Urban Growth Versus Global Warming

Urban Growth Versus Global Warming

ScienceDaily (Oct. 22, 2009) — Houses on stilts, small scale energy generation and recycling our dishwater are just some of the measures that are being proposed to prepare our cities for the effects of global warming.

A three-year project led by Newcastle University for the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research has outlined how our major cities must respond if they are to continue to grow in the face of climate change.

Using the new UK Climate Predictions ’09 data for weather patterns over the next century, the research looks at the impact of predicted rises in temperature - particularly in urban areas - increased flooding in winter and less water availability in summer.

The report “How can cities grow whilst reducing emissions and vulnerability” focuses on the particular challenges facing London but can be used as a model for other UK cities on how policy-makers, businesses and the public must work together to prepare for climate change.

As well as protecting our homes and buildings against the increased threat of flooding from rising sea levels, the report emphasizes the need to reduce our carbon emissions, reduce our water usage and move towards cleaner, greener transport.

Newcastle University’s Dr Richard Dawson, one of the report’s authors, said: “There’s not one simple solution to this problem. Instead we need a portfolio of measures that work together to minimize the impact of climate change while allowing for our cities to grow.

“Most importantly we have to cut our carbon dioxide emissions but at the same time we need to prepare for the extremes of weather – heat waves, droughts and flooding – which we are already starting to experience.

“The difficulty is balancing one risk against another while allowing for the expected population and employment growth and that is what our work attempts to address.”

Led by Newcastle University’s Professor Jim Hall, the project is the result of three years’ work to decide how our cities should respond to the threats of climate change.

Promoting the development of cycleways and public transport, low-carbon energy and water recycling it also shows how solving one problem can exacerbate another.

Dr Dawson explains: “Heat waves like the ones being predicted to occur more frequently in future are extremely serious, particularly for the eldest members of our population.

“To combat the problem we often resort to switching on the air conditioning. This is not only energy intensive (and therefore has potential to raise carbon dioxide emissions that drive climate change) but works by cooling the inside of the building and expelling hot air outside, raising the overall air temperature in the city as well.

“This can amplify what is known as the ‘urban heat island’.”

To reduce this problem, the authors show that one option might be to stimulate growth along the Thames flood plain as the water helps to keep the overall temperature lower.

“The problem then is that you are building in the flood plain so you have to prepare for a whole different set of challenges,” explains Dr Dawson. “Houses built on stilts, flood resilient wiring where the sockets and wires are raised above flood level, and water resistant building materials are going to have to be incorporated into our building plans.

"Good planning is the key - we have shown that land use planning influences how much people travel and how they heat and cool their buildings, and hence the carbon dioxide emissions.

“Land use also determines how vulnerable people will be to the impacts of climate change. Our research enables policy makers to explore these many issues on the basis of evidence about the possible future changes and to analyse the effectiveness of a range of innovative responses, so they can better understand and prepare for climate change.”

The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Economic and Social Research Council.

from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013105317.htm

City of apples, city of poisons: nuclear and chemical waste in Kazakhstan

In the last few years the problem of nuclear and chemical waste in Kazakhstan has increased on a world scale. In addition, there is a new problem – that of solid domestic waste. Mountains of non-treated refuse are poisoning its cities year on year, exuding a saprogenic stench and turning them into hideous sights.

For years local officials in Almaty have tried to solve the problem of how to utilize solid domestic waste. But in spite of these efforts, more than 700 tons of untreated refuse are taken from Almaty each day to a special range nearby. This problem is urgent, despite the reassurances of local officials that the range is only 14% full. Official data shows that each year this 'refuse city' is growing by 305,000 tons – and a simple sum show that in five years it will reach 1525,000 tons. In 10 years time the range will be transformed into a three million ton refuse mountain. Not a gift for posterity! Refuse processing plants are urgently needed in the size of city-megapolis found in Kazakhstan. Talks have been going on for a long time, but have led nowhere.

So far none of the proposals made are likely to succeed. This is strange, because many people would like to settle the problem. This year the Association of Enterprises for the processing of solid domestic wastes and many other private firms have presented projects for the Management of Environment Protection to consider. At the moment an Italian project, Balapress, has aroused the greatest interest among ecologists.

One line of this project comes to US$630,000. The productivity of processing is 20 tons per hour. This is hard to undervalue. It means that 700 tons of refuse that are produced daily could be processed by the machine in 35 hours. Two lines of Bala-press are able to process the same amount in 17 hours. So it is strange that the government cannot find $1,260,000 to buy the equipment that would solve the refuse problem.
We decided to discover the position of the municipality (akimat). So we sent an official inquiry to Mr. Viktor Khrapunov, the mayor (akim) of Almaty city. The akimat's opinion was that the utilization of solid domestic wastes is indeed urgent for the city. To help solve the problem, it is planning this year to give 54 million tenge (about $350,000) from the state budget. But it has refused to fund the building of the refuse processing plant from the national treasury due to the cost. It believes that a private commercial organization could solve the problem much faster, since waste utilization should be directed at a future processing industry. But it is no secret that the costs of buying equipment are high and the project may not therefore be profitable.
The akimat considers that building a processing plant for secondary refuse treatment is not profitable, though experience elsewhere in the world shows the opposite. Refuse processing and secondary production form profitable, stable business in the United States – for example, 77% and 85% of domestic wastes are used as a secondary source in Seattle and New York respectively. In Karaganda city (Kazakhstan) the benefit that can be derived from a garbage-can has been assessed, and the building of a new enterprise for the production of equipment for refuse processing has been started. 'Hydromex process' technology will be used at the plant. That will make it possible to convert all types of wastes without preliminary separation, including the heaviest ones: polyethylene, wastes of tyre production, wastes from the carpet industry and sewerage system. Experts estimate that the new enterprise will provide jobs for 3,500 of Karaganda's inhabitants, with a minimum salary of 30,000 tenge.