Sydney's Mayor: 'Environmental Crisis Looms Large'

The Lord Mayor of Sydney has used very blunt language to characterize the city's future, yet planning to counter anticipated problems is still in the early stages.

1 minute read

June 7, 2007, 8:00 AM PDT

By davarnado


"Sydney is a city eating its own environment. Urban sprawl is devouring parklands and market gardens; sewage and litter foul waterways, and air pollution from cars is so bad health alerts will soon be sent to asthma sufferers."

"And it could get worse, says the Lord Mayor, Clover Moore."

"Launching a project to tackle mounting problems, Moore will today paint a bleak picture of the city in 2030 if nothing is done to curb car travel, cut water and electricity consumption and make housing more sustainable."

"Sydney's "ecological footprint" - the land required to produce all the goods Sydneysiders use and the land needed to dispose of our waste - is equivalent to 49 per cent of NSW. By 2030, when the city is expected to accommodate 1.1 million more people, that footprint will have increased to 95 per cent of the state."

Wednesday, June 6, 2007 in The Sydney Morning Herald

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