Geography

Sri Lanka’s $4.4 billion tourism industry is adversely affected by the multiple suicide bombings that killed over 250 people two weeks ago. Tourism, which accounts for 5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, has suffered as tourists from around the world cancelled hotel and flight bookings fearing more attacks.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sri-lanka-blasts-tourism/deserted-beaches-empty-rooms-sri-lanka-tourism-takes-a-hit-after-bombings-idUSKCN1SB01E



Why does the political situation in Sri Lanka affect tourism?

How can this affect the economy and people in Sri Lanka?

What other events can hinder the growth of tourism?

More than 1,000 people have now died of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Challenges faced by the humanitarian groups in fighting the outbreak are the political situation and the resistance within communities to preventative measures, care facilities and safe burials. The long-standing presence of various rebel groups in Ituri and North Kivu has made it difficult for health workers to access tho 12000 people who might have come into contact with Ebola.

Tens of thousands of people were uprooted by the resurgence of violence in the east of the country. Among them, some 7,000 displaced people are housed in a primary school where the only water source is a nearby river and there are not enough toilets. Thus the risk of disease spread is high.

In the conflict-ridden country as a whole, more than 13 million people need humanitarian aid. More than five million have had to flee their homes, and Uganda is already home to more than 1.2 million refugees.

Https://sg.news.yahoo.com/more-1-000-dead-d-r-congo-ebola-020957162.html

Why does political situations affect the spread of disease?
What are the other factors affecting spread of disease?
How does international organisations help in mitigating the impacts of the spread of disease?
Where are the areas prone to the spread of disease?

The $9 billion investment include a new entertainment arena and hotel tower at Marina Bay Sands (MBS), while Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) will extend Universal Studios Singapore to include two new attractions - Minion Park and Super Nintendo World. 

Currently, the integrated resorts together directly employ close to 20,000 people - more than 65 per cent of whom are locals, and also support another 40,000 jobs. The expansion will create 5000 more jobs in which two third will be taken up by locals.


How will the investment in destination encourage growth of tourism?
Why is there a need to expand the integrated resorts?

4 April 2019

Watch the video below on the role of Government ensuring food security in Singapore:
What is food security?
Why is there a need for strategies to ensure food security?
How can the three strategies mentioned in the video be introduced?

• high-tech controlled environments
• automate and integrate systems via robotics and sensors. 
• Indoor multi-storey vegetable farms that use light-emitting-diode technology and recirculating aquaculture systems
• Singapore Food Agency (SFA) offering technical support, research-and-development tie-ups and the transfer of technology to farmer e.g advanced systems such as curtain systems that shade crops and reduce the impact of high temperatures on crop growth.  

• Underused and alternative spaces such as vacant state buildings, rooftops and even the deep sea. 
• Deep-sea fish farming e.g. Barramundi Asia — Singapore’s largest farm rearing barramundi (Asian sea bass) in large sea-cage enclosures off Semakau island.  

Watch the video @
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-bred-breed-of-sea-bass-to-boost-food-security-video-11283074

What is GM food?
How can GM food such as the GM sea bass help in food security?

Watch the following on land grabbing. Is leasing land to grow crops in developing countries a solution to overcome food shortage?

Why is it difficult for LDC, such as Indonesia, to respond to natural disasters such as the recent earthquakes at Lombok as well the eruption of Anak Krakatoa which triggered a tsunamis?
What can be done to mitigate the impacts of earthquakes and tsunamis?
Where are the areas prone to the risks of earthquakes?

Watch this video @
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/video-on-demand/insight/living-with-disasters-11166642

Have you been feeling the heat lately?
Is the extreme heat a results of climate change?https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/singapore-hot-weather-urban-heat-effect-temperature-humidity-11115384
Why is high temperatures with high humidity deadly?

Look at the heatwave in Australia with temperature as high as 48.9 degree celsius!
https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/record-smashing-heat-wave-in-australia-cooking-steak-in-car-all-time-records-broken/122958/


On the other hand, Europe experience extremely cold weather.
https://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/world/europe-snow-20-dead-as-heavy-snow-continues-to-fall-across-continent/ar-BBS8dOc?ocid=ob-fb-ensg-401
School closed, traffic and communication disrupted. Avalanche, accidents on road etc leading to deaths.

Where are the places affected by the extreme weather?
When was the extreme weather experienced?
Who are affected by the extreme weather?
What are the impacts of the extreme weather?
Why does temperature differ at different parts of the world?
How can the impacts of climate change be mitigated?

Look at last year's record in Singpore (2018)


On 30 Jan 2018 , intense thunderstorms brought rain On 31 Jan 2018, strong wind gusts from a waterspout off Singapore's east coast sent small boats and other objects flying.
 On March 30, strong winds from an intense thunderstorm uprooted trees and caused substantial damage to farms in the Lim Chu Kang area. And a wind gust measuring 133.3kmh recorded at nearby Tengah that day was the strongest in eight years.

Is the addition of a new train station, Founder's Memorial, along the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) sustainable economically? It has raised questions on its proposal given the lack of developments around the area.

What is economic sustainability?

Why are the property experts concerned about the building of a MRT station at the Founder's Memorial?

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/property-experts-ask-will-there-be-enough-riders-justify-having-mrt-station-founders

Urban agriculture improves food security for land-scarce countries like Singapore. It is also water and energy saving and help to reduce carbon footprints through encouraging the consumption of local produce.

https://www.facebook.com/414677568551625/posts/2277621462257217/





What is food security?
Why is it important to ensure food security?
How does the government ensure food security?

Nepal reported its first case of dengue fever 14 years ago. Now, dengue patients can be found even in the Kathmandu Valley, nearly 1,400m above sea level. The disease has spread as a result of climate change, which has created warmer, more hospitable environments for the Aedes mosquito to breed and bite. There is also fear of the spread of Zika disease via mosquitoes.
Source:
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/a-modern-plague

Click on the link below for interactive on how climate change increase dengue cases in Singapore.
https://graphics.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/Interactives/2018/11/warm-mosquito/index.html




Where are the areas affected by the spread of insect-borne diseases due to climate change?
Why does climate change affect the spread of insect-borne diseases?
What are the major causes of climate change?
How can climate change be mitigated?

Watch the video below and find out more about the Ring of Fire and how it had created the many disasters in 2018. From the volcanic eruptions of Mt Mayon and Kilauea to the tsunami which hit Sulawesi killing thousands and the most recent volcanic eruption of Anak Krakatoa leading to a tsunamis which had killed more than 400.


Read the following article on why many lives would have been saved if the tsunamis early warning system was working.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-tsunami-buoy-warning-system-not-working-since-2012-11059044

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-tsunami-death-toll-rises-to-281-disaster-agency-11059130

Reflect on the following:
Where is the Ring of Fire?
Why are there more seismic activities (volcanic eruptions and earthquakes) at the Ring of Fire?
When did Anak Krakatoa erupt?
What type of volcano is Anak Krakatoa?
What are the impacts of volcanic eruption?
Who are affected by volcanic eruptions?
How can the impacts of earthquake and volcanic eruptions be mitigated?




https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-tsunami-krakatoa-rescue-heavy-rain-11064258

Read more about the hazards associated with volcanic eruptions and why travel advisories are issued m affected areas in the news article below:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/indonesia-raises-alert-level-of-anak-krakatoa-volcano-tsunami-11065646

Update:
Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait has shrunk to almost a third its original height, from 338 meters to 110 m. The scale of the collapse of anak Krakatoa can be seen from the satellite images below. The Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) estimated that the volcano reduced to between 40 million and 70 million cubic meters in size from a mass of about 150 million to 180 million m3, following eruptions that occurred between Dec. 24 and 27.

https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/science-environment-46707731


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6525675/At-281-dead-Child-Krakatoa-volcano-explodes.html