Sustainablity Essay, Research Paper

What is an unsustainable city?

An unsustainable city:

Requires continual input of non-renewable resources

uses renewable sources faster than the rate of renewal

causes cumulative degradation of the environment

requires resource in quantities that could never be available

FACTS:

+ The population of Mexico City in 1996 was about 20 million, roughly equivalent to 2/3 of entire Canada s population.

+ Air quality in Mexico City is unsatisfactory by international standards 324 days out of a year

+ Mexico City consumes at least 60,000 Liters of water/second. By year 2000, the water consumption is expected to be 100,000 Liters/second.

+ 32,000 industrial plants spew more than 12,000 tons of pollutants into the air of Mexico City every day.

+ 7,500 people died in New Delhi itself last year and 2.5 million were treated for various pollution-related diseases.

+ Delhi s roads are clogged with 2.8 million vehicles every day and another 150,000 to 200,000 are added every year.

+ The per capita income per person in Calcutta is $150.00.

Clearly the facts speak for themselves. Governments in the world s wealthiest nations may support the notion of sustainable cities without admitting that it is consumers and enterprises in their cities that need to make the largest reductions in resource use and waste generation. The idea of an environmentally sustainable city is a DREAM, not a REALITY.