Human ecology

This half hour video program features two geography case studies in India focused on society's impact on the environment and shifts in population and human migration. The first case study, Delhi: Bursting at the Seams, discusses the biggest challenge facing one of the world's most populous countries: mass migration to the city. The second case study, Kikhatpura: Help Through Irrigation, highlights a drought prone area of India and the irrigation infrastructure that stabilizes the agricultural water supply.

This four-minute video describes the role the Grand River has played in the economy and culture of the people who settled along its banks. A description of the Grand River Revitalization Project is also provided.

The two case studies in the half hour video Small Farms, Big Cities highlight a modern paradox in Japan, the coexistence of both the mega-city of Tokyo and small-scale agriculture. A farmer's story in the first case study illustrates climatic conditions in Tohoku, or Northeast Japan, and the influence of natural hazards upon agricultural productivity. In the second case study, a commuter from Saitama provides insight into the continued growth of one of the world's largest metropolitan areas.

Join host John Green to learn about drought, which is a natural weather phenomenon, and famine, which is almost always the result of human activity. Throughout human history, when food shortages hit humanity, there was food around. There was just a failure to connect people with the food that would keep them alive. There are a lot of reasons that food distribution breaks down, and John is going to teach you about them in the context of the late-19th century famines that struck British India.