Finding green in the concrete jungle

They are totally artificial constructs and in them we live artificial lives. We travel differently, eat different food, receive water and energy through pipes and wires, live in different kinds of buildings, do different jobs.

All of these things come with an environmental price-tag. Given that the world’s urban population is expanding at such a rate, it is worth asking what are the numbers on that price-tag, and whether they are higher or lower than the environmental cost of living a rural life.

Does a person produce more or less carbon dioxide on moving from the countryside to the city?
An Australian group, the Halifax EcoCity Project, has developed what it calls an “ecological measuring stick”.

Essential elements of sustainable urban development include, it says:
– extensive use of vegetation to filter pollution, prevent the “heat island” effect and capture carbon dioxide
– purification and recycling of all water and waste
– 100% supply of renewable energy
– a sustainable food supply which does not deplete nearby lands and grow as much as possible with city limits

BBC