People and the Planet- topic 5: 5.1 What are the environmental issues facing cities? 5.1a) Urban regions can generate huge eco- footprints

What are all these images about?

Urban regions and their eco- footprints What is the Ecological footprint of a Country? The Ecological Footprint of a country is defined as the land and natural resources required to provide the raw materials on which the country along with its population feeds, and process the waste products it produces. We use the natural environment as a SOURCE- to obtain things for our needs We also use as a SINK- to dispose of all our waste products These SOURCES and SINKS represents the amount of land, water and air (BIPRODUCTIVE AREAS) needed to support our lifestyles This is expressed in the measurement GLOBAL HECTARES (GHA)

What is in our footprint? Our footprints now extend far beyond places we live in as we no longer produce, consume and dispose of everything we need in our local area. Lets expand on this, by looking at the components which make up an eco-footprint- 1)Food we eat 2)Transport we use 3)Housing we live in 4)Entertainment and leisure services 5)All consumer goods- clothes, electricals and all energy it takes to produce and transport it 6)Infrastructure- water and power supplies, health and education services, transport network improvements 7)Public services- resources used by councils to support our lifestyles- refuse collection, highway and park maintenance, street furniture, etc Task- Look at page 205 in textbook Carbon Footprint- measure of the carbon emissions included in our eco- footprint

Eco-footprint component How it contributes to a footprint How this impacts your individual eco- footprint Food you eat Transport you use Housing Entertainment and leisure services Consumer goods Infrastructure Public services

What is our eco footprint? Let’s find out- Go to your computer and visit the following websites to calculate your eco footprint basichttp:// in depthhttp://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ Note down the results in your book When everyone has completed their calculations lets compare, who has the largest/ smallest print? Why?

UK city footprints- how do they vary? rint.pdfhttp://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/ecological_footp rint.pdf A WWF report in 2007, showed WINCHESTER was the city with the largest ECO FOOTPRINT, needing 6.52 hectares per person to satisfy its needs- equivalent to 3.62 planets!!! The entire report concluded that ‘if everyone in the world consumed natural resources like those in UK we would need 3 planets to support us’ London is 44 th on the WWF list out of 60 towns and cities London’s total footprint extends over an area twice the size of Britain and is equal to the size of Spain BUT not all of London has a large print-

How do footprints vary across London?

Salisbury and Winchester are just 80km apart but have very different eco-footprints Why? Winchester has more commuters that travel longer and further to work therefore use cars increasing their CARBON FOOTPRINT (an aspect of the eco footprint). more and in Salisbury people cycle/ walk to work more. People have higher income and house values in Winchester so can afford to spend more on more things 3) Both cities have high employment rates, meaning they have income to spend on material possessions Why do eco-footprints vary? Salisbury small town in Wiltshire Winchester, small county town of Hampshire

Practice Question Using examples, explain how and why different cities have different eco- footprints (4 marks)

Eco- footprints around the World Lower Income Countries (LIC)- tend to have smaller eco- footprints due to lifestyle differences and lower levels of consumption in general Higher Income Countries (HIC)- tend to have higher eco- footprints as they have materialistic wealth, and therefore consume more Is this simplistic view too simple? Task- Look at the graph and table on page 207 of textbook Is there a relationship between a country’s HDI rank and their eco-footprint? Which countries are anomalies (don’t fit the normal pattern?) why? Why do you think the UK has the highest eco footprint? And India has the lowest?

Task- Can you give reasons for these footprints?

Describe the distribution of countries with a footprint of more tan 3.6 gha (2 marks) Give reasons why some countries have such a low gha (3 marks)

Some cities with a LARGER population will have a LARGER TOTAL footprint. Why do footprints differ between countries? DEVELOPED eg UK 5.3 ha per person DEVELOPING eg Kenya 1.5ha per person People in the UK consume more as they are more affluent eg: People consume less as they have lower incomes (less affluent) Buy consumer goods eg CD’s; fridges etc. Which consume resources; consume energy in production; transport and use. Consume fewer goods as they have lower incomes (GDP is less) Buy imported foods eg coffee; exotic fruits etc which increase food miles. Many grow their own food Own and run more cars which consume oil and contribute to air pollution as well as CO2 contributing to global warming Few people own and run cars. Walk and use bicycles. Spend money on foreign holidays which generates more CO2 emissions from aeroplanes Only the small wealthy minority can afford foreign holidays People in the UK generate more waste from consumer goods and consumption of for eg electricity Electricity is expensive and consumption levels are low especially in rural areas.

Overview There are many individual components that make up our eco-footprints, such as where our food is from, how much we own and who makes it, which services we have in our local area, how we dispose of our rubbish and how much rubbish we create. The world tends to see a pattern, with more highly developed countries having higher eco- footprints, although within all countries eco- footprints vary from place to place.