REGIONAL SLIDES

NORTH AMERICA

• Ekati, Canada• Fort McMurray, Canada• Power River Basin, USA• Prudhoe Bay, USA• Upper Green River, USA• Lake Chapala, Mexico• Knife River Delta, Canada• Gaspe Peninsula, Canada• Tensas River Basin, USA• British Columbia, Canada• Olympic Peninsula, USA• Country Border,

Guatemala/Mexico• Angangueo, Mexico

NORTH AMERICA

• Torreón, Mexico• Las Vegas, USA• Lake Mead, USA• Mexico City, Mexico• Everglades, USA• San Francisco, USA• Night Lights, USA Case Study• Hubbard Glacier, USA• Hurricane Charley, USA• Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii• Washington D.C., USA• Fort McMurray, Canada• Mount St. Helens, USA

NORTH AMERICA

• Canada now ranks in the top three diamond producers in the world (in terms of value) and North America is the second largest oil producing area after the Middle East

• North America is the third largest continent in area and is fourth in population, with 74% of its population living in urban areas

FAO 2005; UNEP-GEO3; USDA 2005; Wikipedia

• In the United States there are 155 national forests (protected forests and woodland areas) containing almost 190 000 000 acres (769 000 km2) of land that comprise 8.5% of the total land area with Alaska alone accounting for 12% of all National Forest land

• North America holds about 13 per cent of the world's renewable freshwater (excluding glaciers and ice caps)

Ekati – North America’s only operating diamond mine, Canada

Diamond Mining site in Canada

Mining in the Northwest Territories, impacting migration routes of native caribou

Oil extraction in Fort McMurray, Canada

Vast reserves of low quality oil underlie the Boreal Forest surrounding Fort McMurray

By early 2006 the mining operation covered an areas roughly 30 km by 20 km

Coal mining along Powder River BasinUnited States

• 1989: Images show areas under coal exploitation

• 2001: Notable increase in mining operation in the 2001 image

Sprawl of oil fields in Prudhoe Bay United States

• 1974-1999: After the discovery of oil fields in 1968, the Bay has undergone dramatic changes

Rapidly changing grasslands of Upper Green River, United States

The landscape in 1989

Over 3000 wells (black/white dots) Have been approved in the basin, and development is occurring at a rapid rate

Mexico’s largest natural lake – Lake Chapala, Mexico

• 1983: Level of the lake has declines; noticeable decreases in wetlands

• 2001: Alteration in the contours of the shoreline is clearly visible

Substantial increase of Knife River Delta Canada

• 1973: Impact of snow geese on coastal vegetation

• 1996: Overgrazing has turned the shoreline into an enormous mudflat

The changes in the forest due to logging between 1993 and 2000

Logging in Gaspe Peninsula, Canada

Forest clearing along Tensas River Basin United States

• 1972: Clearing of forest during the 1960s and 1970s increased flooding and erosion

• 2001: Land cover change on the Louisiana side of the image is striking

Impact of logging in British Columbia Canada

• 1975-1999: Shows the impact of logging on reasonably pristine landscape

Temperate forests of Olympic Peninsula United States

• 1974: Shows patchwork of purple and pink, indicating clear-cutting

• 2000: Evidence of good re-growth of trees in forest reserve areas

Difference in vegetation cover across borders Guatemala/Mexico

• 1974 - 2000: Conversion of forest to agriculture. Now country border can be seen even from space

Angangueo – important habitat of monarch butterflies, Mexico

• 1986: Images show degradation of forest area

• 2001: Between 1984 and 1999, 38 per cent of forests were degraded

Visible changes in cropland of Torreón Mexico

• 1972: There has been significant decrease in cropland due to drought

• 2000: Cropland around the city is continuously decreasing

Las Vegas – fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States

• 1973: A small settlement

• 2006: The landscape is now dramatically modified

Images courtesy USGS

• 1991-2000: Rapid urbanization

Conversion of desert to residential areain Las Vegas, United States

• Expanding Las Vegas

Drought in western United States

20002004

Hoover Dam and Lake Mead

PhotoViewPhotoView 18 meters18 meters

Lake Mead

Landscape changes in Lake MeadUnited States

New Golf Courses since 2001

Explosive expansion of Mexico City, Mexico

• 1973 -Urban growth is concentrated in the center of the city

• 2000 -Now expands dramatically into surrounding rural areas

Growth of a

Mega city

Urban encroachment on Florida’s Everglades, United States

• 1973: Rapid urban expansion has converted farmlands to cityscapes

• 2002: Existence of vast wetlands “Everglades” threatened by urban encroachment

Growth of San Francisco, United States

1970-2000: Population grew from 4.6 million to 7.2 million in the Bay Area

Energy consumption depicted through night lights

On 14 August 2003, parts of northeastern United States and southeastern Canada experienced widespread power blackouts

North America: Angangueo

• 1986: Images show Degradation of forest area

• 2001: Between 1984 and 1999, 38 per cent of forests were degraded

Ice dam in the Hubbard Glacier United States

• 1986 –Hubbard Glacier blocks Russell Fjord

• 2003 – Glacier has retreated

• 2002 –Hubbard Glacier blocks Russell Fjord again

North America: Angangueo

• 1986: Images show Degradation of forest area

• 2001: Between 1984 and 1999, 38 per cent of forests were degraded

Hubbard Glacier advanceUnited States

14 Aug 200210 Aug 2002

Devastation of Hurricane Charley Florida, United States

• July 28 2002: Crisp, neat neighborhoods of Punta Gorda, Florida

• August 15 2004: Debris scattered across roads, parking lots, and yards, giving the scene a “messy” appearance

Mapping lava flow during Kilauea Volcano Hawaii, United States

Jan 83-Oct 86

Jan 83-Dec 86

Jan 83-Dec 89

Jan 83-Dec 91

Maps of lava-flow field from the Pu`u `O `o and Kupaianaha vents of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, January 1983-January 1991

Visible devastation after Kilauea Volcano Hawaii, Unites States

Inspiration leading to tree plantation in Washington D.C., United States

• Satellite images showing the dramatic loss of trees in the District moved Mrs. Casey to action

• Casey Trees Endowment Fund was created to restore the tree cover of the District of Columbia

Satellite images show urban forest in Washington D.C.

Pentagon, 2002 Photo: Digital Globe

Urban Forest in Washington D.C.United States

Photo: Digital Globe

Fort McMurray, Canada

1974-2004: Massive oil extraction from oil sands have remarkably changed the land area of Fort McMurray in Alberta

Ecosystem changes in Mount St. Helens United States

• Ecosystem recovers after a major Volcanic eruption

• 1973:The Mountain Peak 10 years before eruption

• 1983: 3 years after eruption

• 2000: Vegetation re-growth around the volcano

One Planet Many People: Atlas of Our Changing Environment

Thank You!Free Downloads:

www.na.unep.net

Purchase:

www.Earthprint.com

NORTH AMERICA