Natural Sciences (Videos): Recent Episodes
Unesco
Science and technology are key components of social integration, sustainable development and poverty eradication based on equity, freedom, justice, governance and solidarity.
The UNESCO's Basic sciences programme deals with molecular biology, biotechnology, chemistry, pure and applied physics and mathematics, as well as interdisciplinary areas that underlie human health, the preservation of the environment and human well-being.
UNESCO Assistant Director-General and Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), talks about key issues concerning the oceans during the annual meeting of UNESCO Goodwill ambassadors at UNESCO headquarters, 26 -27 June 2013.
Welcoming remarks by Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture Mr. Mohammad Nuh, and UNESCO's Director General Ms. Irina Bokova.
Dr. Faridah Noor Mohd Noor from University of Malaya addresses e-culture as an attractive and stimulative way of engaging the youth to preserve the cultural heritages.
Ms. Desi Anwar and a distant participant asks the panelists about the challenge of governments for the need of changing education for Sustainable Development.
First Speaker for the Science, Prof. Martin Lees, former Secretary General of Club of Rome, talks about The Role of Science, Technology & Innovation in the Transition to a Green Economy.
Professor Richard R. Ernst, 1991 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his methodological developments within nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, discribes science as "the best way to educate people by doing". He adds "Research is important to get honesty into people. And honesty is a basis [...] of peace
Prof. Jun Murai of Keio University, who is widely considered as the father of Japan's Internet, speaks about the history, development, and prospects of Science, Technology & Innovation in the transition to a Green Economy
Sergio Guevara Sada, President of IberoMAB network, Chairman of the Mexico MAB National Committee. Extract: "I think the best thing in biosphere reserves is the zonation."
Vernon Gilbert, U.S. Biosphere Reserves Association, and founding member of the MAB talk about how "a lot of the [MAB] concept was developed in 1968"
Sergio Guevara Sada, President of Ibero MAB Network, Chairman of the Mexican MAB National Committee, on how the Man and Biosphere programme "Is going to change the world!"
Interview with Natarajan Ishwaran, UNESCO-MAB Secretary, Director of Division of Ecological and Earth sciences.
"What is important this year for this program: to look back and to look forward "
A film jointly produced by European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) together with UNESCO and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) on occasion of the International Year of Chemistry, 2011.
The film informs the general public that chemistry meets the world's needs, is creative and is building our future, inspires young people and celebrates the continued contribution of women to science.
The film will was shown for the first time at UNESCO headquarters during the launching of the International Year of Chemistry on 27 January 2011.
Prof. Murai aswers a question about what will happen to human being with the increasing role of Social Networking System such as Twitter or alike, and global connectivity in general.
UNESCO's Director General Ms. Irina Bokova and a participant comments about the role of culture from their respective perspectives.
The oceans influence everything and everyone on earth, from climate to crops. Until very recently we knew incredibly little about complex oceanic systems but now the science of our seas is undergoing a revolution.
In this film Earth Reporter follows Dr Susan Wijffels, one of the world's foremost oceanographers, as she and her colleagues collect and interpret data from an array of free floating oceanic robots.
A quostionaire from Philliphines asks Prof. Sachs about the linkage of his clinical economics concepts with the concept of Green Society.
Keynote Speaker Prof. Jeffrey Sachs from the Earth Institute, Columbia University, speaks lively from New York at 2 AM in the morning about our readiness towards a Green Economy.
Prof. Hans van Ginkel, former rector of United Nations University, talks about Educating for a Sustainable Future from from Utrecht University, Holland.
Johanna Mac Taggart, coordinator of the Swedish biosphere reserve of lake Varnen and organizer of the "farming systems & food security" workshop, March 2011, 24th , 25th.
Extract: "We have a proposal to create a structure we call an « ecosystem venture incubator », so we work to promote more benefits from the ecosystems, more business development around this, and we're trying to create a space where people can meet to develop their ideas."
Recorded at the "farming systems and food security workshop", UNESCO, March 24 - 25 2011
Professor Dudley Robert Herschbach is an American chemist at Harvard University. He won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Yuan T. Lee and John C. Polanyi "for their contributions concerning the dynamics of chemical elementary processes" Here he discusses the links between science and peace
professor Walter Kohn is an American theoretical physicist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on October 13, 1998 for his development of the density-functional theory. He talks about his work and about the role of science in the quest for peace
According to Jean-Marie Lehn, 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, science and peace share a common ground because "scientists are supposed to be open, [they] are supposed to think rationally rather than emotionally, and to go beyond borders"
Mr. Herbie Hancock, a well known mucisian which is also UNESCO's Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Diversity delivers his interesting perspective.
Prof. Emil Salim, a long time devotee of Green Society and currently part of the Presidential Advisory Council in Indonesia delivers his fascinating point of view.
World Science Day 2010 recognizes the role of science in facilitating the rapprochement of peoples and cultures through its contribution to the advancement of 'mutual knowledge and understanding of people
This short film aims to illustrate present and future challenges in urban water management, highligting water problems facing cities around the world.
The film is designed to promote sustainable and innovative approaches that UNESCO is pursuing to help countries address water problems in fast-growing cities, and to assist cities to develop strategies for sustainable urban water management.
A short documentary film related to the environment of coastal cities / mega cities highlighting the vulnerability of these large settlements due to their high demography and to the impacts of marine related hazards (coastal erosion, storm surges, tsunami, forecasted sea level change) as well as the environmental footprint of large coastal cities on marine ecosystems (degradation of coastal habitats, waste management, emissions, pollution, public health impacts). The film will also emphasise the need for sustainable coastal cities to build their planning policies on science based information and products such as the ones promoted by IOC (coastal & ocean monitoring systems, hazards warning systems and preparedness, integrated coastal management and marine spatial planning).
The BBC documentary investigated how two 'twinned' coastal biosphere reserves, one in the UK and one in Kenya are comparing their mutual challenges and sharing the lessons learnt in trying to find sustainable solutions to local development in the face of climate change.
Also called "Connecting Delta Cities. New York, Rotterdam, Jakarta, Alexandria. About global coastal cities and future challenges", this films addresses the huge challenges and dangers that cities and places as different as Greenland, Jakarta, Rotterdam and New York are facing. Their problems, the film insists, are global and can be tackled more efficiently with an exchange of knowledge and intensive cooperation.
The film also exists in a 42-minutes version
The Mount Kuwol Biosphere Reserve, situated on the west coast of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and 100 kilometres south-east of Pyongyang, consists of a 954 meter-high mountain, adjacent coastal wetlands, lagoons and river estuaries, and agricultural areas. Both the core area and the buffer zone are part of the Mount Kuwol Nature Reserve, which was designated in 1976. The main objective of the core area is to protect the old typical forest ecosystem of Korea, which survived the damages of the Korea War. The presence of both pristine and rehabilitated forests makes Mount Kuwol an important area to study the ecological changes and effects of forest rehabilitation as well as the associated biodiversity. Ginseng (Panax ginseng), Forsythia ovata and other native plants are protected here. The only human activities in the core area are sightseeing and visits to the Woljong Temple, an old historic relic. There are limited human activities in the buffer zone, and the transition area, which includes forests, plain areas, wetlands and many rivers, is where most economic activities take place. The wetland, which includes the coastal Unryul Migratory Birds Reserve, play an important conservation role as habitats for shore birds and critical areas for many migratory bird species of north-east Asia such as black-faced spoonbill (Platalea minor), Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes) and red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis).
Documentary film illustrating UNESCO's activities and ordinary people initiatives in the field of protecting biodiversity and promoting sustainable development in Waterton Biosphere Reserve, Canada.
Français: Réserve de la Biosphère de Waterton - Canada
Documentaire présentant les activités de l'UNESCO et les initiatives populaires pour la protection de la biodiversité et le développement durable dans la réserve de biosphère de Waterton au Canada.
Documentary film illustrating UNESCO's activities and ordinary people initiatives in the field of protecting biodiversity and promoting sustainable development in Brazil.
Documentary film illustrating UNESCO's activities and ordinary people initiatives in the field of protecting biodiversity and promoting sustainable development in Glacier Biosphere Reserve, USA.
Français: Réserve de la Biosphère du Parc Naturel Glacier, Etats-Unis
Documentaire présentant les activités de l'UNESCO et des gens ordinaires pour la protection de la biodiversité et le développement durable dans la réserve de biosphère du Glacier aux Etats-Unis.
Raifa Biosphere Reserve is situated in the middle of the European part of Russia in the high-density population region - in Tatarstan Republic (the population density is 120 persons/sq. km), with highly developed industry and agriculture. Only 17 % of the region is covered by forest. The GVKBR consists of four clusters: Raifa Forest, Sarali Land between Rivers, Spassk Insular Archipelago, Sviyzhsk Wetland Area. All of them are not far from the capital of Tatarstan Republic - city Kazan (see map). In correspondence to the Seville strategy, all clusters have core area, buffer zone and transition zone. The territory of the BR is distinguished for its biodiversity. The natural communities of coniferous, mixed, broadleaved forests, meadow steppes, herbaceous and sphagnum swamps, meadows and lakes together with the aquatic and semi-aquatic systems of the largest in Europe Kuibyshev Reservoir are present here."
A documentary about biodiversity, its meaning and importance in our day to day life. It also reflects on the work carried out by UNESCO and its partners to preserve biodiversity. More precisely it shows some of the actions implemented by the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology (PSCST) to promote sustainable development.
This DVD is part of the educational kit "Capacity Building for Promoting Environmental Sustainability through Biodiversity Conservation"
From the 26th of June to the 13th of July 2006 fifty participants from various European countries were biking the Western Balkans from in order to promote local sustainable development.
They stopped at ten different natural and cultural sites in order to discover unique environmental situations, discuss issues related to the sustainability of local territorial dynamics with stakeholders, and demonstrate concrete solidarity and openness to cultural diversity and local traditions and practices.
The Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004 claimed the lives of more than 230,000 people, the highest toll in recorded history.
Tsunami Teacher is a resource toolkit that pulls together a wealth of information on tsunamis that already exists, gathered down decades on individual events and responses to them, and enriched by research and scientific advances.
This training kit contributes to build awareness and capacity to respond and mitigate the impact of tsunamis through the sharing of knowledge, research and best practices
The video content on this kit is more than 5 hours long. It is divided in sections that comprise workshops and evaluations, resource collection, as well as training modules.
Soil works hard for us every year, growing our food, but are we giving it what it needs to survive? Without shelter, harsh sunlight bakes the soil, and torrential rains wash it away. Without food - new inputs of organic matter - soil loses its nutrients. We must feed it well for it to feed us well. Fortunately, there are many things people can do to help soil restore and keep its fertility
Featured videos: - Soils: Introduction - Compost and Mulch: a video about this method - Natural Pest Control: controlling pest by natural means - Conservation Tilling, - Green Manure: Showing how the method works - Agroforestry: a short video about nitrogen fixing trees and improved fallows - Permaculture: organic composting, growing vegs and mulching
More than 15 million people across Africa depend on forests for their livelihoods, chopping them down for fuel, or to sell as timber. These short videos show how people in Africa are managing trees and forests for the future, whether for food, income or the environment
Featured videos: - Forests: Introduction - Trees and Business: a story told by Mhanda Mabula from Tanzania - Trees and Farming: Anthony and Agnes Katakwa, also from Tanzania tell us how they go about them - Land Regeneration: a forest re-establishment: Shinyanga - Micro credit and Alternative Tree Products: a short story about micro credit, fruit harvesting from wild sources and oil extracting - Good Woods: the Good Woods Project, Kenya
Currently, over sixty percent of households in Africa burn biomass fuels, like wood, crop residue, charcoal and dung every day. Of all the biomass fuels, wood is the most sought-after. As the number of trees dwindles rapidly, people have to travel greater distances to collect wood. Women often provide much of the human energy in families and when trees are few and far between, they have to carry heavy loads of fuel wood long distances every day
Featured videos: - Energy: Introduction -Wate Energy: about Pico hydro power - Solar Energy: a video about solar power cookers - Biogas, - Fuel Efficient Stoves: about practical solutions including Upesi stoves - Smoke Hoods
The challenges of urban living include getting enough clean water, fresh food and sustainable energy whilst finding safe and efficient ways to deal with the waste produced by millions of people
Featured videos:
- Urban Living: Introduction
- Recycling Rubbish: A short video about recycling and the production of fuel briquettes from charcoal dust
- Urban Greening: deals with green solutions and agriculture
- Recycling Plastic: short movie about weaving plastic bags
- Ecosan Toilets: deals with ecological sanitation for cities
- Recycling Paper: a video about recycling and papier mache
If you sailed the whole of Africa's 18, 950 mile coastline, you would visit 33 countries. Because the ocean has no boundaries, nothing can be done without consequences for the whole. The ocean can seem like a useful bin for the huge amount of waste produced by humankind, but this is not true. Pollution is building up, as oil, plastic and sewage are dumped from boats, cities and factories. On our blue planet, it can seem as though the bounty of the oceans is endless, but over-fishing and by-catch are also threatening marine resources.
This video shows some of the practical outcomes of the global People and Plants Initiative for field conservation, starting with botanical inventory as one of the most basic, yet most necessary, steps for conservation and resource management. It then illustrates the types of approaches taken in combining training and research on solutions to field conservation problems.
It covers People and Plants projects in Africa, Asia and the. South Pacific where applied ethnobotanical work takes places in key sites representing eight of the Global 200 priority eco-regions, five of which are critically endangered.
Because the link between people and plants is so fundamental to the conservation of both biological and cultural diversity, it concentrates on the core of our capacity building: training in applied ethnobotany, providing people with inter-disciplinary skills highly relevant to conservation action.
The video ends with an answer to the question: what happens when the People and Plants Initiative ends?
The objectives and framework of Small Islands Voice, --including exchanges during an inter-regional workshop held in Palau in 2002. It also contains a rap poem 'Mother Earth's Dying Cries', as well as a promotional jingle.
The use of low-cost, small-scale technologies in developing countries was promoted in the 1960s by Dr E. F. Schumacher, who published "Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered" in 1973. "Small is Beautiful" has been widely translated and has been described as one of the 100 most influential books of the last fifty years.
The publication of the "Small is Working: Technology for Poverty Reduction" video and associated booklet, thirty years after "Small Is Beautiful", is intended to present, review, revitalize and promote the contribution of smaller-scale and intermediate technology to poverty reduction and sustainable development.
The video is produced in three versions a 30 minutes TV broadcast version *** (above) a 'conference opener' version of 10 minutes and a "video news release" version of 6 minutes
The booklet, of 60 pages, is designed to provide further information to support the video as a stand-alone document. UNESCO is fully committed to promoting the "knowledge society" at all levels, including the grass roots, and looks forward to further addressing the vitally important challenge of promoting the application of technology for poverty reduction.
WWF and UNESCO initiative, in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, to promote ethno botany and the increasing involvement of local communities in conservation and sustainable use of plant resources. Since 1992, People and Plants has mounted integrated programmes of individual and group training, production of information and guidance materials and institution-building in selected countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the South Pacific. Field activities have focused on places and themes of prime conservation importance. This video illustrates methods used to assess the history and the impact of the carved wood trade and why there is a need for responsible sourcing of woodcarvings. It illustrates the history of the Kenyan woodcarving industry from two perspectives. On one hand, the Kenyan woodcarving industry as an incredible rural development success, on the other, as a major ecological problem. The video illustrates methods used in a series of research projects funded by the People and Plants Initiative, supporting researchers at the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), East African Wildlife Society (EAWLS) and Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI). It ends by introducing the concept of certification and the common interest carvers should have in a sustainable future of carved wood use - for no wood means no work. This video has been very versatile in its use, having been seen for example by woodcarvers at Wamunyu (Kenya), 200 woodcarvers in the Masvingo area, Zimbabwe and 200 woodcarving retailers at Nanyuki (Kenya). It has also been shown twice on Kenyan national television (to several million people) as well as being used by at least five African universities.
'Rays of Hope' tells the story of renewable energy in a region which served as a laboratory for the trial of RE technology, where countries stand a real chance of becoming the first 'renewable energy economies' in the world - which is the aim of several countries of the region.
Pacific islanders have been using renewable energy ever since they sailed into and around the region on wind power, cooked with biomass, dried crops under the sun and now, with international cooperation, are applying RE technologies in hydro power, for solar electricity generation, water heating and pumping, improved cooking stoves and use of coconut oil as diesel fuel.
Video created for the Virtual Exhibition web site showcasing sustainable development initiatives for the Johannesburg Summit (World Summit on Sustainable Development, WSSD). It illustrates the outcomes of successful partnerships between people and nature within the framework of the MAB Programme towards biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in Biosphere Reserves and beyond.
This is an awareness promotion film for conserving medicinal plants and associated traditional and cultural knowledge of indigenous people, produced by Mike Pandey of River Bank Studio for UNESCO, was screened at the UNDP Conference Hall on April 5, 2001. This is the first of a series of films on medicinal plants - an ancient heritage of India that was on the verge of extinction.
Today, India's systems of healing have been revived by a surge of interest worldwide.
Unlike the tropical forests of the Amazon or the Zaire river basin, which have very low human population densities (around 1 person/km2), Afromontane forests in the Great Lakes region of equatorial Africa are surrounded by dense populations of rural farmers.
Documental producido por la Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Bolivia, la Dirección Nacionald de Biodiversidad, y el Ministerio de Desarrollo Sostenible y Medio Ambiente. Con el concurso del Programa UNESCO-MAB y la Estacón Biológica del Beni, Bolivia
In Asia, Africa and Latin America, which together represent almost two thirds of the world population, millions of men are hungry, illiterate or fall victim of disease. Science and technology should help correct this situation. This film presents four projects conducted by UNESCO and UNDP in India in connection with the promotion of training and education in sciences and technology.
Can Chemistry be the solution to face the challenge of diminishing drinking water supplies worldwide? Does the water we drink differ in different regions around the world?
IUPAC and UNESCO have developed a set of experiments (acidity, salinity, filtration, distillation) for pupils of different ages to analyze the quality of water and learn how to treat their local water sources. Children all around the world will have the opportunity to upload the results of their investigations to an official website, making this initiative a Global Chemistry Experiment, and eventually, the biggest chemistry experiment ever.