Event - The Sustainability of Delta Cities (Debate)

A debate on the ‘Sustainability of Delta Cities’ will take place on June 4,2014 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The debate will look at how we can better exploit what we know about land subsidence in urban areas. The speakers will examine the links between planning, design and construction in delta cities using Jakarta, New Orleans and the Green Heart of the Netherlands as examples.

Delta cities are facing long-term problems such as land subsidence, climate change and rapid rises in the population. Jakarta, New Orleans or Gouda: they can all look forward to major challenges.Land subsidence is a slow and lengthy process that today’s cities are not built to cope with.It is a problem that has not been adequately understood by urban planners, landscapers and architects. For these groups, Deltares will organise a debate on Wednesday 4th June, in the Kunsthal in Rotterdam.

Infographic - Green Cities Comparison: New York, Vancouver and Copenhagen

Kitchener/Waterloo's Climate Change Action Plan

Late in November, 2013, Kitchener city council unanimously endorsed Waterloo Region's first-ever climate change action plan. The plan will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by six percent from our 2010 levels by 2020. Waterloo and Cambridge Councils did the same earlier this month.

Event - The 2nd World Intelligent Cities Summit and Exhibition (WICS 2013)

The 2nd World Intelligent Cities Summit and Exhibition, which will be held on the 27th – 28th November 2013 in Istanbul, Türkey. Future development of cities and regions will require the intelligent integration of communications technology, coupled with changing behaviour in how we use this technology, to make our cities and regions smarter and more energy efficient.

This event is designed to help municipalities and regions of all sizes drive innovation, boost efficiency, leverage data, upgrade service delivery and achieve economic prosperity. 

With technological innovations transforming governance, and how citizens, businesses and public institutions interact with each other, it is crucial for you to understand the tools, processes and models required to cultivate “smart” communities and cities. Speakers and attendees in disciplines ranging from science and technology to planning and economic development will present cutting edge strategies to strengthen institutional efficiency, and assess broader commitments to competitiveness and sustainability.

Video - 10 Sustainable Solutions Changing our Cities

In this October 04, 2013, video from VERGE, Christopher Sveen, offers a sneak peek of some of the world's most innovative projects and technologies with the potential to transform our cities.

Infographic - Timeline for Cities to be Impacted by Climate Change

Source: The Independent

Video - Forced Migration from Sea Level Rise: The Marshallese are Losing their Homeland

This video address the real world example of a people being forced from their island home due to global warming induced sea level rises. Rising seas are threatening to force millions of people on coastlines and low-lying nations across the globe to permanently migrate. This migration of sea-level rise refugees could have significant impacts on both the refugees and the communities to which they migrate. Using the Marshallese population in Springdale, AR, as an example, this talk by Donna Davis explores the idea of preparing individuals and communities for the slow-onset disaster of sea-level rise so as to alleviate potential social and economic stresses that could result from the permanent loss of homelands and the influx of displaced migrants to new communities.

Three of the Most Destructive Tanker Oil Spills in History

While the dangers associated with shipping of oil through rail and pipe has received a lot of press of late, oil tankers are responsible for some of the largest oil spills in history. Here is a review of three of the most destructive tanker spills. Quantities are measured in tonnes of crude oil with one tonne being roughly equal to 308 US gallons, or 7.33 barrels, or 1165 liters.

1. Odyssey, was an oil tanker that spilled its load of crude oil 700 nmi (1,300 km; 810 mi) off Nova Scotia, Canada on November 10th, 1988. In total it spilled an estimated 132,157 tonnes of oil into the ocean. An explosion caused it to sink and the resulting spill remains one of the largest oil spills in world history.

Video - Ocean Frontiers the Movie Trailer

Ocean Frontiers is a feature length documentary on building a new era in ocean stewardship. A new way of thinking, a new way of living, in concert with the sea, in consideration of those yet to come. Now is your opportunity to get involved.

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Video - Stunning Ocean Showcase for World Oceans Day 2013

To celebrate World Oceans Day on Saturday 8 June, Earthtouch decided to showcase our oceans in all their splendour (and complete with Hollywood soundtrack!). A special thanks must also go to our friends at ZSL, WildAid and the South African Association of Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) for their support on this and all the work they do to conserve the oceans of the world and the species that inhabit them.

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Video - World Oceans Day 2013

June 8th is World Oceans Day! Oceans are the life support system of our planet. Oceans regulate our climate. They provide the majority of our oxygen. The oceans are a global resource that we all rely upon.

This video was produced by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs in May 2013. The featured speaker is Philippe Cousteau, president and co-founder of Earthecho International.

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Ocean Frontiers the Movie

At a time when conservation is equated with job destruction and our nation is paralyzed by a code of no-compromise, a new film called Ocean Frontiers is returning common sense to these troubled times.

Ocean Frontiers takes a balanced, bipartisan approach to both the problems we face in managing our oceans and the solutions at hand. The film features on-the-ground reporting from places across the country that are at the forefront of implementing promising new approaches to ocean and coastal management.

Industrial shippers and whale biologists, pig farmers and wetland ecologists, sport and commercial fishermen, reef snorkelers and many more–are embarking on a new course of cooperation, in defense of the seas that sustain us.

Ocean Frontiers shows unlikely allies coming together and crafting solutions for the good of ecosystems and industry, while not sugarcoating the conflicts or the sometimes-difficult road to the end result. The film shows the groups as true partners in the process.

NATIONAL OCEAN POLICY

On July 19th 2010, President Obama established our nation’s first National Ocean Policy in order to protect, maintain and restore our ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes natural resources for present and future generations. The National Ocean Policy was formed through a multi-year process that included stakeholders from commercial and recreational fishing, shipping and ports, energy developers, conservationists, scientists, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Homeland Security and other ocean users with diverse interests.

OCEAN FRONTIERS

The stories in Ocean Frontiers help audiences understand key principles of ecosystem-based management and coastal and marine spatial planning, which are the cornerstones of the National Ocean Policy. These complex concepts come to life and are easy to grasp through the stories and people featured in Ocean Frontiers.

OCEAN FRONTIERS OUTREACH

A broad range of organizations, agencies, businesses, and ocean user groups are partnering to host screenings across the country to build support and take action for a new era in ocean stewardship. Find a screening where you live or host a screening.

Production of Ocean Frontiers was made possible by: The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and The Lazar Foundation.

For more information click here.

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On June 8 Make a Promise for the Ocean

World Oceans Day is June 8th and this is our planet’s biggest celebration of the ocean. The world is increasingly waking up to the fundamental importance and absolute beauty of the oceans. There are many ways that you can show your support for World Oceans Day.

Join us via Thunderclap, or just make a post about World Oceans Day on social media and tag one friend. If they repost and tag a friend, ~ the wave ~ will spread across the globe. Click here to do the wave!

World Oceans Day is holding an Ocean Promise drive. Promise to do ONE thing for the ocean, and send us a photo or post on social media with the tag #WorldOceansDay.

Video - Using TED Fishing Nets to Save Endangered Sea Turtles

Turtles shown escaping from trawl nets fitted with Turtle Excluder Device (TED). Thousands of turtles are caught and drown each year in trawl nets. TED's can be fitted so that Turtles and other large marine mammals can escape. This film was shot and edited by Scubazoo for the Marine Research Foundation & Conservation International.

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Sea Turtles and the Commercial Fishing Industry

May 23 is World Turtle Day but due largely to commercial fishing many species of sea turtles are in trouble (six out of seven species are endangered). Climate change and pollution are destabilizing marine environments across the world, but fishing is by far the worst threat to sea turtles.. Turtles are being destroyed at alarming rates due to destructive fishing methods. In the US alone more than 250,000 sea turtles are accidentally captured, injured or killed by US fishermen. In 2004, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) identified more than 70 fisheries, operating in state and federal waters, as potentially harmful to sea turtles. Their fate is even worse in the national waters of other countries or in international waters.

UCS Facts Sheet on Global Warming and Sea Level Rise

In tandem with the roundtable and infographic, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) released a fact sheet on global warming and sea level rise.

Global Warming and Sea Level Rises on the US East Coast

Global warming is the primary factor contributing to rising sea levels and with new data showing that greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, we can expect concomitant rises in sea levels in America and around the world. To try to address the threat on the US East Coast, UCS convened a multi-state roundtable in April. This roundtable included the US Army Corps of Engineers as well as officials from Florida, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia, They discussed efforts to protect their communities and steps to build resilience like elevation of structures and shoreline protection. They also shared best practices for protecting coastlines and developing coordinated response strategies.

Infographic - Sea Level Rise and Global Warming

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists

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Video - World Water Day 2013: Message from UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon

World Water Day (22nd March 2013): Video Message from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the importance of Water Cooperation, the theme of World Water Day 2013.

The State of Our Oceans: We are Headed Towards a Marine Mass Extinction

Oceans are the defining feature of our planet and they are indispensable to life. People are also intimately connected to oceans whether we live inland or on the coast. The world/s oceans are an essential part of life on Earth, they generate most of the oxygen we breathe, they provide valuable sources of food and they regulate our climate.

One of the greatest threats to oceans comes from acidification. According to 2012 research from the University of Bristol, ocean acidification is occurring at unprecedented rates. This is mainly due to the absorption of carbon dioxide emitted by humans.