An oakless Britain?

Interesting article from the BBC about our disappearing oak trees...

Does it matter?

More rainforests...

The article we talked about this morning about condoms "saving the world's forests" is here.

The essay question that you'll be answering either on Friday or next week is "Development, biodiversity and sustainability in the tropical rainforest biome are incompatible goals. Discuss." You don't need to write anything before I see you next, but be having a think about it...

Yr13 - Rainforest Action Network

Thanks to Ellie for this link http://ran.org/

Yr13 - Amazon tribes using technology to protect rainorest

Just come across this article about Amazon tribes using technology to protect the rainforest through "cultural mapping"...

(I found this via The Prince's Rainforests Project page on Facebook - worth a look as there seems to be lots of other potentially useful stuff on there too http://www.facebook.com/#!/rainforestSOS.)

Year 13 - Deforestation

The main website that I want you to have a look at before Tuesday is the RGS's 21st Century Challenges. There is lots on the site that is of interest, but your particular focus at the moment should be on the Razing the Rainforests section. There are three talks/video clips that I'd like you to watch, and links to lots of news articles. From the information there, the booklets I gave you this morning, the textbooks and any other sites you come across (there are hundreds... one I've found to be fairly good is Mongabay...) I'd like you to come to Tuesday's lesson prepared to talk about causes and impacts of deforestation, and with your views about the sustainability of tropical rainforest development.

I'm not posting the video I showed you here (for hopefully obvious reasons!) but it, and lots of other useful and interesting videos, is on www.green.tv.

Eyjafjallajokull - Yr13

As well as keeping an eye on the news, and having a look at the websites, etc. that I've posted on Geogtastic, the BGS page about Eyjafjallajokull has been updated, and this blog post is very good. Both of these look at the eruption in a bit more depth than the news is doing...

Also have a look at The Volcanism Blog - loads of good stuff on there about various volcanoes, including Chaiten and Soufriere Hills.

Year 12 - Work for Miss Taylor

Hopefully you are all doing plenty of research about oil in the Arctic, ready to debate the issue in the lesson on the first Monday back. You also need to be emailing Miss Taylor a response to the question "Can the production of oil in Alaska be sustainable?" - at least 300 words - by Friday next week.

A reminder of the links that Miss Taylor gave you. However, this is not an exhaustive list - if you find others, use them (and let us know!). Also check back to older posts on here from when I've taught this in previous years.

http://www.alyeska-pipe.com/Default.asp

http://www.anwr.org/

http://www.govspot.com/issues/anwr.htm

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg12316773.400-alaska-has-its-fill-of-oil.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18401-alaska-faces-exxon-valdez-cleanup-conundrum.html

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/oil-spill-devastates-alaska

http://www.brighthub.com/environment/renewable-energy/articles/9274.aspx