Summary:
This article was elaborating on how the cities are rapidly growing and why this needs to change. The author, Mark Swilling, says that the total area of the world's cities is set to triple in the next forty years, eating up farmland and threatening the planet's sustainability. He tells how our current urban population of about 3.9 billion is expected to increase to 6.34 billion by 2050 of a total population of 9.5 billion. Saying this, if we continue to double in population and double our resource use, then our resources would also have to double, which probably can not happen. We have to stop thinking as though the world provides unlimited resources because that's not the case. We won't have enough resources to sustain the human population if this use of resources continues to occur. The author also talks about how urban settlements are beginning to cover up too much of the world's most valuable farmland, which also causes an environmental issue.
This article was elaborating on how the cities are rapidly growing and why this needs to change. The author, Mark Swilling, says that the total area of the world's cities is set to triple in the next forty years, eating up farmland and threatening the planet's sustainability. He tells how our current urban population of about 3.9 billion is expected to increase to 6.34 billion by 2050 of a total population of 9.5 billion. Saying this, if we continue to double in population and double our resource use, then our resources would also have to double, which probably can not happen. We have to stop thinking as though the world provides unlimited resources because that's not the case. We won't have enough resources to sustain the human population if this use of resources continues to occur. The author also talks about how urban settlements are beginning to cover up too much of the world's most valuable farmland, which also causes an environmental issue.
List of interesting/important Facts:
1. Our current urban population of about 3.9 billion is expected to increase to 6.34 billion by 2050 of a total population of 9.5 billion
2. In 2010, the total area covered by all the cement, asphalt, compacted clay, park areas and open spaces that compromise the footprint of the world's urban settlements was around 1 million sq km.
3. If the urban population and long term de-densification trends continue, the area of the planet covered by urban settlements will increase to more than 3 million sq km by 2050.
1. Our current urban population of about 3.9 billion is expected to increase to 6.34 billion by 2050 of a total population of 9.5 billion
2. In 2010, the total area covered by all the cement, asphalt, compacted clay, park areas and open spaces that compromise the footprint of the world's urban settlements was around 1 million sq km.
3. If the urban population and long term de-densification trends continue, the area of the planet covered by urban settlements will increase to more than 3 million sq km by 2050.
My Opinion:
I agree with the author's opinion on this topic. The natural resource use is nearly at a doubling rate. Just because we want to use these resources like we have unlimited access, does not mean that these resources will magically start to produce themselves at a quicker rate. If we use our resources at a steadier pace, then we won't have to think of the possibility of them running out. I also believe that we need to have less urban settlements that cover the land and soil. We are minimizing our space by building these settlements. We have the potential and tools necessary to do better for the environment, we just choose not to as a whole, which I think is wrong.
I agree with the author's opinion on this topic. The natural resource use is nearly at a doubling rate. Just because we want to use these resources like we have unlimited access, does not mean that these resources will magically start to produce themselves at a quicker rate. If we use our resources at a steadier pace, then we won't have to think of the possibility of them running out. I also believe that we need to have less urban settlements that cover the land and soil. We are minimizing our space by building these settlements. We have the potential and tools necessary to do better for the environment, we just choose not to as a whole, which I think is wrong.
Bibliography:
Swilling, Mark. "The Curse of Urban Sprawl: How Cities Grow, and Why This Has to Change." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 12 July 2016. Web. 08 Sept. 2016.
Link:
www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/jul/12/urban-sprawl-how-cities-grow-change-sustainability-urban-age