Green Options » natural disasters http://greenoptions.com/tag/natural-disasters Posts tagged 'natural disasters' Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:29:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Is the US Climate Illiterate? http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/02/is-the-us-climate-illiterate/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/02/is-the-us-climate-illiterate/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:29:55 +0000 Zachary Shahan http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/02/is-the-us-climate-illiterate/

“The United States is in a sense climate illiterate still,” Hans Schellnhuber, the director of Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said earlier this week.

He wasn’t just comparing the US to the EU, however. Even developing nations seem to know more about the issue and the potential results of inaction.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/02/is-the-us-climate-illiterate/feed/ Study Estimates Consequences of Flooding, Disaster in World’s Port Cities http://ecoworldly.com/2009/02/05/study-estimates-consequences-of-flooding-disaster-in-worlds-port-cities/ http://ecoworldly.com/2009/02/05/study-estimates-consequences-of-flooding-disaster-in-worlds-port-cities/#comments Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:18:13 +0000 Adam Williams http://ecoworldly.com/2009/02/05/study-estimates-consequences-of-flooding-disaster-in-worlds-port-cities/ A paper recently published by the

The 63-page study focused on 136 cities around the world, cities with current total population of approximately 40 million, that are considered at risk of a one in 100-year coastal flood event. By the 2070s, the population is expected to be as high as 150 million who will be affected by sea-level rise and storm dangers heightened by climate change.

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]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2009/02/05/study-estimates-consequences-of-flooding-disaster-in-worlds-port-cities/feed/ Blast-Proof World Seed Bank Vault Being Built in Norway http://ecoscraps.com/2008/11/28/blast-proof-world-seed-bank-vault-being-built-in-norway/ http://ecoscraps.com/2008/11/28/blast-proof-world-seed-bank-vault-being-built-in-norway/#comments Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:31:57 +0000 Jennifer Lance http://ecoscraps.com/2008/11/28/blast-proof-world-seed-bank-vault-being-built-in-norway/ World Seed VaultSeed banks help out farmers in times of natural disasters; however, the Global Crop Diversity Trust is preparing for such a disaster on a global scale.  The Svalbard Global Seed Vault will store and preserve 4.5 million samples from other seed banks. The vault is located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. Conde Nast explains the purpose of this world seed bank:

There are only two reasons a seed would ever leave this vault: (1) to be replaced by a fresh sample or (2) to reseed a crop that’s been wiped off the earth.

Image and via:  Conde Nast Portfolio

]]> http://ecoscraps.com/2008/11/28/blast-proof-world-seed-bank-vault-being-built-in-norway/feed/ If the Climate Shoe Fits … http://ecoscraps.com/2008/09/03/if-the-climate-shoe-fits/ http://ecoscraps.com/2008/09/03/if-the-climate-shoe-fits/#comments Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:21:57 +0000 Shirley Siluk Gregory http://ecoscraps.com/2008/09/03/if-the-climate-shoe-fits/ NASA at Wikimedia Commons, public domain.)What will a future world shaped by accelerating climate change look like? Imagine this season’s Atlantic hurricanes and devastating flooding in India, and kick those up a notch or three, says the head of the United Nation’s Environment Programme (UNEP). As of this June, the world has already seen some 400 natural disasters (including the non-weather-related Sichuan earthquake in China) rack up damages of $82 billion. At that rate, says insurance company Munich Re, 2008 is “following the long-term trend towards more weather catastrophes, which is influenced by climate change.”

Read more at UNEP’s Website and find an insightful commentary on “Gustav, Global Warming and Sarah Palin” at Salon.

Image credit: NASA at Wikimedia Commons.

]]> http://ecoscraps.com/2008/09/03/if-the-climate-shoe-fits/feed/ The Upside to Natural Disasters http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/06/13/the-upside-to-natural-disasters/ http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/06/13/the-upside-to-natural-disasters/#comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:18:50 +0000 Levi Novey http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/06/13/the-upside-to-natural-disasters/ Satellite Image of Hurricane KatrinaBefore I write anything else, I want to unequivocally explain that I think natural disasters are terrible. They cause countless deaths and incredible human suffering. With that being understood, I often find myself believing that things happen in nature for a reason, and so I started to ponder what some of the good aspects to natural disasters might be. I’ve come up with three ideas about what might be some positive consequences of natural disasters.

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]]> http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/06/13/the-upside-to-natural-disasters/feed/ The Sustainable Hurricane Season Plan http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/16/the-sustainable-hurricane-season-plan/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/16/the-sustainable-hurricane-season-plan/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 15:27:02 +0000 Shirley Siluk Gregory http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/05/16/the-sustainable-hurricane-season-plan/ A satellite image of 2004’s Hurricane Ivan. (Image credit: NASA at Wikimedia Commons, released into public domain.)While I’ve lived on the Gulf Coast for just a little over 10 years, I’ve already endured a more-than-fair share of hurricanes: Georges, Ivan, Dennis, Katrina, Wilma.

I’ve been more fortunate than many, but my post-hurricane experiences have actually raised my awareness a great deal about the importance of sustainability. Because few things make you understand the challenges of sustainable living more than a few days or weeks in a disaster zone with no electricity, no drinkable running water, no passable roads.

And so, with another hurricane season once again looming (it starts June 1), here are some of the sustainability lessons I’ve learned over the years:

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