takingstock

1. Taking Stock Of the South East www.takingstock.org

2. Summary • South East background • Results of Mass Balance (Materials Flow) and Ecological Footprint studies • Sector details • Policy Context / Trends • Lifestyles / Future scenarios • Case Studies

3. South East Statistics • Population 8.1 million in about 3 million households • 4 million people employed, 80% in service industries • 373,600 business sites • 600,000 people of working age with no qualifications • Receives 25% of all UK expenditure in R&D • Has over 700 Sites if Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) • Contains a third of England’s ancient woodland • Fastest growing economy in the UK

4. SE Prosperity and Consumption • High level of consumption – mainly due to economic prosperity. • SE residents: • Travel further than residents of any other region • Have more holidays • Produce more waste • Purchase more consumer items • Highest demand for housing • Serious transport problems and worst congestion outside London. • Lowest level of public investment per head of any English region.

5. SE Materials Consumption Direct Material Consumption in 2000 was 88 milliontonnes or 11 tonnes per person. Total Material Consumption, including indirect or “hidden” resources involved in producing the materials we directly consume is 211 million tonnes or 26 tonnes per person

6. Definition of an Ecological Footprint “The land area required by the people in a defined region to provide all the resources and services they presently consume and to absorb all the waste they presently discharge wherever that land might be.” The EF is a ‘snapshot’ based on data from a single year. It is measured in global hectares (gha) and usually expressed in gha per person. Energy land Bio-productive sea Bio-productive land Habitat land Built land

7. Taking Stock - Ecological Footprint of SE Residents • The ecological footprint of South East residents in 2000 was 55 million global hectares (gha). • Equivalent to 6.8 gha per person (world average 1.9 gha per person). • Total eco-footprint is 29 times the physical land area of the region • equivalent to the size of France • If all the world’s population lived like us….

8. We’d Need 3 ½ Planets This means someone else somewhere else is paying the price…

9. South East EF Components

10. CO2 Production Due to material consumption in the South East we produced 158 million tonnes of CO2 in 2000, equivalent to 19.5 tonnes per person. This is 3 times the amount emitted within the region.

11. Sector Details • Food • Transport • Construction • Energy and Water • Household Consumption • Waste Factsheets on each sector are downloadable from www.takingstock.org

12. Sector Results • EF of food and drink consumption was 13.7 million gha – 1.7 gha/person = ¼ total footprint. • Transport accounted for EF of 11.4 million gha – 1.4 gha/person, a fifth of the total EF. • EF of construction was 9.5 million global hectares – 1.2 gha per person and 17% of the total. • Commercial and public services also contributed 9.5 million gha, 1.2 gha per person and 17%. • The total EF of energy and water supply is 7 million gha, or 0.85 gha/person = about 9% of the total EF. • The EF from h/hold consumption was 4.2 million gha, 0.52 gha/person, or 7.5% of the total. • EF of h/hold waste management was 4.5m gha, or 8% of the total (although this is included in the above figures).

13. Choices and Priorities What kind of future can we invent? • Hopes, aspirations • Needs, wishes, wants • Fears, distrust • Expectations, probabilities All these are drivers of consumption and the lifestyles which generate it. Need to take a lateral approach to policy influencing resource management.

14. 4 Scenarios over 4 Timescales 4 scenarios out of a possible infinite number: F0 – high growth – free markets F1 – business as usual – more of the same F2 – low growth – risk & disaster F4 – factor four – sustainable communities Considered over 4 timescales: 2005 – ‘soon’ – existing tensions continue 2010 – ‘later ‘ – direct effects of current decisions 2020 – ‘children’s world’ – a new generation 2050 – ‘grandchildren’s world’ – challenges we can hardly imagine

15. 4 Scenarios

16. If we aim for high growth ...

17. Factor Four • Measure of what we would need to do to live on the planet sustainably and equitably – doubling resource efficiency and halving resource use. • Gives a 75% reduction in use of energy and materials. • SE needs “smart growth” to decouple economic growth from ever-increasing use of resources. • Factor Four target of 75% reduction shown to be achievable by 2050.

18. Key Policy Implications • Food sector has largest impact – scope for localising food production, reducing energy intensive processing & meat content. • Utilities (energy & water) – huge technological potential for reducing energy/water use. • Construction – potential for better management & control, more material efficiency, ‘zero energy’ developments. • Commercial and public services – could greatly improve resource efficiency in all activities. Procurement decisions vital factor. • Transport – hard to address, but integrated transport policies and individual choices important.

19. Ways Forward for the SE • Reducing primary resource inputs • Regional/local self sufficiency • Closing material loops (eco-efficiency) • Whole life-cycle responsibility • Integrated materials management Achieving Factor Four targets will require new forms of networks, partnerships and consortiums. At present fragmentation between sectors and departments makes co-ordinated action very difficult.

20. Ways Forward for Your Business • Achieve cost savings and minimise wastage through resource efficiency: • Reduce energy use • Reduce water use • Reduce waste and increase recycling • Reduce use of road transport. • Buy recycled products. • Research new business opportunities, including innovative technology.

21. Ways Forward for You • Insulate your home and if appropriate install a new, efficient boiler. • Reduce your waste and increase recycling. • Use your car less, travel by public transport, bicycle or on foot as much as possible. • Buy recycled goods and locally produced food and household items. • Install solar water heating and/or solar PV panels on your roof.

22. SE Case Studies • Taking Stock produced case studies of good practice to act as “beacons” for others: • Business: • West Sussex betre project (business excellence through resource efficiency) • The Earth and Stars Pub, Brighton • Beacon Press, West Sussex • Energy: Woking Borough Energy Services. • Waste: ReMaDe Kent and Medway. • Schools: Global Action Plan – Action at School, South East Region. • Housing: Thames Gateway eco-homes.

23. Summary • South East Region way over budget – Ecological Footprint is 3.5 times sustainable earth share. • Getting back on track is possible and will take at least 50 years but we have everything to gain from this for the region as well as the world.

24. More Information • See www.takingstock.org for • Downloadable Resources • Press releases • Summary Report • Flyer • Full technical report • Presentations (including launch conference presentations) • Case studies • Sector factsheets • Details of forthcoming events • Lifestyle Footprint Quiz and Scenarios

25. Food • The EF of food and drink consumption was 13.7 million global hectares – 1.7 gha per person = ¼ total footprint from all activities. • 5 million tonnes of food were consumed in SE households in 2000 – about 620kg per person. • Packaging used for this weighed 660,000 tonnes or 81kg per person. • Over 1 million tonnes of food and drink per year, or 124kg per person, goes directly to waste. This includes around 43% of food supplied for catering and 14% of household food and 88% of it ends up in landfill sites.

26. Transport • Accounted for EF of 11.4 million global hectares – 1.4 gha per person, a fifth of the total EF. • Average SE resident travelled 20,700 kms in 2000, 54% by car and 37% by air. • The average distance travelled on surface transport by SE residents was 13,100 km per person, or 36km per day per person. 85% of this was by car, 6% by rail and 3% by bus. • By air the average was 7,600km per person, of which 97% was international travel, and 26% of this was within the EU. • Walking averaged 304km per person, and cycling 74km, or one mile per week per person.

27. Construction • EF of construction was 9.5 million global hectares – 5 times larger than the land area of the region – 1.2 gha per person and 17% of the total EF from all activity. • Construction used 50.5 million tonnes of materials directly (DMC), which is 57% of the regional total, and this involved 100 million tonnes in total material consumption (TMC). This equates to over 12 tonnes for every person in the SE region. • Construction activity produced 23% of the total CO2 emissions.

28. Commercial & Public Services • The EF of commercial and public services was 9.5 million gha, equivalent to almost 1.2 gha / person or 17% of the total. • Total material consumption was 26 million tonnes, around 12% of the total. • These services are responsible for 11% of total CO2 emissions in the region.

29. Energy and Water • The total energy consumed in South East households in 2000 was 75,000 million kWh, or 9,000 kWh per person, 3/4 of which was gas. This produced over 2 tonnes of CO2 per year per person. • Over half of the energy consumed in homes was for space heating. • The total EF of household energy is 4.7 million global hectares, or 0.6 gha per person = about 9% of the total footprint per person. • Household water consumption is around 60,000 litres per person p.a., or 165 litres per person per day. About 1/3 of this is used for flushing toilets. • The EF of the water supply system is about a sixth of 1% of the total EF per person.

30. Household Consumption • Durable goods (eg car, furniture, white goods) -grand total of direct materials consumed is 1 million tonnes including: • Cars 500,000 tonnes • Furniture 400,000 tonnes • Consumable goods - direct materials consumed was 1.75 million tonnes: • Dominated by paper based items - over 45% • Petfood - 22% (high EF also due to meat content) • Food residues and waste - 13% • Soaps and household chemicals - 12% • The EF from all h/hold consumption was 0.52 gha/person, or 7.5% of the total.

31. Waste • Almost 37 million tonnes of waste was produced in the South East. • Over 80% of household waste was landfilled with • Around 18% recycled or composted. • The EF for h/hold waste management was 4.5m gha, or 8% of the total. Disposing of paper/card accounts for over 50% of this.