Session 3.4 - Soil sealing: Starving bugs, flooding people

Jock MartinProgramme HeadBiodiversity- Spatial analysis - Scenarios European Environment Agency

Soil sealing & Urban sprawl in Europe: Bonnie & Clyde...

Sealing dramatically transforms the properties of soil

1. Reducing its capacity to perform its essential ecosystem functions

These impacts are evident in the extent of compaction of soil leading to impairment of soil functions:

– loss of water permeability (soil sealing) which dramatically decreases– loss of soil biodiversity– and reductions of the capacity for the soil to act as a carbon sink

2. Contributing to water pollution

Rainwater which falls on sealed areas is then heavily polluted by tire abrasion, dust and high concentrations of heavy metals, which when washed into rivers degrade the hydrological ecosystem.

Bottom-line is...

…mostly related to demands for space

• Since mid-50s, European cities’ area expanded by 78 %, whereas population grew by 33 %

• Over the past 20 years, built-up areas in many western and eastern European countries has increased by 20 %, while population by only 6 %

• The amount of space consumed per person in the cities of Europe has more than doubled over the past 50 years

• Regions such as Mediterranean coastal areas experienced 10 % increase in soil sealing during the 1990s.

…shift in drivers of soil sealing…

…with uptake of resource-rich land and

soil…

…also high-intensive uptake and sealing of soil surface

EEA/GMES, 2006 data

Denmark on top for m2

sealed per capita

EEA/GMES, 2006 data

…Malta for % of total area

EEA/GMES, 2006 data

Strong demands to adapt information services – GMES!!1. What:

Regular monitoring of sealed surfaces at a high-resolution scale –rate of change

Consistent method over time and space, embedded in comprehensive land cover / use inventories –flows & processes ofchange

More research and evidence-based assessments of cause/effectinteractions, including land use/planning scenarios

2. How:

GMES/EEA land services: soil sealing data 2006 (presented here) and land cover data 1990-2000-2006 (2006 in progress)

Standard grids (km, 100m) for data assimilation

Spatial analysis and assessments....eg urban sprawl in Europe

Sprawl of urban areas

…in Europe, 1990-2000

5 times the size of Greater London.....

Greater London requires 293 times its area to sustain its needs…global footprint

If we take another view...Urban centres at less than 45 min reach

… transport infrastructure attract urban sprawl

…thus increasing rate of sealed surfaces

Facts about urban mobility

• During past 20 years, 4 times more new cars than new babies in cities

• The number of kilometres travelled in urban areas by road transport is predicted to rise up to 40 % by 2030 compared to 1995

• 10,000 km of highways built 1990-2005 in EU; 12,000 financed (20bn € per year) over 2007-13 to connect urban nodes in new MS

...which, combined with sprawl contribute to climate change issues, both CO2 and impacts!

...such as flash floods"The most serious impact in Britain is flash floods. The Victorians left us with a drainage infrastructure that is good for soft rain, but with torrential down pours it can't cope" - Parliament Committee.

...leading to relatively high fatalities

USA 30 year average

A climate proof future...?

Courtesy VROM, NL

Flooding homes or building in the floodplain

…

…… naturalnatural…… and developedand developed

The river Rhine has already lost four-fifth of its natural floodplains. Similarly, at the river Elbe only 15% of the natural floodplains remain.

…location oflocation of housinghousing andand degreedegree ofof soilsoil sealingsealing increasinglyincreasingly underunder scrutinyscrutiny

Compact City Scenario

or Sprawling Scenario

Which quality of life ?

Which impact of land use on sealing of surfaces?

So which urban development?