Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
The world then and now
Perhaps it is stating the obvious to say that much
has changed in the world since York 1990, yet so
profound are the changes in a mere 20 years it is
worth summarizing a selection:
Table 1.1
Geographical distribution of delegates
attending the rivers conferences in York in 1990
(
n
=
337) and in 2010 (
n
=
166).
York 1990
(%)
York 2010
(%)
Region
Economic changes
Creation of the 'eurozone' in 17 Member States
of the European Union after the euro became legal
tender on 1 January 2002.
British Isles
52
67
Western and Central Europe
16
4
North America
8
8
Southern Europe
7
4
The
international
banking
crisis
and
global
Africa
5
3
Scandinavia
4
2
recession in 2008-2009.
Australia and New Zealand
4
8
Geopolitical and social changes
Human population has increased from 5.3 billion
in 1990 to 6.8 billion by 2010.
Eastern Europe
2
<
1
Asia
1
3
Middle East
1
<
1
The
abolition
of
apartheid
with
the
first
democratic elections in South Africa in 1994.
Several major geopolitical changes, including
the collapse of communism in eastern Europe
leading to the division of Czechoslovakia into the
Czech Republic and Slovakia (1993); the creation
of independent Balkan states such as Serbia and
Croatia in place of Yugoslavia (beginning in 1992);
the formation of a united Germany following
the dismantling of the Berlin Wall in December
1989; the expansion of the European Economic
Community
given in the introductory chapter of the previous
topic (Boon, 1992). Although it uses examples
from around the world, it focuses primarily on
mainland Europe and the UK (England, Wales,
Scotland and Northern Ireland), and aims to set the
broad context for the more detailed chapters that
follow in the rest of the topic.
comprising
12
countries
into
the
Table 1.2
The percentage of published
references (from 1993 to 2008) to 11 chapters
selected at random from
River Conservation and
Management
(Boon
et al
., 1992 - the topic
derived from the York 1990 rivers conference)
according to the region of the world to which
the citation applies. Data obtained from ISI Web
of Science (
n
=
240).
European Union of 27 Member States.
Devolved legislative powers from the UK
Government in Westminster to administrations in
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A formal end to military activities by the Irish
Republican Army (IRA) in Northern Ireland.
Two wars in Iraq and a war in Afghanistan.
Destruction of the Twin Towers in New York on
11 September 2001.
Region
Proportion of total
North America 39%
British Isles 25%
Australia and New Zealand 12%
Western and Central Europe 11%
Southern Europe
Technical advances
Computing power increasing by several orders of
magnitude.
4%
A digital revolution, leading to the invention
Eastern Europe
2%
of
laptop
computers,
mobile
phones,
global
Asia
2%
positioning systems (GPS), satellite TV.
Africa
1%
Launch of the World Wide Web (August 1991).
South America
1%
Remote
sensing
(e.g.
improved
aerial
Middle East
<
1%
photography,
satellite
imagery,
LiDAR
(Light
Scandinavia
<
1%
Detection and Ranging)).
