Kashmir earthquake

8th October 2005 8:50am
Destructive plate margin (Indian plate forced under Eurasian plate)
7.6 Richter scale
Focus was at a depth of 16 miles

• $5 billion 
• 80000 deaths 
• 3 million people made homeless 
• Landslides 

No hazard management so no disaster planning in place
Training has now been provided to help rebuild more buildings as earthquake resistant

L'Aquila earthquake

6th April 2009 3:32 am
Destructive plate margin (north-south fault line)
6.3 Richter scale 
Focus at a depth of 5 miles

• $15 billion 
• Fires caused more damage 
• 300 deaths 
• 70000 people made homeless 
• Italian prime minister promised to build a new town to replace L'Aquilla

Hospital collapsed when should have withstood the earthquake 
Six seismologists were under a criminal investigation as they didn't predict the earthquake 

Urban Heat Island

Urban areas are warmer than rural areas and this is called the urban heat island. 
On average 1-2'c warmer per year than its surrounding rural areas. 
High pressure systems with clear nights and sunny days tend to increase the intensity. 
Heat islands are the result of five main factors:

1. Anthropogenic heat; heat released by human activity
2. Height and arrangement of buildings; urban areas have more vertical areas which causes insulation that can warm surfaces and cause an albedo 
3. Nature of building materials; concrete will warm more rapidly than mud, I'm cities the surface area exposed is larger so it is able to store the heat and release it slowly over the night
4. The presence of water; if water is present then most of the surplus heat is used as sensible heat to warm the atmosphere 
5. Presence of pollutants; pollutants have both a cooling and a heating effect, photochemical smog can alter the amount of energy flowing in and out of the urban area, dusty cities can reduce the amount of sunshine that reaches the city surface, however the pollutant dome can absorb heat and prevent some of it escaping 

Waste Management

• REDUCE
• REUSE
• RECYCLE 

1. In 2010 each person in the UK produced 452 kg of waste
2. Waste management in the UK is improving 
3. EU targets want 50% of household waste to be recycles by 2020

Landfill

• Cheap way of getting rid of waste
• Releases CO2 and methane, however new technologies that allow gases to be captured can be used 
• Can pollute groundwater, can be specially lined to prevent this
• Waste valuable materials that can be reused or recycled

Composting

• Organic material can be composted by individuals or on a larger scale, 38% of household waste is organic material 
• Household composting reduces cost
• Sustainable as reduces the amount going to landfill
• Has to be managed properly, sorted so that no metal is involved

Recycling 

• Quicker and cheaper than making materials from scratch 
• Uses less energy, 20 times less when making aluminium cans
• Reduces demand for new materials 
• Relies on individuals and some people don't bother 
• Initial investment is required 
• Often is transported abroad to be recycled, in 2005 55% of paper was sent to China

Energy Recovery 

• Burning of materials that can't be recycled to produce heat or electricity 
• Produces CO2 but reduces fossil fuels 
• The Energy Recovery Facility in Sheffield provides heat for 140 building in the city centre 

Reduce and Reuse

• Can be done by individuals  eg reducing the amount of junk mail you receive or by businesses by reducing the packaging on items
• Plastic bottles are easily reused by cans are not 

Urban Regeneration

Gentrification
Gentrification is when wealthier people move into a run down area and regenerate by improving their housing, by adding double glazing, loft conversions and inside bathrooms.
The positive effects of this are that the house prices increase and the area becomes a more affluent area, with more business coming into the area.
The negative effects of this are that the less wealthy residents can not afford to live in this area anymore and the old business and services are forced to shut down to make way for the new services that are required.
E.g. Southville, Bristol 

Partnership schemes
Partnership schemes involve local councils working with businesses and local communities to come up with a regeneration plan for an area.
E.G. Millennium Project, Bristol Harbourside.

Property-Led Regeneration 
Involve building or improving property in an area to change its image and improve the local environment.
These changes encourage further investment and the return of people and business.
E.G. London Thames Gateway.

Responses to global warming

International
Kyoto Protocol aimed to reduce emissions

1. International agreement form in 1997 between 90 countries with the aim to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
2. The agreement divided the countries into two groups, developed and developing
3. The developed countries agreed to cut emissions by 5 between 2008 and 2012
4. Developing countries didn't have to cut emissions but they had to monitor and report their emissions
5. There was the introduction of carbon credits, if they use less they can sell credits if the use more they have to buy credits

 Problems:

• Four countries with high emissions USA, Australia, China and India didn't join the agreement 
• Australia, India and China have now joined the agreement but USA still haven't
• Countries have failed to meet their targets

This ended in 2012 and in 2009 they agreed the Copenhagen accord, which allows each country to set it's own targets with no penalties given.

National 
Changing the energy mix of a country

• The energy mix is the mix of energy 
• Replacing fossil fuels with nuclear power and renewable energy will reduce greenhouse gases and could reduce climate change
• In UK by 2020, 40% of emission reductions will be achieved by changing the energy mix
• More offshore wind farms are being built
• UK government is encouraging small scale renewable energy projects

but..

• There needs to be more investment in nuclear power and renewable energy before these sources can reach all our energy needs
• Environmental problems with nuclear power

Using new techniques to cut emissions from Power stations

• Carbon capture and storage is a new technology that aims to reduce emissions from power stations
• CCS involves capturing carbon dioxide and transporting it to places where it can be stored safely e.g. in deep geological formations
• CCS has the potential to reduce emissions from power stations by 90%

but..

• The technology is still at developmental stage
• CCS uses fuel and increases the cost of energy 
• Risk of carbon dioxide leaking

Encouraging energy conservation at home 

• This will reduce domestic fuel consumption
• In UK around 15% of emissions reductions by 2020 will be achieved by making homes more energy efficient 
• Government strategies in UK will be providing energy efficiency grants  
• Financial incentives for people who generate their own electricity
• Homes being sold need a energy performance certificate that shows how energy efficient the home is and how efficient it can be 

but..

• Energy saving improvements can have a high initial cost
• Difficult to work out energy efficient some houses are
• Regulations restricting the improvements that can be made to listed buildings

Reducing emissions for transport

• In UK 20% of emission reductions by 2020 by reducing emissions from transport 
• Strategies include encouraging people to buy lower emissions vehicles 
• Financial incentives are offered to encourage people to buy electric and hybrid cars

but..

• There are still lots of older cars with higher emissions on the roads
• Producing hybrid and electric cars use lots of complex technologies, which use lots of energy and produce emissions 

Local
Recycling waste

• Recycling waste helps reduce climate changes because it usually requires less energy
• Reduces landfill waste
• Recycling prevents the release of 10-15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year 

but..

• Transporting products can create transport emissions

Using cars less 

• Reduces transport emissions 
• Average car produces 2.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year in the UK

but..

• People prefer using cars as they feel safer, and it's faster and more convenient

Buying local 

• Reduces transport emissions 
• Eating seasonal products reduces the need for heated greenhouses

but..

• Many people like having a variety of foods all year round 

Choose energy efficient appliances 

• Reduces fuel consumption 
• Many new appliances are 50% more efficient than older models 

but..

• Throwing away old appliances create lots of waste
• Making new appliances uses energy
• People may be reluctant to spend money on new appliances 

Impact of global warming on the UK

1. Climate will change: 

• Temperature will increase by 3.9'c by 2080
• Winter rainfall will increase by up to 35% in parts
• Summer rainfall will decrease by up to 49% in Southern England

     2. Sea level rise: expected to rise by 13-76cm by 2095, London will be at threat of flooding
     3. Droughts may increase: more frequent and intense
     4. Patterns of agriculture will change

• Temp increase and a longer growing season will increase productivity of some crops eg asparagus 
• Types of farming may shift northwards 
• New crops adapted for warmer climate eg grapes
• Reduced rainfall will increase need for irrigation and water storage schemes

     5. Habitats will change: this can affect ecosystems and lead to species extinction