www.takingstock.org

Taking StockOf the South East

Summary• South East background

• Results of Mass Balance (Materials Flow) and Ecological Footprint studies

• Sector details

• Policy Context / Trends

• Lifestyles / Future scenarios

• Case Studies

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

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.

SE Materials Consumption

Direct Material Consumption in 2000 was 88 million tonnes 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

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 l

and

Bio-productive

sea

Bio-productive

landBuilt

landHabita

t

land

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….

We’d Need 3 ½ Planets

This means someone else somewhere else is paying the price…

South East EF Components

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.

Sector Details

• Food• Transport• Construction• Energy and Water• Household Consumption • Waste

Factsheets on each sector are downloadable from www.takingstock.org

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).

Choices and PrioritiesWhat 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.

4 Scenarios over 4 Timescales4 scenarios out of a possible infinite number:

F0 – high growth – free marketsF1 – business as usual – more of the sameF2 – low growth – risk & disasterF4 – factor four – sustainable communities

Considered over 4 timescales:2005 – ‘soon’ – existing tensions continue2010 – ‘later ‘ – direct effects of current decisions2020 – ‘children’s world’ – a new generation2050 – ‘grandchildren’s world’ – challenges we

can hardly imagine

4 Scenarios

If we aim for high growth ...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.