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torstai 14. tammikuuta 2010
Haiti
One of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, Haiti in recent years has struggled with problems ranging from near-constant political upheaval, health crises, severe environmental degradation and an annual barrage of hurricanes, which killed an estimated 800 people and caused vast damage in 2008.
On Jan. 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Haiti, reducing much of its capital to rubble. It was the worst earthquake in the region in more than 200 years, with thousands feared dead. The devastation created serious obstacles to those attempting to deliver promised foreign aid.
United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told NBC's "Today" program that 3 million people - about a third of Haiti's population - had been affected by the quake, and that "there will be tens of thousands of casualties - we don't have any exact numbers."
Haiti occupies an area roughly the size of Maryland on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Nearly all of the 8.7 million residents are of African descent and speak Creole and French. The capital is Port-au-Prince.
The country is, by a significant margin, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, with four out of five people living in poverty and more than half in abject poverty. Deforestation and over-farming have left much of Haiti eroded and barren, undermining subsistence farming efforts, driving up food prices and leaving the country even more vulnerable to natural disasters. Its long history of political instability and corruption has added to the turmoil.
Read More...
During the 18th century the western portion of Hispaniola, called Saint-Domingue, was one of the richest colonies in the French empire, known for its lucrative sugarcane and coffee plantations. (The rest of the island was controlled by Spain.) In 1791 the African slave population revolted, eventually winning independence from Napoleon Bonaparte's France and becoming the second country in the Americas to free itself from colonial rule and the world's first black republic. The country was renamed Haiti.
Haiti's history has been marked by many periods of profound political disarray, including frequent changes of governments, military coups and, beginning in 1915, a two-decade occupation by the United States. The most infamous of Haiti's leaders was François Duvalier, known as Papa Doc, who was elected president in 1957, beginning a long rule known for corruption and human rights abuses that left Haiti increasingly isolated. His son Jean-Claude Duvalier controlled the country from 1971 until he fled in 1986, leading to another period of alternating civilian and military rule.
Despite bouts of optimism in recent years brought on by the implementation of a new constitution and the first peaceful transfer of power between two elected presidents in the nation's history, Haiti's politics remain as tumultuous as ever.
In 1991, Jean-Bertrand Aristide took power after winning 67 percent of the vote in a presidential election, but was overthrown shortly after taking office in a violent coup leading to a three year period of military rule that ended only after the intervention of a United Nations force led by the United States. While the 1995 election of Rene Preval, a prominent political ally of Mr. Aristide, was widely praised, subsequent elections were plagued with allegations of fraud, including the 2000 restoration of Mr. Aristide to his old post.
Over the following years violence spread throughout the country as the government cracked down on opposition party leaders, holding power in part with the aid of extra-legal gangs. In February 2004, after groups opposed to the Aristide government seized control of cities and towns throughout Haiti and closed in on the capital, Mr. Aristide resigned and fled to South Africa. U.S.-led armed forces under the authority of the United Nations Security Council were sent to Port-au-Prince to stabilize the situation and to oversee the installation of an interim government. The United Nations has spent some $5 billion on peacekeeping operations since 2004.
In 2006, Mr. Preval was again elected president amidst allegations of impropriety.
Since 2008, the situation has worsened dramatically, with the nation staggering beneath the double whammy of food riots, government instability and a series of hurricanes that killed hundreds and battered the economy.
Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike and Tropical Storm Fay landed within the space of a month in August and September 2008. Nationally, damages came to a total of $900 million, or nearly 15 percent of the gross domestic product. The national toll was 800 dead, down from 2004 when 3,000 perished.
Haiti needs jobs, a particular challenge in the current economic climate. Haitians often seek work in the United States, but that safety valve has been squeezed given the recession. With some 900,000 youths expected to come into the job market in the next five years, dismal prospects are the main threat to stability.
On Jan. 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Haiti, reducing much of its capital to rubble. It was the worst earthquake in the region in more than 200 years, with thousands feared dead. The devastation created serious obstacles to those attempting to deliver promised foreign aid.
United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told NBC's "Today" program that 3 million people - about a third of Haiti's population - had been affected by the quake, and that "there will be tens of thousands of casualties - we don't have any exact numbers."
Haiti occupies an area roughly the size of Maryland on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Nearly all of the 8.7 million residents are of African descent and speak Creole and French. The capital is Port-au-Prince.
The country is, by a significant margin, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, with four out of five people living in poverty and more than half in abject poverty. Deforestation and over-farming have left much of Haiti eroded and barren, undermining subsistence farming efforts, driving up food prices and leaving the country even more vulnerable to natural disasters. Its long history of political instability and corruption has added to the turmoil.
Read More...
During the 18th century the western portion of Hispaniola, called Saint-Domingue, was one of the richest colonies in the French empire, known for its lucrative sugarcane and coffee plantations. (The rest of the island was controlled by Spain.) In 1791 the African slave population revolted, eventually winning independence from Napoleon Bonaparte's France and becoming the second country in the Americas to free itself from colonial rule and the world's first black republic. The country was renamed Haiti.
Haiti's history has been marked by many periods of profound political disarray, including frequent changes of governments, military coups and, beginning in 1915, a two-decade occupation by the United States. The most infamous of Haiti's leaders was François Duvalier, known as Papa Doc, who was elected president in 1957, beginning a long rule known for corruption and human rights abuses that left Haiti increasingly isolated. His son Jean-Claude Duvalier controlled the country from 1971 until he fled in 1986, leading to another period of alternating civilian and military rule.
Despite bouts of optimism in recent years brought on by the implementation of a new constitution and the first peaceful transfer of power between two elected presidents in the nation's history, Haiti's politics remain as tumultuous as ever.
In 1991, Jean-Bertrand Aristide took power after winning 67 percent of the vote in a presidential election, but was overthrown shortly after taking office in a violent coup leading to a three year period of military rule that ended only after the intervention of a United Nations force led by the United States. While the 1995 election of Rene Preval, a prominent political ally of Mr. Aristide, was widely praised, subsequent elections were plagued with allegations of fraud, including the 2000 restoration of Mr. Aristide to his old post.
Over the following years violence spread throughout the country as the government cracked down on opposition party leaders, holding power in part with the aid of extra-legal gangs. In February 2004, after groups opposed to the Aristide government seized control of cities and towns throughout Haiti and closed in on the capital, Mr. Aristide resigned and fled to South Africa. U.S.-led armed forces under the authority of the United Nations Security Council were sent to Port-au-Prince to stabilize the situation and to oversee the installation of an interim government. The United Nations has spent some $5 billion on peacekeeping operations since 2004.
In 2006, Mr. Preval was again elected president amidst allegations of impropriety.
Since 2008, the situation has worsened dramatically, with the nation staggering beneath the double whammy of food riots, government instability and a series of hurricanes that killed hundreds and battered the economy.
Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike and Tropical Storm Fay landed within the space of a month in August and September 2008. Nationally, damages came to a total of $900 million, or nearly 15 percent of the gross domestic product. The national toll was 800 dead, down from 2004 when 3,000 perished.
Haiti needs jobs, a particular challenge in the current economic climate. Haitians often seek work in the United States, but that safety valve has been squeezed given the recession. With some 900,000 youths expected to come into the job market in the next five years, dismal prospects are the main threat to stability.
World Bank to Provide an Additional $100 Million to Haiti, Following Earthquake
Press Release No:2010/228/LAC
Contacts in Washington:
Alejandro Cedeño (202) 473-3477 acedeno@worldbank.org
Sergio Jellinek (202) 458-2841 sjellinek@worldbank.org
WASHINGTON, DC, January 13, 2010—In response to the magnitude-7.0 earthquake that caused extensive damage and casualties in Haiti on Tuesday, the World Bank will provide an additional $100 million in emergency grant funding to support recovery and reconstruction in the Caribbean nation.
"This is a shocking event and it is crucial that the international community supports the Haitian people at this critical time,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. “The World Bank is mobilizing significant financial assistance and sending a team to help assess damage and reconstruction needs. Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti, our staff, and our UN colleagues."
In addition to new initiatives, the World Bank expects to utilize the capacity of existing projects, including those that focus on education and community-driven development, to provide assistance quickly and effectively.
The World Bank Group is sending experts to work with the Government and its international partners to assess needs and losses and plan for recovery and reconstruction. The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) has allocated US$250,000 for this assessment. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group's private sector arm, stands ready to work with the private sector on reconstruction and is contacting its clients in Haiti to identify ways it can work with them to play a role in the reconstruction effort.
Going forward, the World Bank plans to provide seed resources to establish a multi-donor trust fund, the Haiti Reconstruction Fund, to mobilize international support for recovery and reconstruction process.
The new $100 million funding is subject to approval by the World Bank's Board of Directors.
There are currently 14 main World Bank projects active in Haiti in areas including disaster risk management, infrastructure, community-driven development, education, and economic governance. All current World Bank assistance to Haiti is in grant form.
Since January 2005, the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank arm that provides interest-free credits and grants to the world’s poorest countries, has provided a total of US$308 million for Haiti. In addition, trust funds administered by the World Bank have given more than US$55 million since 2003.
Contacts in Washington:
Alejandro Cedeño (202) 473-3477 acedeno@worldbank.org
Sergio Jellinek (202) 458-2841 sjellinek@worldbank.org
WASHINGTON, DC, January 13, 2010—In response to the magnitude-7.0 earthquake that caused extensive damage and casualties in Haiti on Tuesday, the World Bank will provide an additional $100 million in emergency grant funding to support recovery and reconstruction in the Caribbean nation.
"This is a shocking event and it is crucial that the international community supports the Haitian people at this critical time,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. “The World Bank is mobilizing significant financial assistance and sending a team to help assess damage and reconstruction needs. Our thoughts are with the people of Haiti, our staff, and our UN colleagues."
In addition to new initiatives, the World Bank expects to utilize the capacity of existing projects, including those that focus on education and community-driven development, to provide assistance quickly and effectively.
The World Bank Group is sending experts to work with the Government and its international partners to assess needs and losses and plan for recovery and reconstruction. The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) has allocated US$250,000 for this assessment. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group's private sector arm, stands ready to work with the private sector on reconstruction and is contacting its clients in Haiti to identify ways it can work with them to play a role in the reconstruction effort.
Going forward, the World Bank plans to provide seed resources to establish a multi-donor trust fund, the Haiti Reconstruction Fund, to mobilize international support for recovery and reconstruction process.
The new $100 million funding is subject to approval by the World Bank's Board of Directors.
There are currently 14 main World Bank projects active in Haiti in areas including disaster risk management, infrastructure, community-driven development, education, and economic governance. All current World Bank assistance to Haiti is in grant form.
Since January 2005, the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank arm that provides interest-free credits and grants to the world’s poorest countries, has provided a total of US$308 million for Haiti. In addition, trust funds administered by the World Bank have given more than US$55 million since 2003.
lauantai 2. tammikuuta 2010
YELLOWSTONE
Meitä on aina mietityttänyt apocalyptiset kertomukset ja muut maailmanloppu- ja hirmukatastrofikertomukset ympäri historian. Niitä voi lukea nykyisin lähinnä siitä raamatusta, mutta merkkejä on myös jokapäiväisessä elämässämme.
Artikkelin on kirjoittanut meille foorumiltakin tuttu thebel. Kiitokset hänelle!
Maailman vanhimmaksi luonnonpuistoksi tituleerattu Yellowstonen kansallispuisto sijaitsee kolmen osavaltion rajalla Yhdysvalloissa, mutta suurin osa siitä kuuluu Utahille. Alueella sijaitsee kymmenittäin geysireitä, eli lähteitä, joista purkautuu kuumaa vettä tai vesihöyryä. Tunnetuin näistä geysireistä on Old Faithful eli Vanha Uskollinen.
Tämä kaikki geoterminen toiminta johtuu siitä, että Yellowstone sijaitsee ns. kuuman kohdan (hotspot) päällä ja alueella onkin peräti kolme kalderaa limittäin. Yellowstone purkautui ensimmäisen kerran noin 2 miljoonaa vuotta sitten ja tässä purkauksessa syntyi 50×80 kilometriä suuri kraatteri, eli ei ihan pieni. Kraatteri oli vieläpä satoja metrejä syvä, mutta nykyään se on täysin täyttynyt eikä sitä nykyään enää huomaa.
Mahdollinen purkaus tulevaisuudessa
On täysin mahdotonta ennustaa Yellowstonen purkautumista, koska kyseessä on varsin ailahteleva supertulivuori. Välillä siellä esiintyy voimakkaitakin maanjäristyksiä, suurin osa Yellowstonen kalderan ympärillä, joka on nykyään järvi. Tästä järvestä voidaan ottaa näytteitä, joilla voidaan tarkkailla tilannetta. Yellowstonen purkaus voisi aiheuttaa valtavia muutoksia ilmakehässä, ja aiheuttaa monia sukupuuttoja. Purkauksesta vapautunut tuhka ja rikkidioksidi voisivat aiheuttaa ydintalven, jolloin täällä Suomessakin voisi olla pakkasta jopa juhannuksena. Tällainen tilanne jatkuisi ehkä 4 vuotta, jonka jälkeen lämpötilat alkaisivat normalisoitua, mutta siihenkin menisi pitkiä aikoja. Tämmöinen ydintalvi aiheuttaisi valtavaa nälänhätää ja koska Yhdysvaltain leipäkori mahdollisesti tuhoutuisi pyroklastisista virtauksista, maailman suurimmalta ruuantuotantoalueelta loppuisi ruuan tuleminen. Tämä johtaisi miljoonien, ehkä miljardien ihmisten kuolemaan.
Lähteet:
http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstonen_kansallispuisto
http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstonen_kaldera
Artikkelin on kirjoittanut meille foorumiltakin tuttu thebel. Kiitokset hänelle!
Maailman vanhimmaksi luonnonpuistoksi tituleerattu Yellowstonen kansallispuisto sijaitsee kolmen osavaltion rajalla Yhdysvalloissa, mutta suurin osa siitä kuuluu Utahille. Alueella sijaitsee kymmenittäin geysireitä, eli lähteitä, joista purkautuu kuumaa vettä tai vesihöyryä. Tunnetuin näistä geysireistä on Old Faithful eli Vanha Uskollinen.
Tämä kaikki geoterminen toiminta johtuu siitä, että Yellowstone sijaitsee ns. kuuman kohdan (hotspot) päällä ja alueella onkin peräti kolme kalderaa limittäin. Yellowstone purkautui ensimmäisen kerran noin 2 miljoonaa vuotta sitten ja tässä purkauksessa syntyi 50×80 kilometriä suuri kraatteri, eli ei ihan pieni. Kraatteri oli vieläpä satoja metrejä syvä, mutta nykyään se on täysin täyttynyt eikä sitä nykyään enää huomaa.
Mahdollinen purkaus tulevaisuudessa
On täysin mahdotonta ennustaa Yellowstonen purkautumista, koska kyseessä on varsin ailahteleva supertulivuori. Välillä siellä esiintyy voimakkaitakin maanjäristyksiä, suurin osa Yellowstonen kalderan ympärillä, joka on nykyään järvi. Tästä järvestä voidaan ottaa näytteitä, joilla voidaan tarkkailla tilannetta. Yellowstonen purkaus voisi aiheuttaa valtavia muutoksia ilmakehässä, ja aiheuttaa monia sukupuuttoja. Purkauksesta vapautunut tuhka ja rikkidioksidi voisivat aiheuttaa ydintalven, jolloin täällä Suomessakin voisi olla pakkasta jopa juhannuksena. Tällainen tilanne jatkuisi ehkä 4 vuotta, jonka jälkeen lämpötilat alkaisivat normalisoitua, mutta siihenkin menisi pitkiä aikoja. Tämmöinen ydintalvi aiheuttaisi valtavaa nälänhätää ja koska Yhdysvaltain leipäkori mahdollisesti tuhoutuisi pyroklastisista virtauksista, maailman suurimmalta ruuantuotantoalueelta loppuisi ruuan tuleminen. Tämä johtaisi miljoonien, ehkä miljardien ihmisten kuolemaan.
Lähteet:
http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstonen_kansallispuisto
http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstonen_kaldera
Tilaa:
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