The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations (UN). Its job is to “provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies“. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) set up the IPCC in 1988. The UN endorsed the creation of the IPCC later that year. It has a secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, hosted by the WMO. It has 195 member states who govern the IPCC. The member states elect a bureau of scientists to serve through an assessment cycle. A cycle is usually six to seven years. The bureau selects experts in their fields to prepare IPCC reports. There is a formal nomination process by governments and observer organizations to find these experts. The IPCC has three working groups and a task force, which carry out its scientific work. read more…
The Eastgate Centre is a shopping centre and office block in central Harare, Zimbabwe, designed by Mick Pearce. Designed to be ventilated and cooled by entirely natural means, it was probably the first building in the world to use natural cooling to this level of sophistication. It opened in 1996 on Robert Mugabe Avenue and Second Street, and provides 5,600 m² of retail space, 26,000 m² of office space and parking for 450 cars. read more…
Denali National Park and Preserve, until 1980 known as Mount McKinley National Park, is a United States national park and preserve located in Interior Alaska, centered on Denali (federally designated as Mount McKinley), the highest mountain in North America. The park and contiguous preserve encompass 6,045,153 acres (2,446,387 ha; 9,446 sq mi; 24,464 km²) which is larger than the state of New Hampshire. On December 2, 1980, 2,146,580-acre (3,354 sq mi; 8,687 km²) Denali Wilderness was established within the park. Denali’s landscape is a mix of forest at the lowest elevations, including deciduous taiga, with tundra at middle elevations, and glaciers, snow, and bare rock at the highest elevations. The longest glacier is the Kahiltna Glacier. Wintertime activities include dog sledding, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. The park received 594,660 recreational visitors in 2018. read more…
Streymoy (Danish: Strømø) is the largest and most populated island of the Faroe Islands. The capital, Tórshavn, is located on its southeast coast. The name means “island of currents”. It also refers to the largest region of the country that also includes the islands of Hestur, Koltur and Nólsoy. read more…
Eysturoy (meaning ‘East Island’) is a region and the second-largest of the Faroe Islands, both in size and population. Eysturoy is separated by a narrow sound from the main island of Streymoy. Eysturoy is extremely rugged, with some 66 separate mountain peaks, including Slættaratindur, the highest peak in the archipelago at 880 metres (2,890 ft). The country’s two longest fjords, Skálafjørður in the south and Funningsfjørður in the north, almost split the island in two halves. The isthmus in between, Millum Fjarða, is one of the flattest areas in the country. Important settlements on Eysturoy are Fuglafjørður in the north and the densely populated area of the municipalities of Runavík and Nes in the south. read more…
Suðuroy (literally ‘South Island’, Danish: Suderø) is the southernmost of the Faroe Islands. The island covers 163.7 square kilometres (63.2 sq mi). In 2018 the population was 4,601. Suðuroy region (sýsla) comprises this island and Lítla Dímun, the next isle northward in the Faroes, which is uninhabited. read more…
Sandoy (“Sand Island”) is the first of the five southern islands that make up the Faroe chain, the fifth biggest of all the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark. It also refers to the region that includes this island along with Skúvoy and Stóra Dímun. As of January 2020, the largest population centre on the island is the village of Sandur with a population of 532. Other settlements include Skarvanes, Skopun, Skálavík, Húsavík and Dalur. Sandoy gets its name from the large beach at Sandur, and the general sandy soil of the island. It is the only island with dunes. read more…
