Energy Assignment Part 3

Solar energy

Solar energy could be reasonably implemented in Madagascar. This approach will enable the delivery of electricity to people at a cost of less than $7 per connected person. The climate of the country has much sunlight and heat which would support the use of solar panels. The government has begun to look into options concerning solar power. Saft developed its Sunica plus Ni-Cd battery specifically for storing photovoltaic, wind and hybrid energy in
isolated locations, with many remote
installations for utilities, signaling and
telecoms applications.

Wind energy

The cost of the initiative is placed around US $80 million. There are some issues dealing with location. Installing the large turbines usually found in a wind farm requires a lengthy preliminary study, which has not been done. Also, it is difficult to control for the wind speed, and usually turbine rotors are built for the airflow characteristics of a location which could be difficult in this situation. Madagascar is currently developing plans to use wind energy. Several projects have been underway in the northern part of the country. They believe that the projects will contribute to poverty alleviation as good job opportunities will be offered for qualified candidates in the fields of development, surveillance and maintenance as well as tradesmen.    

Coal energy

Coal currently takes up about 1% of the energy used in Madagascar. There are many deposits throughout the country that can be used for energy. The mining operations could create many jobs and could increase their renewable resources. There have been plans drawn up by the government for usage of this valuable energy source.

My rankings for likelihood of implementation are:
1. Wind energy
2. Solar energy
3. Coal energy

They have committed to wind energy. Solar energy is possible and while it could be expensive at first, this country could look towards the long term benefits. And then there's coal. With enough damage done to the environment already, I doubt there would be a heavy investment in coal energy.

Energy Assignment Part 2

Hydropower is the main type of energy used in Madagascar. With the abundance of small rivers on the island, hydropower has become the environmentally sound choice for generating electricity. It has  contributed about two-thirds of the country's electric power. Madagascar has huge potential in the field of renewable energy with regards to hydropower. This could help improve the electricity coverage for people living in rural areas.Madagascar has an installed total electricity generating capacity of 810 megawatts. The average cost of electricity for domestic consumers is about US $0.14 per kilowatt hour. This cost is principally due to the use of expensive imported diesel fuel to feed the thermal plants. Given the dependency on the oil imports and in the line of long term development of the country, Madagascar has ideas for extending electricity access. Madagascar plans to increase the electricity access rate to 74% in urban environment and 10% in rural environment in the next 5 years. The energy supply will be derived from all possible sources of energy in Madagascar (solar, hydro, wind, bio).

Land Use in Madagascar

1. In Madagascar, about 71% of the land is used for agriculture. Approximately 21% is comprised of forests and less than 1% is urban land.

2.
Monoculture
Pros - This method is much cheaper and machine usage requires less labor. It is very simple and successful crops enjoy very high rates of production.
Cons - This can also deplete nitrogen levels in the soils and it can spread diseases through the plants. There is a heavy usage of fossil fuels, chemicals and technology and it can cause a lot of environmental damage.

Polyculture
Pros - This only requires a smaller amount of land and natural resources can be used more efficiently. Water and electricity can be used more effectively to produce more. Animal wastes can be used as fertilizers and manure for crops. Also, the income for the farmers is a lot more stable and consistent.
Cons - It is difficult for the farmers to control all of their crops because they have to check on each one. Planning polyculture farming can also be very time consuming and planting which makes it a very laborious task. There is a need for  greater infrastructure to get the work done on a land for this method of farming.

Slash and Burn
Pros - This practice is very cheap. When practiced on a smaller land, it's not as devastating as burning down a great deal of land. If decades have past between each burn, it can be beneficial for the enivorment and the soil. 
Cons - Burning this tremendous amount of land is damaging to the environment. Without proerly evacuating animals in the area, the animals there could be killed. Also, slash and burn smoke causes the air quality to become really poor.

3. Madagascar primarily uses traditional farming methods which involves the slash and burn method. The main crop farmed in Madagascar is rice. It is grown throughout the country. Maize is farmed primarily in the south-central regions of the country and cassava along the east coast. The type of crop that takes up the highest percentage of the country's agriculture are cereal crops which includes rice and maize. The top 3 exported crops in Madagascar are coffee, vanilla and cloves.

Energy Assignment Part 1

Coal Energy

Pros - Coal is cheap and plentiful in many areas of the world, including Europe and North America. Coal deposits are typically located close to the surface and cover large areas, allowing many coal mines to operate for decades using relatively safe and inexpensive mining techniques. It is also easy to store and very easy to convert into energy.

Cons - Coal is a major source of several pollutants including carbon dioxide, a green house gas, and sulfur dioxide which is damaging to health. It speeds up the rate of global warming and it is non-renewable. It is just devastating to the environment.

Uses - Coal has many important uses worldwide. The most significant uses of coal is in electricity generation, steel production, cement manufacturing and as a liquid fuel. About 6.6 billion tonnes of hard coal were used worldwide last year and 1 billion tonnes of brown coal. There are different types of coal with different uses. Stream coal is used in power generation and Coking coal is used in steel production.

Solar Energy

Pros - Solar energy is a clean energy source as solar panels virtually give off no contamination. Solar energy is a renewable source of energy which means we can not run out of it. We will continue to get solar energy as long as sun is there. Another pro of solar energy is that it is sustainable. The power can be gained from remote areas too. It is very silent, low maintenance and it will lead to a reduction in your electricity bill.

Cons - The most significant con of solar energy is how much it costs to install the solar panels on your home. Some families may require more than one which makes the starting cost of solar panels expensive. Also, solar energy is only capable of producing power during the daytime. You will need a large area to install them and they are expensive store.

Uses - One use of solar panels is for ventilation. It can also be used to heat homes and water. It can provide indoor and outdoor lighting as well as provide the power for your house.

Wind Energy

Pros - Wind energy is clean and renewable. It can be set up on existing farmland to make it an easier transition. There is a lot of potential with wind energy and land owners can reap the benefits of significant savings.

Cons - Having to rely on the wind is not exactly ideal as most wind turbines function only about 30% of the time. These turbines could also harm natural wildlife such as birds who could get hit. Also, setting up wind turbines is quite expensive. And because it requires a lot of space, there is an impact of the environment with regards to cutting down trees to clear space.

Uses - Wind energy can be used to power many things like vehicles, water pumps, sports and your house.

Water Use in Madagascar

1) My shock wasn't for the fact that the water was being taken, but the alarmingly high volume of water that these companies are taking. This video should incite people, as it did with me, to fight for change. What these companies are doing are not only morally wrong, but could have a major impact on the environment and make water in many places even more scarce than it already is. There can be a number of ways for people to fight these companies and their evil practices, but all it will take is enough public support to either shame the companies or force governments to take action against these companies.

2) There are over 10 million people in Madagascar who don't have access to safe water. About 66% of people in urban areas have access to safe water, yet fewer than 15% of people in rural areas do, making overcoming poverty seemingly impossible. Only 24% of households in the urban capital of Antananarivo have a private water connection with the remainder dependent on standpipes and water kiosks, unimproved sources, and a very small minority from wells. Overall, about 20% of the population has direct access to toilets, 55% use sanitary pails and 15% defecate in the open. These are serious numbers which show that water use in Madagascar is dangerously bad. Many kids are dying from diarrhoea due to the unsafe water.

Waikiki Beach Case Study

1) The erosion on Waikiki Beach caused by all the mand-mde structures on the coastline has had effects on the beach itself. For instance, it has created a concrete slab with sharp edges that could harm he people. There has been a lot of sand that has vanished from Waikiki beach because of erosion. This loss of sand has also led to over 10 replenishment projects being drawn up over the past several decades.

2) They have added sand many times in attempt to make the beach bigger and safer. There is a recycling program which offers a more efficient method for maintaining a recreational beach while mitigating some of the environmental effects of imported sand to the Waikiki ecosystem. I believe it hasn't been very effective since they have had to replenish the sand many times over many years, I believe they need to find new ways of stopping the erosion.

3)
Social: People would not be very attracted to Waikiki beach anymore and people who live in the area would loose interest in visiting the beach and its near attractions. A loss on tourism and jobs could lead to making it very hard to be have some financial stability.
Environment: The environment could be greatly effected, if the cement slabs were to break away it could make it very unsafe in the water off the beach and the parts of buildings and side walk they protect could also start to erode. The plants along the beach and sea life in the water could start to die off.
Economic: The economic impacts of erosion on Waikiki Beach can be grave. If the erosion continues, the area could suffer a loss of $2 billion from the tourism industry. The loss of tax revenue could be over $150 million and there could also be a lot of jobs lost, as it could read over 5,000 jobs lost.

Glacial Retreat Case Study

Part A:
1) In the Himalayas due to the rising temperature in the Himalayas, the glaciers are melting at a faster rate than the rest of the world. Warmer summers and less snow in the winters will cause a negative mass balance and the glaciers will retreat.
In the Glacier National Park, mountain snowpacks hold less water and melt two weeks earlier in the spring, this drastically impacts wildlife drinking water. Some of the parks glaciers might actually vanish in a few decades and if the climate continues, all of them could disappear as well. In the Antarctic Peninsula, warming has been much slower in spring and summer than in fall and winter, but has been impactful. Seasonal snow coverage has decreased, floating ice shelves have been lost, and glacier termini have retreated.

2) Social: The impacts could consist of a loss of tourists wanting to visit the area and therefore meaning that locals who live near the glacier may miss out on extra income from tourism. Other factors are unreliable snowfall which could result in there not being enough snow for winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding. This could cause a sharp increase of unemployment would arise in these areas and locals may be forced to move away to look for work in more residential areas.  
Environmental: The impacts are at a global scale could contribute to sea-level rise, a change with significant consequences in coastal areas around the globe. However, some small areas near mountains with melting glaciers could have small rivers and other water resources overflow and flood. In a long term stand point most regions of the world, glaciers are now providing less water than before to the rivers immediately below them, reducing the availability of an important resource.
Economic: This would be really impacted and have lots of tourism and water resources shut down which means losses of businesses causing unemployment. Also, damages could happen if floods are to happen and if it gets really bad there could also be people who become homeless, but that is very unlikely to happen. 

Part B:
Lots of the tourist attractions involving glaciers will be greatly affected as they melt and retreat away. The tourism industry will go down dramatically and money would become harder to come by with business depleting. Also, with less snow falling because of warmer weather and the melting ice will make it less likely to have huge snowfalls meaning harder to run winter sports such as snowboarding and skiing. This could have a major impact on future winter olympics.

Part C:
The general impacts of glacial retreat have occured worldwide affecting the availability of fresh water for irrigation and domestic use, mountain recreation, animals and plants. These all depend on glacier-melt, and in the longer term and to some extent so does the level of the oceans. In areas that are heavily dependent on water runoff from glaciers that melt during the warmer summer months, a continuation of the current retreat will eventually deplete the glacial ice and substantially reduce or eliminate runoff. A reduction in runoff will affect the ability to irrigate crops and will reduce summer stream flows necessary to keep dams and reservoirs replenished. 

Flooding in Brisbane Case Study

1) 2 storms causing heavy rains led to flooding in Queensland. The trade winds were also a cause, because the prevailing pattern of easterly winds in the tropics, forcing warm water to build up in the western Pacific which leads to heavier rainfall. One of the dams built had an impact as the waterfalls created provided even more water for the floods.

2)
Social - The floods have made people homeless. They have put a dent in the resources of Queensland's health services. There is not much access to safe drinking water, medicine and hygienic food. There are lots of diarrhoeal diseases, which can lead to severe food poisoning for example.

Environmental - The agriculture industry took a huge hit. Lots of crops were ruined and the water supplies got contaminated and made it unsafe to drink in some areas and use on crops. Some Queensland construction and contract mining operations were affected and rendering some of them useless.

Economic - Tourism had been impacted as well since there was no access in and out of the area and tourists were stranded. This impact was big as it is a $4 billion industry. There was also tons of damage done to homes, infrastructures and many buildings. Many people lost their homes and possessions they due to either the water damage or simply being swept away. Queensland suffered about hundreds of millions of dollars in total damages.

3)
They have been committed to the idea of flood risk management. This involves many strategies including flood mitigation infrastructure helps in preventing some floods. There is land use planning and development control measures can help prevent floods, and also the recovery from them. Flood awareness and information can help across all four phases of prevention, preparation, response and recovery. Flood emergency management can help prepare for, respond to and recover from future floods.

Earthquake in Madagascar

1. The earthquake occured on January 25th, 2013. The magnitude of the earthquake was 5.3. It hit approximately 9 km west of the city of Anakao.

2. The focus of the earthquake was located at 23.654°S, 43.553°E. It was a shallow focus earthquake with a depth of 14 km.

3. The earthquake occured as a result of fault zones in the Indian Ocean.

4. The Richter Scale magnitude was 5.3.

5. a. The Biosphere wasn't really affected as the only impact could be the roads being damaged making it difficult for the people to travel.

b. The roads were damaged somewhat as a result of the earthquake.

c. The economic impact wasn't serious. However they did need to pay for cleanup and fixing of roads and buildings.

d. Infrastructure such as roads and buildings were damaged due to some intense shaking.

Desertification Case Study

1) Desertification occurs when fertile ground becomes a desert and dries out. It is usually caused by deforestation and droughts.

2) Botswana lies right across the Tropic of Capricorn and the majority of the land surface in Botswana is made up of a desert. This doesn't hold surface water for long periods of time which led to an over reliance on underground water. The Kalahari Desert occupies just over two thirds of the country's land mass. With the affect of droughts in the country, it is really hard for the water to stay on the land. Also, because its really flat it can't flow very well through the country, it absorbs into the ground really fast.

3) The desertification problems in Botswana mostly come from the severe times of drought. The drought caused 75% of the country’s human and animal populations to be dependent on groundwater which has eased the effects of the drought, but has left a greater impact on the land. Groundwater is obtained by drilling deep holes, which causes erosion of the land. Surface water is very rare in Botswana and a miniscule amount of the agriculture in the country is sustained by rainfall. Due to this, about 95% of the country raises cattle and livestock as a means for an income. Therefore only 71% of the country’s land is used for communal grazing, which has been a major cause for the desertification of the country. Factors such as deforestation, overgrazing, poor cropping methods and improper soil conservation techniques also made a big mark on the country's desertification.

4) The government has made new policies to the land use in Botswana. There are several programmes such as the, the Tribal Grazing Lands Policy, the Arable Lands Development Programme and the Remote Area Resettlement Scheme. They have also adopted the principle of bottom up approach in tackling desertification that is emphasized by the UNCCD, because people at grassroots level deal directly with impacts ofland degradation on daily basis. Botswana developed National Action Programme to Combat Desertification as required by the UNCCD. These are some of the many projects on going to help the desertification in Botswana, they are aimed to achieve and help soil conservation, livestock production, rangelands and wildlife management, water and land management. Some of their goals are to keep it as cheap as possible and introduce ecologically sound to make it ethical.