WHY
To begin we will briefly summarise the key statistics on the indicators of our unsustainable life styles. This provides a context to why we should we act, and how we can create a lifestyle that maintains our current qualities but with an ecological sensitivity.
Since the oil crisis of 1973 the frequency of noticeable and reported environmental crisis have increased. Ranging from unusually severe climatic changes to man-made polluting events.
Underlying these events are simple causes that we perpetuate in our everyday life:
The root of the problem is in what we are using the resources for and why.
- Current UK lifestyle consumes resources equivalent to 3 Earth's
Obviously, if every nation tried to consume the same this would lead to destruction and conflict.
- The construction and use of the built environment accounts for 50% of all resource use. 75% if we include transport.
- Water use is a critical indicator, with average water consumption being 150 litres per day per person. (50% of water use is used in connection with buildings)
Central to our consumption is our use of hydrocarbon to power our economies.
Greenhouse gases CO2 etc are the main contributor to global climatic disruption that ultimately affects on the ability of the poorer countries to provide for themselves.
- The average UK person accounts for 3 Tonnes of CO2 per year.
- 90% of the UK population live in cities.
Therefore cities consume 70% of all resources.
- Or our built environment accounts for 30kgCO2/m2
- Our total CO2 emissions are 180 Million Tonnes
- 50% or 90 Million Tonnes are used to build, heat, light, and provide electricity
- 25% or 45 Million Tonnes are used for transport
Latest Climatic Models show that we must reduce CO2 emissions down by 80% to stabilise current climatic irregularities.
This means reducing emissions to:
Total UK emissions of 36 Million Tonnes per year
0.6 Tonnes of CO2 per person
6 kg CO2/m2 for buildings
The ecomatrix illustarted
WHY...
HOW...
CRITERIA....
THE CASES...
