GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

An in-depth, multimedia look at climate change, its global impact, and efforts to combat it.

This guide on climate change from the Council on Foreign Relations (independent think tank) covers many of the geopolitical, economic and environmental issues that confront the Earth as global temperatures rise.  Rather than produce a full length feature film, they have organized the this as an interactive video, allowing the user to get short (a couple of minutes) answer to specific questions about the science, foreign policy or economic ramifications of adapting to climate change.

Tags: climate change, environmental adaption, economic, industry.

See on www.cfr.org

Climate change, changing diets and a growing global population has pushed food security to the top of the international agenda.

Food problems are fundamentally geographic.  Understanding local economics, agriculture and development all play a critical role.  This interactive media guide highlights where these issues are the most problematic. 

See on www.guardian.co.uk

The mapmakers have amassed some 80 maps for Food: An Atlas, ranging from surplus in Northeast Italy to meat production in Maryland. The goal is to spread information about various food systems so they can be adapted locally.

Social media is enhancing digital cooperation to enable some intriguing grass-roots projects such as this one. 

Tags: food, agriculture, mapping.

See on www.npr.org

Experts warn that China’s apparent claims to other territories could have a long-term impact on relations with its neighbours…

Many people assume oftentimes that a map merely reflects reality.  In this passport map, China is flexing it’s regional muscles, trying to reinforce their territorial claims as legitimate.  Not surprisingly, their neighbors with competing claims are angered, calling this map dimplomatically “unacceptable.”  Some look at this map and dismiss it as a glorified watermark.  What you you think the sub-text this maps is?  You can find another article on this topic in the Washington Post. 

Tags: cartography, China, borders. 

See on www.guardian.co.uk

A film from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, adapted from the 1958 essay by Leonard E. Read.

This year’s Geography Awareness Week’s theme was “Declare Your Interdependence!”  The GAW poster for 2012 focused on the Geography of a Pencil and this video works together nicely as a supplement to that poster.  You may see the economics of capitalism and globalization in a less optimistic light than Leonard Read, but the theme of interconnectedness makes this a great resource.

See on www.youtube.com

Unicharm Corp.’s sales of adult diapers in Japan exceeded those for babies for the first time last year. At Daiei Inc. supermarkets, customers can feel Japan aging — literally: It has made shopping carts lighter.

Japan’s demographic shifts are well-chronicled: the Japanese are having fewer children and the improvements in healthcare mean that the elderly are living longer than ever.  Combined this means that Japan’s population pyramid is getting “top heavy.”  This population change is having huge econmic impacts as the percentage of Japanese people is now over 23%.  Retailers and industries are heavily targeting this expanding demographic with financial clout that outspends all other cohorts.

Tags: Japan, declining population, economic, population, demographics, unit 2 population, East Asia, consumption.

See on www.bloomberg.com

Millions of American citizens on the island have spoken. Now, Washington must act.

After the Nov. 6th referendum, the question of Puerto Rico’s political status vis-a-vis the United States for the future is actually murkier than it was before.  The Puerto Rican voters have spoken, but the meanings of the plebiscite results are still being debated.

See on www.nytimes.com