The largest Natural Catastrophes from 1970-2011 world wide

Submitted by Chris on Fri, 08/10/2012 - 14:08

Most of the shown natural disaster happened on islands, near the sea and at tectonic borders.  Overall loss ranges from 8 - 125 billion USD. Damage partly insured. Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Hurricane have the biggest potential to destroy facilities.

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withdrawal and consumption water in the world

Submitted by jeremy64fr on Fri, 08/10/2012 - 11:26

 

Freshwater use by continents is partly based on several socio-economic development factors, including population, physiographic, and climatic characteristics. Analysis indicates that:

- Annual global freshwater withdrawal has grown from 3,790 km3 (of which consumption accounted for 2,070 km3 or 61%) in 1995, to 4,430 km3 (of which consumption accounted for 2,304 km3 or 52%) in 2000 (Shiklomanov, 1999).

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Distribution significant samples of corprate regions from the world

Submitted by jeremy64fr on Fri, 08/10/2012 - 11:23

States that collect the most water are those where irrigated agriculture is very important. There are currently 280 million hectares irrigated worldwide, against 190 in 1980. Irrigated agriculture is responsible for 95% of freshwater withdrawals in some developing countries. Looking at the share of renewable resources withdrawn for agriculture, there are clear differences. In some areas, the resource is not mobilized, including where agricultural use is overwhelmingly dominant, either due to low population density or poor management of the resource.

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Freshwater resources: volume by continent

Submitted by jeremy64fr on Fri, 08/10/2012 - 11:01

 

Glaciers and ice caps cover about 10% of the world’s landmass. These are concentrated in Greenland and Antarctica and contain 70% of the world’s freshwater. Unfortunately, most of these resources are located far from human habitation and are not readily accessible for human use. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), 96% of the world’s frozen freshwater is at the South and North Poles, with the remaining 4% spread over 550,000 km2 of glaciers and mountainous icecaps measuring about 180,000 km3 (UNEP, 1992; Untersteiner, 1975; WGMS, 1998, 2002).

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