Sydney: SOS for a city that's eating itself

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SOS for a city that's eating itself
June 6, 2007
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sos-for-a-city-thats-eating-itself/2007/06/05/1180809521650.html

Local government is stepping in to try to rescue Sydney from its own growth, write Wendy Frew and Catharine Munro.

SYDNEY is a city eating its own environment. Urban sprawl is devouring parklands and market gardens; sewage and litter foul waterways, and air pollution from cars is so bad health alerts will soon be sent to asthma sufferers.

And it could get worse, says the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore.

Launching a project to tackle mounting problems, Cr Moore will today paint a bleak picture of the city in 2030 if nothing is done to curb car travel, cut water and electricity consumption and make housing more sustainable.

Sydney's "ecological footprint" - the land required to produce all the goods Sydneysiders use and the land needed to dispose of our waste - is equivalent to 49 per cent of NSW. By 2030, when the city is expected to accommodate 1.1 million more people, that footprint will have increased to 95 per cent of the state.

Statistics from the Lord Mayor's office show car use in the metropolitan area in 2030 is expected to be more than 50 per cent above 2002 levels, with the cost of road congestion soaring to $28 billion from $18 billion in 2005.

Health is one of the biggest road casualties - between 600 and 1400 people die every year as a result of air pollution.

Electricity consumption could increase by as much as 18 per cent above the 2001 level, while greenhouse gas emissions are projected to rise by 40 per cent.

Climate change will ensure we swelter more but enjoy less rainfall, increasing our reliance on energy-hungry technologies such as airconditioning and desalination.
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