Three Gorges Dam

Use the following websites to help you with the research project on the Three Gorges Project.

'What the dam builders didn't want you to know'

Wikipedia article
International Rivers Network - Three Gorges Project
Official Three Gorges Project site

BBC video clip
Discovery video
BBC environmental issues
Michael Palin

 

Impacts of climate change

In 2010, the UK Governement released a new map showing the predicted impacts of a 4oC global temperature increase worldwide. View the map here.

Use the map to complete the sheets you have been given.

TNCs

Draw a bar chart showing the 10 largest companies (by revenue) compared with countries with a similar GDP. This will give you the idea of the size of some of these companies and the influence they might have.

Also note the sector of the company and the location of its HQ and mark this on the world map.

Water transfer schemes

One solution to water shortages is to transfer water form one basin to another. Rivers can be diverted or canals built. All water transfers carry political and environmental risk

Two contrasting examples:

1. The Snowy Mountains Scheme (p52-53)

Also see the Snowy River wikipedia entry
Australian Government site

2. The South-North Transfer project (p63)

Good video story

BBC news story
More news reports
Guardian article
Guardian article II

Detail from water-technology.net

Tesco - TNC case study

Create a case study sheet on Tesco using the folowing headings:

Include:
Brief history of the company
Reasons for growth - what strategy hvae they used to enable their growth?
Statistics about their success
Criticisms - are Tesco guilty of exploitation?
Any other information about the growth of Tesco as a TNC

Then answer this question:
Discuss Tesco's role in development and globalisation around the world (15)

Use some of these sources (and find your own):
Textbook p105-106
Article from The Times May 2011
Tesco - global business
Tesco - corporate responsibility
Tesco - how it came to dominate
BBC - growth of Tesco
BBC - growth in Asia
BBC - Is Tesco on the turn?

Studland Beach - sand dunes

Presentation on dune succession

Middle East water conflict

Middle East tension over water - video
Inside story - Middle East water shortage

Prep to be done for Thursday 15/1/14

Read other sources on moodle
Complete the case study sheet on the water conflicts in the Middle East.

Essay:

Using the example of the Middle East, show how disputes over water can create tension between countries? (15)

General water shortage videos:
BBC news - global water shortage
Water wars - Spain BBC

Risks of water insecurity - Aral Sea

Sea of islands’ – 1500 islands once dotted the sea

Once the 4th largest inland sea (68000 km2)

Soviet irrigation schemes diverted water from the lakes which fed the lake in 1950s

Declining since 1960s

By 2007 lake had declined to 10% original size

Shrinking sea

Video 1

BBC article

BBC video

Back from the brink - video

Make notes or answer the following questions on the Aral Sea:

1. Why was it exploited?
2. Which stakeholders thought it was a good idea to exploit – for each say briefly why?
3. Which stakeholders are against the exploitation why?
4. What are the human welfare impacts of the exploitation of the Aral Sea?
5. What are the economic impacts of the Aral Sea exploitation?

Natural climate change

Is climate change natural?

BBC sunspot article

Video - causes of climate change

Using this article and your own research, investigate the impact of volcanoes on climate change

Guardian article on impact of volcanoes

Research how Mt. Pinatubo impactes the earth's climate when it erupted in 1991