Friday, 15. August 2008, 14:54:45
GIS, work, climate change
Last week I was in
San Diego for the ESRI User Conference (makers of the
GIS software I use in my research); it was an enormous event with more than 13,000 participants. One of the
geospatial blogs I read held a
contest to help them cover the event. They invited attendees to submit articles on announcements, tips and tricks discovered, emerging trends, or whatever else came to mind during the various sessions and vendor presentations held at the conference. Not being a bona fide geospatial practitioner I considered myself a long shot but I was really inspired by
Stephen Schneider's talk as he launched a new initiative on
climate change GIS so I submitted an article. Turns out that my entry struck a chord with the editors and I am currently enjoying
15 minutes of fame.
Friday, 1. June 2007, 12:01:29
work
The
president of Chile is in town and I happened to score an invitation to a lecture she gave last night at the Nobel Institute. President Bachelet's address described a framework for strengthening multi-lateral institutions (she is adamant that medium-sized countries like Chile and Norway have an important role to play in this arena) and touched on the themes of globalization, equality, peace and security.
I often find it difficult to have much faith in what politicians say but I found myself quite inspired by President Bachelet's comments. Among her very progressive views on equity and social justice, she had some remarkable things to say about the environment. She rejected the notion that there is a tradeoff to be made between economic growth and environmental sustainability, and advocated for immediate global action toward meeting Kyoto targets because
climate change is a threat to universal well-being.
I am currently organizing a workshop on climate change and human security (a.k.a. human well-being) so this was music to my ears. While the consequences of climate change seem evident to most of us who follow the news, I rarely hear politicians (let alone a head of state) speak so candidly about impacts and solutions. Perhaps that is a prerogative afforded when one comes from a region (South America) that emits only 0.2% of global greenhouse gases (in contrast to, for example, the European Union which contributes about 24% of greenhouse gases globally).
But the most amazing part of the evening came after President Bachelet's prepared comments when the floor was opened to questions. This was astonishing to me since my president (
Bush, the lesser) barely fields questions from the media, let alone the public at large. While I scored a VIP seat in the audience, the lecture was in fact opened to the general public and there were all sorts of people present so the questions ranged all over the place, from the composition of the UN Security Council to Chile's technology policy with regard to developing an infrastructure for broadband internet access. There was really only one question that was framed in a way that it could actually be answered; the others seemed posed more for the thrill of speaking directly to a world leader. Yet President Bachelet treated each question with respect and found something meaningful — and substantive! — to say in response everyone. It was an amazing display of grace and diplomacy, and as I watched her performance I knew one thing for sure: I will never be a politician as I simply do not have the patience for engaging with the public like that.
Wednesday, 23. May 2007, 10:37:15
work
Lately, it seems that the media has been flooded with
climate stories and (as I am a climatologist) I have been asked by many friends and acquaintances to help them unravel science from conjecture. Fortunately, the good folks at
RealClimate have now done a lot of this hard work for me and put together a
list of resources that people can use to get up to speed on climate change. This is a great starting point for understanding one of the key issues that will shape our world over the next generation.
Thursday, 28. December 2006, 10:02:29
work, fun
A lighthearted look at the
climate science goings-on over the last year from the good folks at
RealClimate.
Saturday, 18. November 2006, 06:38:39
work, musings
Envy is the most common reaction I get when people find out how much I travel. People usually say things like "oh, you're so lucky that your job sends you to such exotic places." On the surface they are right. I have been fortunate enough to have visited Europe, South Africa, Thailand, many places throughout the Arctic, and now China, but the reality is that when I arrive in these places I am working and that usually means sitting inside meeting rooms for days on end until it is time to return home.
My trip to China was a little different because I had three different meetings back to back over a twelve day period and in between those meetings I had some free time which meant that I could get outside and do some sightseeing. That is not at all typical of these business trips. When traveling for work my time in any given destination is short and filled with networking activities from breakfast through dinner. If I am lucky then a group dinner might be arranged off-site so I can actually leave the hotel complex, but usually they are not and I stay indoors, eating bad hotel food for the entire time I am away.
While my trip to Beijing was unique in that I got to see the Great Wall and visit places across the city that most tourists never see, it was very typical in that I was working from the moment I woke up in the morning until I made it back to my hotel room around 21:00. Hence the paltry blog updates over the past week! I had good intentions of writing more about my time in Beijing, but the sad fact is that time got away from me and I have done virtually nothing but sit inside in meetings for the past week!
But I am finally back in Oslo now and I can't tell you how good it is to be home, sleeping in my own bed with familiar smells and noises, eating the foods I like, and having the ability to go outside and stretch my legs at any given moment. I arrived home late on Thursday, slept in as much as my jet lag would allow yesterday, and today I tackle my laundry. It is not as exciting as being an observer in a foreign culture but it is home and I am glad to be back!
Thursday, 9. November 2006, 07:09:42
work, travel, China
My guidebook describes the people of Beijing as unfailingly polite. I would extend that description to caring, generous, and hospitable. Within 36 hours of arriving in China I felt the telltale signs of a cold coming on. This was not entirely unexpected since Lars was down with a cold last week. Nonetheless, I had hoped that I would avoid being sick while away from home. Unfortunately, I was not that lucky.
At the first sign of a sore and scratchy throat, the Chinese colleagues (whom I first met only on Sunday) swept into action and began plying me with all kinds of local remedies. And while stuck in bed with fever and chills, several people checked in on me to make me tea and ensure I had enough to eat. The result has been the quickest recovery I have ever experienced!
I can't believe it is already Thursday and I am disappointed to have missed out on nearly two days of activities here, but I am so grateful to the kindness of my local hosts. I am back on my feet and hope that I can make up for lost time during my remaining days in Beijing.
Monday, 6. November 2006, 15:14:38
work, travel, China
Beijing is an enormous city in the midst of rapid and vigorous transition. There is
new construction taking place everywhere, all in anticipation of the summer Olympics in 2008, and with a population of nearly 14 million there is very little open space and greenery around but plenty of high-rise buildings and traffic-jammed roads.
I am still a little overwhelmed by having arrived and been whisked directly into meetings (where I have sat since Sunday afternoon). If there is any disappointment I have in my first impressions it is the fact that everything seems so western. I had been looking forward to an exotic breakfast with soup, rice, and pickled vegetables but what was on offer this morning was far too familiar--bacon, eggs and pancakes--and
my hotel could just as easily be located in the US or Norway. Globalization strikes again!
The lanes painted on the roads here are (as far as I can tell) strictly decorative, just as the mirrors in the automobiles are ornamental. Traffic seems to be governed by the use of the horn, as in "toot-toot: you're about to take out my right headlight" or "toot-toot: you don't really need to be stopped at that red light because I'm in a hurry so just go!" It would not be so bad except that I have yet to ride in a vehicle with seat belts. I would imagine that life as a pedestrian on the streets of Beijing carries with it its own set of perils (reckless drivers and bicyclists) so I guess I will continue to take my chances as a passenger.
Friday, 3. November 2006, 19:23:28
work, travel, China
Tomorrow I am off to Beijing for a series of work-related meetings. My guide book warned that few ATMs in China accept foreign bank cards so I was very diligent in my trip preparations and went down to my local Forex this morning to buy some Chinese currency.
The guide book called the local currency
renminbi (RMB), or "people's money", and described it in great detail going so far as to explain how to be on the lookout for counterfeit notes. The logistical information I was given by the meeting organizers also specified various costs in RMB so imagine my surprise when the friendly teller at Forex only had yuan (CNY) to sell me!
I'm a nervous traveler to begin with and my worst nightmare is getting somewhere and not being able to pay to get myself out again if necessary. Fortunately, my panic was soon explained by the
Wikipedia which notes that while the official abbreviation for Chinese currency is in fact CNY, it is also commonly abbreviated as RMB.
So it looks like I'm all set! With luck I will have internet access in Beijing and a few minutes every now and then to write up some observations.
