Coastal landscape case studies

Maldives case study🌍

​Economic Impacts of Rising Sea Levels:

• Loss of tourism (the largest industry in the Maldives, producing about 33% of GDP)

• Coastal flooding may also damage fish processing plants, reducing the Maldives fish exports. Fish are the Maldives' largest export (producing about 10% of GDP), so this will also massively decrease the country's income

• In 2015, almost one million international tourists visited the Maldives

Social impacts:

• Houses may be damaged or destroyed, and extreme flooding may evict whole villages

• Many of the islands' freshwater supplies are already depleted. If supplies are contaminated by salty saltwater during floods, there will be less fresh water available. To satisfy their water needs, some islands will have to rely on rainfall or develop costly desalination facilities (both of which are economically feasible)

Environmental impacts:

• Coastal flooding is rapidly eroding the beaches of the islands. This damages ecosystems and exposes the area behind the shore to flood damage

• Most of the islands' soil is shallow (20cm deep or less), and the soil layer might be quickly swept away by coastal floods, preventing most vegetation from growing

Political impacts:

• The Maldives government was forced to request $60 million from the Japanese government in order to construct the 3m high sea wall that protects Malé, the main city

• Environmental regulations are evolving as a result of greater flooding caused by rising sea levels caused by global warming. The Maldives Government has vowed to be carbon neutral in order to avoid contributing to global warming and is pushing other countries to do the same

• Long-term plans are also being revised. The government is contemplating purchasing property in nations such as India and Australia and relocating Maldivians there before the islands become untenable

Portland Bill to Selsey Bill🌍

Location:

Sandbanks is located on the South coast of the UK in Poole, South West of Bournemouth. Sediment cell 5 between Portland Bill and Selsey Bill. Sandbanks is a wave-created spit at the mouth of Poole harbour

The need for management:

• High value properties built on this land and has provided employment opportunities which has boosted the local economy

• Residential properties are in high demand and have extremely high prices. Sandbanks is the 4th most expensive place to live in the world with detached houses costing up to £10m

• The beach is a tourist attraction, it has high quality water that is gently sloping i making it ideal for swimming

• It provides protection and shelter from waves making it popular for water sports

• Climate change means that sea levels are predicted to rise by 0.6m in the next 100 years. This would cause flooding of properties and also breach the peninsula. If no management strategies are applied, £18m of damage may occur in the next 20 years

What strategies have been used:

• Rock groynes. Added on Branksome beach in winter 2008/2009. Reduce the movement of sediment via longshore drift. This also keeps access free for shipping and also absorbs wave energy. Without groynes, the erosion rate would be 1.6m per year

• Sea wall in Baiter. December 2014. £175,000 was paid by the government specifically for this project

• Beach replenishment in Poole Bay. Trial in 2015 cost £260,000, hoped that a feed of sand on a regular basis will stabilise the beach width in Poole. Provide a more economically and environmentally sustainable beach

• Between 1970-2000, more than 1.5million cubic meters of sand was used to replenish beaches at Bournemouth and Poole

Globalisation

China's open door policy🌍

1978 - Open Door Policy

• New leader Deng Xiaping radically changed the outlook to embrace globalisation while continuing under one-party authoritarian rule

• Began with rural reforms such as allowing farmers to make small profits. The one-child policy was also introduced to try and slow population growth

• Began transition to an increasingly industrial and urban nation. Over the next 30 years largest migration in human history. 300 million people moved from rural to urban areas in search of a better standard of living

1980s

Experience with Special Economic Zones (SEZs) developed:

• Market-oriented reforms were introduced in selected SEZ areas

• Need to adapt to changing conditions and continue to spur innovation

• Have contributed 22% of China's GDP, 45% of total national FDI and 60% of exports

Just how "open" is China's economy?

Closed

• Google and Facebook have little to no access to China's market

• Government sets a strict quota of only 34 foreign films to be screened in cinemas each year

• Strict controls on foreign TNCs in some sectors. The Government blocked Coca-Cola's acquisition of Huiyan Juice in 2008

Open

• Agreed to export more rare earth minerals to other countries, in line with a WTO ruling

• FDI from China and TNCs are predicted to total $1.25 trillion between 2015 and 2025

• Foreign TNCs are now allowed to invest in some sectors of China's domestic markets, including its rail freight and chemical

Regenerating places

Investment in London real estate🌍

Immigration: Large-scale EU immigration, particularly after 2004, has led to the UK population expanding from 59 million in 2001 to 63 million by 2011. Although open-door immigration has economic benefits, it also increases demand for new homes

Deregulation: The UK is relatively open to international investment, including enabling foreign individuals and businesses to purchase real estate. The Guardian estimated in 2016 that offshore tax havens owned 40,000 London residences. These properties may or may not be occupied or rented

Second homes and vacation homes: In the UK, there are little limitations on people owning residences to rent out, such as as a holiday let or as a second home. A high number of residences in some rural locations may not be available to locals

All of the aforementioned variables contribute to restrict housing supply while increasing the cost of other dwellings. Longer term, there is a danger that extremely high property prices would deter investment in some areas. Foreign or UK-based investors may be discouraged from investing in regions where accommodation for workers is too expensive

Russian Oligarchs London🌍

Vitaly Malkin:

Russian-Israeli businessman worth 1 billion, co-founder of Rossisski Kredit - 3rd largest bank in 90s, member of Russian senate since 04 - invested millions in toronto and trying to get Canadian citizenship since 94 but denied due to involvement in money laundering and international arms deals

Boris Berezovsky:

Made his fortune by capturing state assets at knockdown prices after collapse of USSR (91), reached peak during Yeltsin years, survived series of assassination attempts, critical of Putin, fled to Britain in 2001, granted political asylum, based in London, found dead in his home 'suicide' but others think murder

Mikhail Prokhorov:

One of Russia's leading industrialists in the precious metals sector, amongst richest men in Russia worth 8.9 billion, owns the new Jersey nets, launched presidential campaign got 7.9%

Roman Abramovich:

Putin's son', worth 7billion, 151st richest man in the world, 13th in Russia, small private army of 40, owns Chelsea football club, ex-business partner of Berezovsky, involved in theft, fraud, anti trust law violation, scandals and aluminum wars

HS2 and Heathrow🌍

Heathrow 3^rd Runaway Case Study

Advantages:

• A benefit of Heathrow expansion is that there will be more jobs more the local people

• Heathrow would be able to boost the UK’s growth by £150bn and create 60,000 new jobs

• They have said that continued improvements to aircraft efficiency mean air traffic could double by 2050 without a substantial increase in emissions

• The airport said a third runway would provide benefits to the UK worth £100bn and expansion would bring considerable benefits to the local community

Disadvantages:

• Local groups say the north-west runway plan at Heathrow will require significant demolition in the villages of Longford and Harmondsworth

• With the 3^rd runaway being built this would mean that there would be more air and noise pollution meaning that the people living in the countryside around the airport would constantly hear the endless noises of aeroplanes

• John Stewart, of the Airport Watch campaign, said Heathrow would become the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the country

• Many people have argued, with the growth of the internet and teleconferencing, it is possible that businesses will adapt and limit the growth of business trips rather than expensive travel

HS2 Case Study

Advantages:

• Shorter journeys supporters of HS2 say it will make travelling much quicker as the trains will travel at speeds of up to 250 miles per hour

• While it is being built, it is expected to create thousands of jobs. People doing all sorts of work will be needed for it, from engineers to IT workers

• The project will triple the number of people able to take the train across the entire route

• More freight (goods) being moved around by train rather than on the roads which would help cut carbon emissions

Disadvantages:

• The cost of the project was originally estimated to be around £56billion but last summer the government admitted the project was running around £30 billion over budget

• The whole HS2 project is due to be completed by 2040, but it is already behind schedule

• One of the biggest arguments against HS2 is around how it might impact the country's green spaces and countryside

• In some areas, houses might have to be demolished to make way for the line, so some people who don't want to leave aren't happy

Australia drought🌍

Australian drought:

Between 2002 and 2009, the southeast of Australia experienced its worst drought in 125 years. This was attributed to El Niño, where moist trade winds are reversed, so instead of bringing rainfall to Australia, they travelled west towards South America, leaving south-east Australia with a lack of rainfall. Some scientists believe climate change exacerbated this drought by also reducing rainfall. Human activities added to the problem, with water supplies wasted through domestic uses such as filling swimming pools, washing cars and watering grass lawns

Primary impacts:

• Animals died of thirst and starvation

• Many crops died

• Water shortages as reservoirs emptied

Secondary impacts:

• Water restrictions enforced.

• Wildfires caused by drought destroyed vegetation and animals' habitats.

• Creeks and rivers dried up causing the organisms relying on them to die or migrate.

• Increased soil erosion can destroy vegetation and the creatures which rely on it to survive.

• Droughts degrade the quality of the soil affecting farming for years to come.

• Some farmers had to sell machinery, land or even move elsewhere and lose their livelihood.

• Wine industry affected

How people dealt with the droughts:

• Water management plans.

• Cultivation of drought-tolerant plant species.

• Irrigation.

• Financial support for farmers.

• Desalination plants.

• More efficient prediction from satellite systems.

• Dams

UK changing energy mix🌍

• The government of the United Kingdom wishes to minimise carbon dioxide emissions. It also wishes to boost the proportion of energy derived from renewable sources

• By 2020, the European Union's plans call for 20% of energy to come from renewable sources. Because 20% is an average percentage for the EU, each member state may have a different aim

• The United Kingdom has set a target of sourcing 15% of its energy consumption from renewable sources. (In the United Kingdom, renewable energy accounted for barely 3% of total energy consumption in 2009.) Sweden has a target of approximately 50%, whereas Malta has a target of 10%

The EU also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050.

There are two ways the energy use can change in the UK:

• Reducing the demand for energy

• Increasing the supply of renewable energy

Reducing energy demand:

The demand for energy in the UK varies. This is because of:

Economic factors: During the recession, for example, energy consumption did not rise as projected.

Seasonal factors: For example, demand for home energy is higher in the winter than in the summer.

Temporal factors: For example, because demand is lower at night, there is excess energy on the national grid.

Cultural unity inside Iceland compared to Singapore🌍

Iceland:

• The physical isolation of Iceland ensured that its population experienced a strong sense of common identity and homogeneity

• Many cultural traditions borne of hardship in earlier times have survived to the present day

• In 2018 McDonald's closed its restaurant in Iceland: Its high prices and deterred customers

• The empty premises were taken over by a locally owned company selling exclusively Icelandic food and ingredients instead

• This could be seen as a sign of global culture in retreat

• The ratio of tourist inhabitants is among the highest in the world and may lead to more visitors wanting to settle there permanently, leading to greater cultural diversity

Singapore:

• Singapore is a cultural melting pot of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European influences

• From 1926 to 1946 it played a major strategic role as a military in trading hub under the British administration

• The political decision to make it a free port encourage migration from China, the Indian subcontinent, Indonesia, the Malay peninsula and the Middle East

• After independence, Singapore became a fast growing 'Asian tiger' economy and today has a per capita income GDP of USD $82,000

• As a result of this prosperity, it remains a magnet for new waves of migrants who bring their customs, religions and festivals with them

Contested border: Ukraine and Russia🌍

• The boundaries of Russia have changed several times most recently when Russia effectively annexed part of Ukraine in 2014

• Its eventual inclusion as part of the independent state of Ukraine in 1991 was conversion due to large number of ethnic Russians still living there

• In 2014, a brief period of civil conflict in Crimea ended with territory being annexed by Russia

• The international community condemned this but no actual steps were taken to prevent it

Bangladesh, Tropical Cyclone Sidr 2007🌍

Category 4 cyclone with an air pressure of 944 mb, winds of 240 kmph, and storm surges of 6 m.

Impact exacerbated by:

• The Bay of Bengal's funnel form concentrates water on Bangladesh at the bay's apex

• Outflow from the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers combines with coastal floods

• Flooding is exacerbated by the cyclone's heavy rains

• The coast is made of unconsolidated delta material, which is quickly eroded

• Mangrove swamp deforestation

• 60% of Bangladesh is low lying, with elevations of less than 3 metres above sea level

• 15,000 people were killed, and 55,000 were injured. 1.6 million dwellings have been destroyed.

• 8,000 kilometres of road, 700 kilometres of power transmission lines, and 900 fresh water tube wells were destroyed

• Crops have been devastated on 600,000 hectares of agricultural land

• The total cost of the damage is expected to be $1.7 billion

• However, the death toll was far lower than in the 1970 Bhola Cyclone, which killed 300,000 people. (Economic loss of $90 million) Many lives are saved as a result of improved warnings, embankments, and a cyclone shelter network