Geography 135
Lab 1

Summer 2004

Aim: To familiarize yourself with the Star Computer Lab, useful Internet resources, and to begin working on group writing #1: Summary for Policymakers.

 

 

1. According to the CIA World Fact Book 
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

 

 

Did Russia and the Ukraine ratify the Climate Change Kyoto Protocol?

 

 

Check out the Kyoto Protocol Thermometer to compare the Russian Federation's percentage of CO2 emissions to those of the United States.   http://unfccc.int/resource/kpthermo.html

 

 

Look up the following information in the CIA World Fact Book. While comparing these three sets of national statistics, consider how the emission rates of the three countries might compare:

 

                                  

INDONESIA:

1.       What is the total land area of Indonesia?

  1. What is the GDP of Indonesia?
  2. What is the GDP real growth rate in Indonesia?                                            
  3. What percentage of Indonesia's GDP is from industry?
  4. What is Indonesia's industrial production growth rate?
  5. Are the top industries large energy users or pollution producers? 
  6. What percentage of Indonesia's electricity production is by fossil fuels?
  7. What is the population growth rate in Indonesia? 
  8. What is the total current population in Indonesia? 

 

SOUTH KOREA:                         

  1. What is the total land area of S. Korea?
  2. What is the GDP of S. Korea?
  3. What is the GDP real growth rate in S. Korea?
  4. What percentage of S. Korea's GDP is from industry?
  5. What is the industrial production growth rate in S. Korea?
  6. Are the top industries large energy users or pollution producers? 
  7. What percentage of S. Korea's electricity production is by fossil fuels?
  8. What is the population growth rate in of S. Korea?
  9. What is the total current population in S. Korea?

 

CANADA:

  1. What is the total land area of Canada?
  2. What is the GDP?  
  3. What is the GDP real growth rate in Canada?
  4. What percentage of Canada's GDP is from industry?
  5. What is the industrial production growth rate in Canada?
  6. Are the top industries large energy users or pollution producers? 
  7. What percentage of Canada's electricity production is by fossil fuels?
  8. What is the population growth rate in Canada?
  9. What is the total current population in Canada?

 

 

 

 

Total Land Area (Km2)

GDP

GDP Real Growth

% GDP From Industry

Industrial Production Growth Rate

Top Industries:

Large Energy Users Or Pollution Producers

% Electricity Production By Fossil Fuels

Population Growth

Current Population

Indonesia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

South Korea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comparing these sets of figures, which nation might one assume to be the most likely contributor to emissions of green house gases?

Do you find any figures in the data that reflect the extent of deforestation in Indonesia? Do you think that figures for emissions of fossil fuel burning or CO2 reflect emissions from forest burning for land conversion?

 

 

For explicit data on green house gas emissions for different countries check out the UNFCCC Green House Gas Inventory Database

 

http://ghg.unfccc.int/default1.htf?time=10%3A01%3A21+PM

 

 

 

 

2. Websites

 

Find five additional websites (not already given to you in the list below) that may be useful resources for your country/organization and describe what information the websites provide.

 

 

 

Useful Websites

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
CIA World Fact Book

http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe
LexisNexis: Comprehensive newspaper search engine (available when using on-campus computers)

http://www.grida.no/geo/geo3/
UNEP's Global Resource Info Database (GRID) Global Environmental Outlook 3

http://www.grida.no/climate/vital/
UNEP's Vital Climate Graphics

http://www.unep.org/Geo2000/english/index.htm
UNEP's Global Environmental Outlook 2000

http://www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/gccsg/
Global Climate Change Student Guide

http://www.unido.org/
United Nations Industrial Development Organization

http://earthtrends.wri.org/
World Resources Institute EarthTrends, The Environmental Information Portal (you will need to register but it's free). WRI is an environmental think tank that synthesizes research to provide information, ideas, and solutions to global environmental problems. You will be able to find regional/country maps

http://www.med.harvard.edu/chge/qrsummer02/review.html
Harvard Medical SchoolÕs Quarterly Review on Human Health Affects of Climate Change

http://www.ipcc.ch/pub/wg2SPMfinal.pdf
IPCC Third Assessment Report - Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (Summary for Policy Makers)

http://www.unfccc.de
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

http://ghg.unfccc.int/default1.htf?time=10%3A01%3A21+PM
UNFCCC Green House Gas Inventory Database

http://www.spindrift.org/lightfoot/energy.htm
Green Energy; a list of links put together by students at UC Berkeley

http://www.eren.doe.gov/
Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

http://www.rivm.nl/env/int/geo/images/402001-012.pdf
UNEP Environment and Assessment Technical Report: Global Assessment of Acidification and Eutrophication of Natural Ecosystems

http://www.cordis.lu/eesd/ka2/policies.htm
EU Related Policies: Global Change, Climate & Biodiversity

http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/eesd/leaflets/en/index.html
European Commission: Energy, Environment & Sustainable Development

http://www.geo.ucl.ac.be/accelerates/
Assessing Climate Change Affects on Land Use and Ecosystems (Funded by the European Commission)

http://www.efi.fi/projects/forsce/example_of_results.html
European Forest Institute history and projections

http://www.pik-potsdam.de/ateam/
Advanced Terrestrial Ecosystems And Modeling (ATEAM)