page 1, organizations page 2, think tanks, magazines page 3, developments |
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| The world's water and climate change
(Source Reuters, March 9, 2009) - World water supplies may be severely stressed in coming decades because of global climate change linked to the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. The U.S. West is one of the places that has the most to lose with water scarcity, but many other regions around the world will face similar challenges.
Here are some facts and projections on water and climate change: -- Temperatures are likely to rise by between 1.1 and 6.4 Celsius (2.0 and 11.5 Fahrenheit) and sea levels by between 18 cm and 59 cm (7 inches and 23 inches) this century, according to the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. -- Climate change model simulations for the 21st century see increased precipitation at high latitudes and tropical areas; decreased rainfall in sub-tropical regions. -- Warming in the western U.S. mountains is projected to cause decreased snowpack, more winter flooding and reduce summer flows, exacerbating competition for over-allocated water resources. -- Major challenges are projected for U.S. crops near the warm end of their suitable range or which depend on highly utilized water resources. -- In southern Europe, climate change is projected to worsen conditions like high temperatures and drought, and reduce available water, hydropower potential, summer tourism and crops in general. -- In Latin America, productivity of some important crops will decrease, while disappearance of glaciers in the Andes will affect water supplies for human consumption. -- In Africa, by 2020, between 75 and 250 million people are projected to be exposed to increased water stress due to climate change. In some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 percent. -- In Asia, by the 2050s, freshwater availability in Central, South, East and South-East Asia, particularly in large river basins, is projected to decrease. -- Australia's current drought, which helped spark the country's deadliest bushfire disaster ever in early in 2009, has been linked to climate change. By 2030, water problems are projected to intensify in southern and eastern Australia. |
| A special future trends directory with over a 1000 links is at: Future Trends |
| BPL-Humanities and Social Sciences Resources-Humanities & Social Sciences Resources. Afghanistan · African Americans · Countries From the Library of Congress, Portals to the World has selective links. www.bplonline.org/resources/subjects/humanities/ |
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Social Science information Gateway, SOSIG aims to offer social scientists a quick and easy way of finding quality networked information that can support their work. www.sosig.ac.uk/ |
Social Science Research Council-An independent, not-for-profit international organization that seeks to advance social science throughout the world. Information on initiatives. www.ssrc.org/ |
ENN Environmental News Network-Environmental education and awareness e-zine with daily updates. www.enn.com/ |
United Nations Environment Programme UNEP, Promotes environmental understanding, and increases public knowledge about environmental factors and problems of future generations. www.unep.org/ |
Environmental Science and Technology ES&T, Both a magazine and a journal, semi-monthly issues feature peer-reviewed research and news reports concerning all aspects of environmental science. pubs.acs.org/journals/esthag/ |
World Future Society-The World Future Society, Publisher of the Futurist Magazine. www.wfs.org/ |
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| Organizations |
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Amnesty International-Working to Protect Human Rights, Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. |
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)-Encourages international peace and universal respect by promoting collaboration among nations. Conducts studies, facilitates knowledge sharing, and develops ... www.unesco.org/ |
Sierra Club Home Page, Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet-The Sierra Club has chapters throughout the United States and Canada that offer opportunities for local involvement, activism and outings. www.sierraclub.org/ |
Earthwatch Worldwide Earthwatch Institute-An international non-profit organization supporting scientific field research and offering members of the public the opportunity to work with distinguished ... www.earthwatch.org/ |
Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE)-Provide information on the campaigns and projects of its member groups, which deal with a large variety of subjects such as traffic, waste, recycling, ... www.foeeurope.org/ |
WHO: World Health Organization-Publication catalog, media resources, health articles, and current health news. List of upcoming health events, conferences, and summits. www.who.int/ |
World Environmental Organization-World.org, "World Environmental Organization" lists links to 1000 "top environmental sites." Also has environmental news, tips for sustainable living, and information ... www.world.org/ |
UNESCO World Heritage List-A complete up-to-date list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the web since 1994. www.thesalmons.org/lynn/world.heritage.html |
WHTour: World Heritage sites in panography (360-degree imaging)-The WHTour is a non-profit org documenting in panographies (360-degree imaging) all sites registered on the World Heritage List by UNESCO. www.world-heritage-tour.org/ |
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