Sustainability of Australian Cities

This report shows some significant data about the Australian cities:

- Water - consumption decreased 7% between 2000/01 and 2004/05 in houses, and in Adelaide 40% of households have rainwater tank, while only 7% have it in Sydney.

- Energy - Australia has one of the higher averages of energy consumption per capita in the world and 97% of the energy produced comes from non renewable sources. 35% of the energy consumed in households is used for heating/cooling.

- Climate Change - stationary energy is responsible for 50% of greenhouse gas emissions, agriculture is responsible for 15%, and transport is responsible for 14%. Greenhouse emissions increased 6.5% since 1990. It affects the climate and consequently rainfall patterns, sea levels, and also can aggravate health issues such as respiratory problems and heat stress.

- Air Pollution - the air quality is getting better. However the pollutant levels - carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds, ozone, lead, particles - are still on or above standard levels.

- Waste - solid wastes are produced at higher levels if compared to other countries. Construction is the main responsible for wastes - 38%. Landfills were 6% of total wastes in 1992 and in 2005 it reached the mark of 52% of total wastes. Also, from 2002 to 2006 the population grew 5.6% while the waste generation increased 31%.

It is all related to education and consume. If our lifestyle does not change things will not get any better soon or later.

Source:  Australia Dept. of Infrastructure and Transport, Major Cities Unit. 2012. Sustainability of Australian Cities. SKIM the rest.