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Liverpool better than national average for cities in the UK
RESIDENTS in
Liverpool have less impact on the environment than the national
average, according to a new green league table of mainland UK cities
by WWF. But if everyone in the world consumed the same amount as
people in Liverpool then we would need nearly three planets to
support us.
The average resident’s footprint in Liverpool is 2.92 planets,
coming 21st with Nottingham in the ranking. The report ranks
the 60 cities in England, Scotland and Wales by the average
ecological footprint of their residents. These results show a
damning picture for the UK, as even those cities at the lower end of
the scale are consuming more than their fair share of natural
resources.
Liverpool resident Chris Hayes said:- “I’ve already tried to
lead an environmentally-conscious lifestyle such as recycling waste
but I still managed to reduce my footprint further from 2.7 planets
to 2.26. To achieve this I’ve signed up to a local fruit and
vegetable box scheme run by my milkman, I’m avoiding heavily
processed foods as much as possible and I got a free compost bin
from the council for my kitchen waste.”
Merseyside resident Sarah Cable was already a keen recycler and
car-sharer but since measuring her footprint, she’s taken further
steps to reduce it from 2.78 planets to 2.18. “I’ve changed
all my lightbulbs to low energy ones, turned my central heating
down, I’m buying more local and seasonal food and I don’t leave any
electrical appliance on standby.”
Colin Butfield, head of campaigns at WWF-UK, said:- “The
battle for the environment will be won or lost in our cities. They
have the highest potential for eco-living due to local facilities,
public transport links, dense housing and shared public resources.
Whilst all cities and city dwellers could do more to reduce their
impact on the environment there are some great examples of good
practice on areas such as transport and housing around the UK.”
Ecological footprint is made up of the land and sea area required to
feed, provide resources, produce energy and to absorb their waste
and pollution. The main factors affecting an individual’s ecological
footprint are: housing, food, consumer goods, public and private
services and transport eg one return flight to Australia uses as
much energy as it takes to heat and power your home for 6 years.
Sunderland uses the least of its footprint on consumer items whilst
Winchester uses the most. Leicester has the lowest food footprint in
England, whilst Durham has the highest.
The report recommends steps individuals can take to reduce their
footprint. These include: calculate your footprint at
www.wwf.org.uk/calculator and devise a plan to
reduce it, join a green community group, holiday closer to home and
try to reduce energy use in your home and save money on bills in the
process.
Butfield added:- “We are currently depleting the earth’s
natural resources quicker than it can replace them, causing problems
such as disappearing forests, declining fisheries and climate
change. However, even the most green city resident, can on
average only reduce their footprint by one third – moving from a UK
average of a three planet lifestyle to a 2 planet lifestyle. This
clearly indicates that the one planet challenge is not just about
consumers - government and business must also play their part to
avoid the most devastating impacts on the environment.” |
PREPARE FOR CHANGE, URGES SOUTHPORT MEP
A Southport
Euro-MP has hosted the first meeting of a new EU network intended to
encourage governments and public bodies prepare for the effects of
climate change.
Disasters as a result of global warming such as floods, droughts,
earthquakes and fires are a major threat to life and the economy.
While much attention is focused on reducing carbon emissions that
cause climate change, moves also need to be made to adapt to the
challenges it brings.
Politicians from around the world will meet in Bali in December to
agree stricter carbon emission standards. But Liberal Democrat MEP
Chris Davies, who will represent the European Parliament at the
talks, says that even if rigorous emission reductions are agreed we
still need to deal with an upset climate for at least 50 more years.
He said:- "While moves are being made to cut carbon emissions
we still have to deal with the fallout from the global warming
already working on the atmosphere."
Mr Davies says it is important for all new investments and policies
to be 'disaster proof' and this need not require extensive work.
"It is not acceptable for a new hospital to be built in a
flood plain, when moving it 100 meters up would extend its life by
tens of years."
The network will be used to keep lawmakers and interested groups in
touch and informed on key developments in the area of disaster
impact reduction.
Commission should investigate supermarket food price increases
MEPs believe
supermarket mark-ups are outstripping commodity price rises.
Conservatives are calling on the European Commission to investigate
food price increases, as consumers face cost hikes of 30 to 40% in
their weekly shopping bills despite just a 10% rise in wheat prices.
The cost of wheat amounts to only 10% of a loaf of bread and 5% of a
French baguette, yet shoppers are being hit by substantial price
rises on these products and many others at the till.
Conservatives have co-sponsored a resolution in the European
Parliament on the matter, which will be debated in Strasbourg.
Sir Robert says:- "Food prices will naturally rise and fall in
the marketplace, but we are concerned by the massive discrepancy
between the relative small increase in the price of wheat and the
massive increase in supermarket prices. Consumers and farmers
are the victims of food price hikes. For the first time in 25 years,
food security is becoming an issue again. The European Union must
take action to guarantee food supplies, ensure pricing at
supermarkets is competitive, and keep prices down for the most
vulnerable consumers for whom food is a big part of their household
budget."
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