Transcript Sustainable communities and climate change

Sustainable Communities and
Climate Change
Littoral et vie 2002
Did you know that…
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..if the world’s population consumed water
and energy resources, as well as food and
other products at the same rate as North
Americans do, we would need…4 or 5 more
Earths to support the entire population.
A sustainable community…
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…is one which offers quality of life to its
residents, a rich civic life and lives in
harmony with the environment
Sustainable and livable
communities
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Sustainable
communities: will
last and prosper
Livable or healthy:
better quality of life
for humans and all
other beings
A community will be more
sustainable if it is well thought out at
different levels…
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Social: people
attached to each other,
that support each other
and participate in
public decisions
Environmental:
healthy and stable
ecosystems and
resources available for
the long term
A community will be more
sustainable if it is well thought out at
different levels…
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Health: basic needs of
people are met, low stress
level, high level of health,
access to a variety of
experiences, resources and
contacts in the community
Economic: varied
economic resources,
innovation in commercial
and industrial operations
and self-sufficiency
A community will be more
sustainable if it is well thought out at
different levels…
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Cultural: the
architecture and
events demonstrate
a connection with
the past and with
the natural
surroundings
Connections between sustainable
communities and climate change
Plan a town or a village where
everything is close together : services,
workplace, houses…
Benefits :
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Less automobile
circulation = less CO2
People can meet Better
social cohesion = better
capacity to work together
in the event of extreme
situations
Economic?
Citizens carpool or use public
transportation
Better social
interconnections
 Less CO2
 Environmental?
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Healthy ecosystems and richness
of the biodiversity
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Better resistance to
extreme events, freezing,
thawing, storms and
change in precipitations
Economic?
Sustainable forestry: selective cutting,
selection of species, replantation of
indigenous species…
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Fewer forest fires
and defoliating
insects
Better carbon
sequestration
Cultural?
Sustainable agriculture
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Crop diversification and
rotation, irrigation,
increase of organic
material in the soil,
avoiding fertilizer and
chemical pesticides…
Better resistance to
droughts
Better carbon
sequestration
Health?
Steps to take to increase the
health of citizens
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Security in town,
incentives to do physical
activity, to eat better
(opening of healthy food
restaurants…)
People will be more
resistant to heat or cold
waves, invasion of tropical
virus…
Social?
Diversified economy: not
centered on a unique resource
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If the resource
disappears or is
reduced with climate
change, the
community can still
survive
Social?
Plant trees and indigenous plants
(for example alongside roads)
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People become aware
of the natural elements
in their community
and they identify
themselves to these
elements (better
protection)
Climate change?
Avoid urban sprawl
Compact communities
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Lower taxes because there
is less infrastructure
(pipes, cables, roads)
Better water and air
quality
Citizens are less isolated
Less CO2
Social?
Citizens exchange or reuse
objects or resources
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Less methane
produced by landfills
Social?
Economic?
Climate change?
Foresee slower circulation on
roads with speed bumps,
curves… in the town centre
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Social?
Environmental?
Climate change?
Plant vegetable gardens and fruit
trees in town
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Health?
Environmental?
Social?
Climate change?
Rehabilitation of streams,
forests…
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Social?
Environmental?
Economic?
Climate change?
Do sustainable communities exist?
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Yes, there are communities that have
initiated actions to reduce their ecological
footprint on Earth - in the USA, Spain,
Canada, Scandinavian countries, etc.
Why improve the community ?
For :
 The economy
 Social cohesion
 Health
 Cultural life
 The health of ecosystems
 Climate change
It is up to each community to decide in which
direction they want to take their development!
What strikes you as
important about sustainable
communities?