoon that killed 30 people and left 20,000 homeless. So the situation is enhanced by the vulnerability of the population.  The landslide that happened last week in Isabela province took 6 lives. However, the government has been working hard to prevent some of these deaths with emergency evacuations.  They moved 200 families out of their homes in Kalinga because a near-by hillside had caved in, creating a dam that could lead to more flooding if it fails.

The Phillipines is a country that is more prone to landslides than most due to a mountainous terrain, seismic activity and a heavy rainy season. Also the people of the country have become more vulnerable due to quick urbanization that creates many squatter settlements on the outskirts of major cities.

I can image that getting aid and assistance to distant communities is difficult due to all the flooding and mass wastage problems. As of right now I cannot find anything on the Phillippines  getting assistance from other nations, like Costa Rica is getting right now. Also, as of what I can see, the Phillippines is not using air transport to deliver aid.

Photo of typhoon Megi that hit last month; note how large it is and that it covered all of the Phillippines

Photo of the severity of typhoon Megi

Article on the landslides and floods in the Phillipines:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40052795/ns/world_news/

Article on why the Phillippines are more vulnerable to mass wastage events:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=90967

Articles on Typhoon Megi:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/20/typhoon-megi-leaves-phili_n_770302.html#s161846
*favorite pages for the pictures*

http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/super-typhoon-megi-hits-the-phillippines-0647/

Costa Rican Rainy Season Bringing on Disasters

The rainy season this year in Central America has been particularly wet due to low pressure and hurricane Tomas. All the rain these countries are recieving is causing damage to property with floods and landslides. Costa Rica has been hit particularly hard due troubles delivering aid and the lack of water supply. Panama, Colombia, Guatemala and Nicaragua have pledged aid to Costa Rica, but since there is so much flooding, rain, bridge failure, and mass wastage, they have to fly the aid into remote areas, which can be a difficult process. Much damage has been done to a community, Pico Blanco in San Antonio de Escazú, on the mountainside near the capital. Alot of the disaster aid is coming in the form of bottled water because some of their water processing plants have been damaged by the bad weather.

In addition to water and transportation, Costa Rica is taking a hard hit on its economy which is largely based on agriculture and tourism. A large amount of crop land is flooded, and many tourists may be detered from visiting Costa Rica due to the weather.

In addition to looking at the geography aspect of this. the political side is also interesting. Even though Nicaragua has pledged aid to Costa Rica, the supplies and money have yet to be sent. This is due to a long time rivalry between the two countries. Also, this is a good example that even better off countries in the western hemisphere can experience disasters, however on a much smaller scale than they would have been in a less developed country.

Landslide damage in Pico Blanco

Links to new stories on the landslide and damage to the country due to floods and landslides:

http://www.ticotimes.net/News/Daily-News/Escazu-Landslide-Leaves-at-Least-20-Dead-10-Missing-Costa-Rica-on-Red-Alert_Thursday-November-04-2010
http://www.amcostarica.com/morenews2.htm

http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2010/november/07/costarica10110701.htm

Hurricane Tomas and Haiti

The Hurricane Tomas is at a very low magnitude right now, and it's making its way through the Caribbean. This hurricane did not directly hit the island of Haiti, but skimmed the southern peninsula and caused storms in most of the country. I have noticed that there is a little bit of a media focus on Haiti during this hurricane, which makes sense. First of all, what most people think of first, is that Haiti is in a fragile state since the earthquake in January. And it is. Many people whose homes were destroyed still live in camps of tents. In this regard, a lange amout of the population is highly vulnerable even to the smallest of storms. This leads to another reason the media is focused on Haiti. The earthquake was a large disaster that was vastly covered by the media, so now people are more aware of this country and its needs than they were before. Before, not many people would have known that Haiti is the poorest country in this hemisphere and that getting hit with a hazard event would have caused it so much damage partialy due to poor infrastructure and a vulnerable population. Now the people of the world are more aware of this and focus more attention on this country, including hazard events in the Caribbean which are quite common.

AP video of Haitians in flooded areas:


Links:

Article on the hurricane in Haiti:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-haiti-storm-20101106,0,5016484.story

Article called "Ways to help Haiti in wake of hurricane Tomas"
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/1105/Ways-to-help-Haiti-in-wake-of-hurricane-Tomas

Iceland Volcanos Being Watched

The volcano Grimsvotn in Iceland is under an alert right now. The glacial ice on the volcano is melting, which may cause an eruption or at the very least the threat of lahars. Also an earthquake occured on the volcano Katla in Iceland. It was a magnitude 3 and there is concern that that quake could trigger more quakes or an eruption.  The reasoning behid why these volcanoes may erupt is very plausible. Katla has not had a major eruption since 1819 with a small glacial eruption in 1955 and some volcanic activity in 1999. On the other hand, Grimsvotn is a very active volcano, erupting on average once a decade. So Katla is overdue for an eruption while Grimsvotn experiences them frequently, with the last on being in 2004.  Scientists have been following Katla's activity to watch for signs of a major eruption, which is expected in the near future. I believe alot of the new coverage and fear for these volcanoes erupting stems from the newly percieved threat of volcanic eruption in Iceland since April with the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull.  Not to say that the percieved view of those in Iceland has changed a lot becuase they are used to volcanos, but the world is more focused on volcanic activity in Iceland since that major eruption.

Volcanoes in Iceland

http://www.decadevolcano.net/volcanoes/iceland/hekla.htm

Eyjafjallajokull eruption in April

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0418/Iceland-s-Eyjafjallajoekull-volcano-is-nothing-to-Angry-Sister-Katla

Links:
Information on Grimsvotn:
http://iceland.vefur.is/iceland_nature/volcanoes_in_iceland/grimsvotn.htm

Information on Katla:
http://iceland.vefur.is/iceland_nature/volcanoes_in_iceland/katla.htm

Small news article on Grimsvotn:
http://www.herald.ie/world-news/iceland-on-volcano-alert-2407239.html

Small news article on Katla:

http://fromtheold.com/news/earth/volcanoes/30-magnitude-earthquake-icelands-biggest-volcano-katla-20684