Back in June the political geography of our globe shifted when Britain turned its back on the EU in a shocking referendum that has seen financial ricochets bounce across the globe. Today the political geography has again shifted, but this time on a scale so large that it is hard to comprehend. Donald Trump has…
Author: sophiahc
A mother, teacher and dreamer who likes to reflect on the world about her and the myriad of events, experiences and encounters that make up daily life. I also try to document and comment on geography themes that appear in the news for the benefit of my students. I have the joy of sharing, though my teaching, my passion for the physical world around me and how humans interact with it.
Flooding in the UK: we are finally looking at the whole water basin…
It’s nearly a year since severe flooding devastated parts of Cumbria first in December 2015 and then again in January (2016). Perhaps because as autumn deepens and winter sets in we are again reminded of flood risks, the environment agency is once again coming under criticism for its flood prevention strategy. There have been proposals…
The importance of context: why Iceland’s colossal electricity consumption is not so bad after all…
Having just been out in Iceland with my students where we visited one of their vast networks of geothermal greenhouses it comes as no surprise to me to find that Iceland currently consumes the most electricity per capita than any other country in the world. I may not have put it at number 1, but…
It’s not over yet as another, bigger, earthquake strikes in Italy
Italy is barely recovering from the loss of just under 300 people in a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in August in Amatrice. However, just yesterday, the country experienced its biggest earthquake since 1980 when an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter Scale occurred with its epicentre in Norcia, 60 miles to the North…
The geography of fate & the challenge of migration
In the summer of 2015 Europe was in turmoil as thousands of refugees seemed to suddenly descend upon various crossing points in the Mediterranean in a perilous attempt to escape conflict in Syria or the social, economic and political strife of their home countries in predominantly Africa and the Middle East. Media reporters oscillated between using the…
The battle beyond borders: Tesco versus Unilever
Since the rapid rise of TNCs (Transnational Corporations also known as Multinationals) in the 20th century, corporate giants such as Walmart, Pfizer, Apple and so on have come to dominate our global economy (think of Wall Street) and our global markets for manufactured goods and services (think of Amazon, Tata Steel etc.). These TNCs are so…
A more sinister application of seismography
Seismography is the measurement of seismic waves of energy (like vibrations) that travel through the earth’s layers, most commonly associated with earthquakes. Indeed a seismometer’s main function is the monitoring and measuring earthquakes both big and small and such measurements can be a vital help when predicting, for example, the chance of a volcanic eruption or…
Horizontal fracking gets the green light in Lancashire
It’s hugely controversial and locally very divisive but this week, for the first time, horizontal fracking for shale gas has been approved in Lancashire. The UK government has not given up on its pursuit of natural gas and it is likely that this will be the first of many attempts to access potential gas reserves…
Preparing for the storm
Hurricane Matthew may have been downgraded to a category 4 tropical storm but, with persistent winds of up to 150mph expected, Jamaica, Cuba and especially Haiti in the Caribbean are getting ready for potential disaster with both flooding and mudslides predicted in the wake of the storm. Storm shelters are being erected, water and supplies are…
Gentrification and the great social divide
Gentrification is, at least notionally, synonymous with the concept of regeneration. Impoverished and run-down areas of cities are either knocked down and re-built or given a make-over and transformed into a desirable place to live. Or, to be more socially provocative, gentrification is the eviction of the poor from valuable land to make way for…
Regeneration: finally Battersea Power Station is to re-open as new Apple HQ
Battersea Power Station has been a famous London landmark since the 1930s when it was completed and infamous since the 1980s when the coal-fired power station was decommissioned and abandoned. Its fate has been a subject of much discussion and debate over the years but its expensive, erratic and troubled redevelopment phase is at last nearing completion…
The rise of the virtual marketplace: BHS is just the latest casualty of the high street
Over the last decade retail space has been totally transformed. Gone is a pre-internet dependency on tangible high street stores where we would go to try on or view a product. Instead a steadily increasing number of shoppers buy some or all of their consumer goods (from food to fashion to furniture) on-line from the…
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