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I wanted to alert you to an excellent source that would fall directly under the new IB syllabus for Patterns in Env Quality and Sustainability.  When asking for a case study on sustainable management strategies, I'm using China's Loess Plateau.  There is an excellent film (on youtube and on the website) of a watershed rehabilitation project that has been incredibly successful.  This case study connects concepts of soil erosion, watersheds, climate change, and the social/econ and environmental consequences of this World Bank/Chinese gov't project.

In summary- the Japanese have developed the ability to extract a new (well actually it is old, but new type of gas to us) from deep within the ocean seabed.  This not unlike the recent developments with Shale Gas in the United States.  The process is far from perfect yet (and still in its infancy), but given the recent developments, it is likely that the Japanese will invest more into this project in order to fully realize the potential of this energy source.   a couple of points-  This new gas (methane hydrate) would still be considered a fossil fuel, but would burn cleaner than many of Japan's current energy suppliers (coal). Japan's largest supply of energy (nuclear) is under heavy scrutiny lately after the Fukishima disaster- which could be argued as the largest, most far reaching enviornmental disaster in History.  They are trying to move away from relience on nuclear energy which has resulted in a heavy increase on imported fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas)- which has had the consequence of driving up energy prices for its citizens and hurting the economy. If this energy source were to work out/pay out- this would bring much needed relief to Japan's "energy crisis" and relience on imported fossil fuels. This extraction of this new type of energy, like Shale Oil and Gas, is likely very very risky and could have calamatious effects on the surrounding enviornment, if in the event a spill/leak where to happen (this gas is deep deep within the ocean seabed.. A leak would be very very hard to stop). Recent developments could mean movement away from Japan's current trend of investing in (and development of) green energies such as wind, solar, and geothermal. The exact properties of undersea hydrates and how they might affect the environment are still poorly understood, given that methane is a greenhouse gas.   So my questions are: Should Japan pursue this course of action (developing this new type of energy)? What happens if

Case studies of resource reduction schemes in urban areas around the world @mattpodbury

The first detailed digital soil map of sub-Saharan Africa is to be created. The £12m ($17.5m) project will offer farmers in 42 countries a "soil health diagnosis" and advice on crop yields.

China, as we have reported recently, is making serious commitments to stemming the environmental damage being caused by their explosive industial revolution. One of the biggest ecological projects taking place in China is that of Dongtan

country specific reproductive and maternal health reports

The Global Campaign for Climate Action is running the "Human Voices" campaign, a key component of which is the Climate Orb over on the TckTckTck website. It just went live at the end of last week and now you can add your experience to the project.

Wikigender is a project initiated by the OECD Development Centre to facilitate the exchange and improve the knowledge on gender-related issues around the world. A particular focus lies on gathering empirical evidence and identifying adequate statistics to measure gender equality.

Awesome 1 day (80 min block) project on slums, controversies, and works in Slumdog Millionaire and the MDGs

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Useful for population projections