Earthquakes: sudden and severe devastation

Earthquakes are some of the most devastating kinds of natural disasters. They have the potential to cause major devastation, both regarding human lives and damage to infrastructure. An example is the catastrophic scenario of the Haiti earthquake of 12 January 2010. It affected three million people. The mortality was estimated to 230,000. As much as 300,000 were reported injured and one million made homeless (MSNBC, 2010). As the epic center hit close to the capital, the densely populated Port-au-Prince and nearby areas

were caused major destruction. Massive collapses of buildings, roads, bridges and electricity networks made the help relief extremely difficult. The infrastructural damages slowed the process dramatically. Communication was difficult, making the help relief even harder to organize.

To avoid problems when infrastructure is severely damaged, a fast and flexible system for help relief is needed. A system based on an alternate energy network and artificial intelligence can prove to be of invaluable help in extreme situations as earthquakes.

The paper Leon, Krispin, Zakir and I sent in to Education Without Borders is about rapid help relief, which can prove invaluable in situations like the one we witnessed in Haiti. I hope we will be able to discuss the ideas with people at the conference!

More consequences of climate change

Deforestation leads to erosion. Avalanches and mudslides occur more frequently since the roots no longer bind the soil. The danger of building collapse is increased by the unstable ground (Center for International Ferestry Research, 2008). Right now we see the tragic examples of mudslides in Brazil following heavy rain and deforestation in densely inhabited areas.

Parasitic diseases will become more widespread with a warmer and moister climate. These climatic conditions lead to an increased number of mosquitoes, and enables them to settle in previously untouched areas (Henson, R. 2008). The consequence is increased danger of widespread diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.

Several major studies and statistics show that tropical cyclones worldwide are getting both stronger and more numerous over the past decade (Henson, R. 2008). Hurricanes are most likely reinforced by a warmer climate, as warm ocean waters are the main criteria for the birth and growth of tropical cyclones (Henson, R. 2008). Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere cause disturbances in the air currents, making extreme weather such as coastal storms, unusual heat or cold weather (Henson, R. 2008).

Some effects of climate change

According to the 2007 IPCC assessment, a warmer climate influences precipitation patterns and ecosystems. An alarming consequence of this is the reinforced effect on natural disasters, that are predicted to increase in quantity and extent accross the globe (UN Environment Programme IPCC, 2009). Warmer weather reinforces both extreme cold and heat waves, causing severe problems for established societies worldwide (UN Environment Programme IPCC, 2009).

Some of the challenges linked with climate change are extreme heat, floods, draughts, hurricanes and tornadoes, parasitic diseases, melting glaciers, deforestation and erosion.

Floods and draughts are some of the most common natural disasters caused by global warming. Changes in precipitation leads to increased or decreased rainfall in certain areas on the globe. Both floods and draughts can lead to crop failures, famine and high tolls.

The most noticable changes lie in abnormal precipitation intensity. Both regarding human lives and damage to infrastructure, rainfall can cause major destruction. Flash floods are more probable to occur in highly populated areas such as cities due to large areas covered by infrastructure such as roads and buildings. An example is the recent disaster in Pakistan, which affected twenty million people (ReliefWeb, 2010). Water covered up to one-fifth of the country, and 1,2 million homes were damaged or destroyed (British Red Cross, 2010).

Just like some parts of the globe experiences increased percipitation, other areas will get decreased rainfall. The result is draught, with water shortage and failed crops. Predictions by IPCCshow that the subtropics will be most severely hit in the future. In addition, melting glaciers make rivers decrease in volume or disappear completely, forcing inhabitants to move or seek other sources.

Photos: Up right: Leon Prebeau-Menezez and I presenting in India. Hopefully we will get to do another presentation in March, this time in Dubai. Up left: Result of increased precipitation. Floods occur with intensified strength, and also in new areas.

New conference coming up?

Three co-authors and I have submitted a paper together for Education Without Borders, which is a conference in Dubai in March 2011. Zakir, Krispin and Leon are students at University of Calgary in Canada, and I´m representing NTNU.

Our paper is called "Rapid Disaster Relief Through Artificial Intelligence and Innovative Energy Supply Networks". So our paper is about solving challenges related to disaster relief. It´s a great concept!

In the process, I´ve written a text about climate change and increased risks of natural disasters. I´ll share some of my findings with you here, reciting what I wrote in some of my first drafts. It´s a good thing to think it through!

Natural disasters have challenged humanity throughout history. Industrialization has given us astonishing opportunities, but also responsibility and unforeseen challenges. Following the increased mobility and technological access, we risk a reinforced effect from natural disasters, escalating the frequency of occurrences, vulnerability of electronic equipment and widening the extent of the devastation (UN Environment Programme IPCC, 2009). In addition, we face disasters originated directly from man-made technology, such as trains or airlines crashing in remote areas, armed conflicts and war.

The photo is from the conference Leon and I attended in New Delhi, giving a presentation of our paper on geothermal energy.

LED in Trondheim

Trondheim has become a good city for spotting LED- diodes in public use. I want to give my thumbs up to the minds behind the projects for choosing the energy- saving technology instead of the traditional incandescent lamps. As much as 95 % of the energy sent into the old-fashioned lamps can be lost to the surroundings! So much heat is produced by the electric circuit that most is used for meaningless heat production instead of light.

LED- lights are much more efficient, as no heat is produced. Since all energy put into the system is used for producing light, great amounts of energy is saved. In Trondheim, LED- diodes are used in the new museum Rockheim (left), and from this year also in the Christmas decorations in the city centre. According to the local newspaper Adresseavisen it saves hundreds of thousands NOK in electricity bills. Thinking of the energy saved, it must be called a win-win situation!

And remember: the energy most friendly to the environment is the energy that is not used in the first place.

Green transport by sea and river

Transport by sea contributes to a large part of greenhouse gas pollution. There are several ways of avoiding this though: better planning, alternate fuels and a more efficient global network at sea. As consumers, there are also several steps you can take to go green at sea. Here are some examples:

Did you know that electric speed boats are quite popular? In Norway they´re still quite rare, but in warmer waters the use expands quickly. for more information, visit a speed boat site here.

The same principle goes for electric boats as electric vehicles: they move noiselessly forwards, contribute with no pollution in use and are very easy to navigate. The running costs are low due to the absence of gas bills.

The complete silent experience of navigating

through the waves makes a boat trip more

enjoyable than ever! Being able to listen to the waves instead of the motor is a bit like skiing instead of using a motorized snowmobile.

For the "real deal" experience, I still prefer rowing, which is even more friendly to the environment. Or the human body, for that matter. You might not get as far, but the experience is great! To the right is me on one of my special rowing trips. This time on the Ganges River in India!

End of term exam

I´ve got an exam coming up soon, so I´m currently deep into the world of philosophy. It varies from extraordinary interesting to frustratingly complex, but I´ve come over a lot of valuable theories. I especially love Aristotle´s philosophy regarding the golden mean. This will be the desirable middle between two extreme opposites, and works for just about anything in life.

Just think about it. Too much or too little of something is bound to go wrong. Wether we´re talking about exercising, food, work, studying, consumption and utilizing resources: balance works best. Too little leads to serious problems one way or another. And overdoing it is never good for anything!