06-15-2006 - Human World

sagar: Author=’Eleanor Imster’ program=’4911′ video=”This pair of images reveals the impact of the 2005 drought on vegetation in East Africa using vegetation data from the SPOT satellite. Learn more at NASA’s Earth Observatory._DB:_ Scientists are now using satellite data in an effort to avert famine and starvation in parts of the worlds including Africa, Central America, Haiti, and Afghanistan.

_JB:_ Mike Budde and his colleagues are with the “Famine Early Warning System Network”:http://www.fews.net/; FEWS NET for short. Their data from many different satellites relate to rainfall, for example, or snowmelt, soil moisture, air temperature, or the greenness throughout the growing season.

_Mike Budde:_ We take bits of information and put them together to try to tell a story, or identify areas that may be an impending drought or flooding potential

_JB:_ When necessary, FEWS NET issues warnings to governments and international aid organizations in the affected region. These FEWS NET reports can help decision-makers figure out where people are most at risk and decide in which areas to concentrate food aid.

_Mike Budde:_ At that point, it’s up to decision-makers to take that information and make beneficial decisions on behalf of their country.

_JB:_ At this time in Earth’s history, more than a billion people on Earth don’t know where their next meal is coming from. That’s one-sixth of Earth’s population in danger of dying from poverty and starvation, every day. That’s our show. Our thanks today to “NASA”:http://www.nasa.gov – explore, discover, understand.

_DB:_ We’re on the web at earthsky.org. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth & Sky.

Written by EarthSky