Cities and water in the anthropocene

Question 1

What is happening to urban areas?

Answer 1

They are rapidly expanding

Question 2

How fast is population growth in London compared to other cities?

Answer 2

Population growth in London is now slower than that of the most populated cities

Question 3

By how much do cities account for greenhouse gas emissions?

Answer 3

80%

Question 4

What percentage of the world energy production do cities consume?

Answer 4

75%`

Question 5

What type of metabolism is more sustainable: linear or circular?

Answer 5

Circular

Question 6

What type of metabolism do cities tend to have?

Answer 6

Linear metabolism

Question 7

How much of the land surface do cities take up?

Answer 7

2.8%

Question 8

How much of the Earth’s land surface does agriculture take up?

Answer 8

125

Question 9

What percentage of the 9.2 billion projected people are expected to live in cities by 2050?

Answer 9

75%

Question 10

How many urbanities are there expected to be by 2050?

Answer 10

7 billion

Question 11

How many urbanities were there in 2007?

Answer 11

3 billion

Question 12

What is the rural diet composed of?

Answer 12

Complex carbohydrates, vegetables, grains and fruits

Question 13

What does the urban diet consist of?

Answer 13

Animal protein, refined fat, refined sugar, alcohol and oils

Question 14

What has caused the transition from a rural diet to an urban one?

Answer 14

Westernisation
Increased wealth
Industrialisation
Globalisation

Question 15

What problem has globalisation caused?

Answer 15

It has left some people behind

Question 16

What is an issue with waste as cities grow?

Answer 16

It is becoming harder to deal with

Question 17

What is a good example of how vulnerable cities are?

Answer 17

Hurricane Katrina

Question 18

What is there a pressure on cities to provide?

Answer 18

Pressure to provide services and resources

Question 19

Where were most of the city dwellers located in 1950?

Answer 19

Europe and the Americas

Question 20

Where will the majority of city dwellers be by 2050?

Answer 20

Asia and Africa

Question 21

What is an issue with urban growth?

Answer 21

Future urban growth disproportionately in developing countries and disproportionately ‘informal’ housing

Question 22

What has there been an explosion of over the past 30 years?

Answer 22

The slums

Question 23

What are slums often close to?

Answer 23

Rich areas

Question 24

What is an issue with slums on the coast?

Answer 24

They are growing quickly and are already vulnerable
Flooding
Erosion

Question 25

What percentage of the world's population lives in deltas?

Answer 25

1%

Question 26

What is happening to Miami?

Answer 26

The risk of flooding is becoming so great that soon it will not be able to be insured

Question 27

Who created a poverty map?

Answer 27

Charles Booth

Question 28

Why is groundwater in London rising?

Answer 28

Due to the pressure of urban buildings on the clay soil

Question 29

How does damming cause issues for deltas?

Answer 29

It holds back sediment on which the deltas depend

Question 30

How many major deltas are sinking?

Answer 30

24

Question 31

Where are 22 of the word's top 30 cities for air pollution located?

Answer 31

In India

Question 32

How many cities exceed the WHO guidelines for air pollution?

Answer 32

Every single city in the Middle East and Africa, 99% of cities in south Asia and 89% of cities in east Asia

Question 33

How many people a year die prematurely from air pollution exposure?

Answer 33

7 million

Question 34

What is the cost of lost labour to the global economy as a result of air pollution?

Answer 34

4225bn

Question 35

Explain what is happening in Ho Chi Minh city

Answer 35

It has two separate master plans, one for the historic west foreseeing a wall of skyscrapers marching down the river. The new developments are often built on raised land to protect them from flooding, while ironically blocking rainwater from flowing freely into the river and so causing more floods elsewhere. More than a third of the city's historic buildings have been destroyed over the past 20 years

Question 36

Who is more affected by air quality?

Answer 36

Young people

Question 37

How many people a year die prematurely in the UK due to air pollution?

Answer 37

40,000

Question 38

What happens if heritage is destroyed and culture is lost?

Answer 38

Tourism declines

Question 39

Why are there socio-political issues with drainage basins?

Answer 39

They can cross borders

Question 40

What does the Colorado River no longer do?

Answer 40

It no longer flows to the sea

Question 41

How is there a water stress?

Answer 41

In terms of water availability per person per year

Question 42

Why do we need to hold back water?

Answer 42

So we have some reserved

Question 43

What is there a disparity between?

Answer 43

Extraction and consumption of water

Question 44

When was a bad time for water waste?

Answer 44

20th century

Question 45

On average how many dams are built?

Answer 45

We build one large dam every day and have done for the past 130 years

Question 46

How many dams in the world are there that are over 15m in height?

Answer 46

45,000

Question 47

What resource is expensive to get to cities?

Answer 47

Water

Question 48

Where is a place that has seen a large growth in dams?

Answer 48

North America

Question 49

What qualifies as a large dam?

Answer 49

Anything over 15m

Question 50

What did they have to do to the Three Gorges Dam?

Answer 50

They had to lower the water level due to the pressure on the Earth's crust

Question 51

What is a cultural issue that causes issues?

Answer 51

Open defecation in fields

Question 52

What happens as the population grows?

Answer 52

More water is needed for food

Question 53

What are three water issues?

Answer 53

Sanitation and water quality | Water for food

Question 54

How is there a disparity in water?

Answer 54

In some areas, the water footprint is lower despite there being more people

Question 55

What was an issue with the Millenium Development Goals?

Answer 55

Water was not included in them

Question 56

Was water included in the Sustainable Development Goals?

Answer 56

Yes

Question 57

How much of the global freshwater withdrawals does agriculture account for?

Answer 57

70%

Question 58

How much water could be required to feed everyone in 2050?

Answer 58

50% more water could be needed