City, suburb, village: where we live strongly predetermines our impact on the environment.
“Is it really ‘greener’ to live in the countryside than in the city? And what about the suburbs?” asks Maryse.
In the collective imagination, we tend to see cities as polluted and asphalted, and the countryside as green and more environmentally friendly. But the reality is a little more complex.
“Beyond our constraints, our family situation or simply our preferences, the most structuring lifestyle choice in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon footprint and energy footprint is really the place where we live,” says Jeanne Robin, director of Vivre en Ville.
Transport at the heart of the issue
The main factor that affects the individual carbon footprint – and which is strongly influenced by where one lives – “is transportation,” says Véronique Fournier, general director of the Centre d’écologie urbaine.
Living in the heart of a big city generally comes with easy access to public transport, cycle paths, car sharing, etc. As such, it is often easier to do without a car in the heart of a city – and therefore reduce your carbon footprint – than in the countryside.
But as soon as we move away from the major centres, the answer is no longer so clear-cut.
When you look at the data, small towns often have a smaller footprint than suburbs of large cities, because the distances to get to work or to shops are shorter.
Véronique Fournier, General Director of the Urban Ecology Center
Fuel consumption weighs heavily
The direct combustion of fossil fuels by Quebecers – in particular, fuel consumption – alone accounts for just over 3 tonnes of CO equivalent.2 per capita per year.
This is more than a third of the GHGs emitted to meet household consumption needs.
Source: Quebec Institute of Statistics, for the year 2018
Other factors
Whether in the suburbs or in the countryside, when you live far from large urban centres, you often live in a house rather than an apartment. However, “our houses are getting bigger and bigger, and there are fewer people living in them,” notes Véronique Fournier.
The size of the home does not have much effect on the carbon footprint in Quebec, thanks to electric heating. “But it has a big impact on energy consumption,” emphasizes Pierre-Olivier Pineau, professor at HEC Montréal.
Conversely, when you live in a city, you often live in an apartment, or at least in a smaller dwelling. This encourages you to own fewer material goods, which encourages you to adopt more sober consumption habits.
In cities, we also generally share the infrastructure we use (roads, the electricity network, etc.) with more people than in the countryside. The financial and energy costs as well as the carbon footprint of this infrastructure are therefore spread over a greater number of people. Thus, the individual footprint associated with it is smaller.
“Ultimately, it’s not so much whether you live in the city or the countryside that matters,” says Pierre-Olivier Pineau. “It’s more whether you have a higher or lower population density.”
Some nuances
These major trends outlined by experts are, however, to be qualified. “Not everything is black or white,” emphasizes Véronique Fournier. For example, we can think of aging apartments, which can be very energy-intensive, compared to a recent and well-insulated house.
There are also solutions to reduce your footprint, depending on where you live.
If you are heavily dependent on your car, you can opt for smaller or electric cars, carpool, or try to do without a second car if possible. If you live close to work, you can choose to walk or cycle, or take public transport if possible.
Generally speaking, the city has a smaller carbon, material and energy footprint than the countryside – and it is easier to adopt “greener” habits there.
But ultimately, what determines our impact is our lifestyle.
Pierre-Olivier Pineau, professor at HEC Montreal
“Someone can live very frugally in the countryside in a small house, without a car, with a vegetable garden in their backyard. They will have a much smaller carbon footprint than someone living in an apartment in the city, who owns a Hummer and takes a plane every two months,” he illustrates.
Limiting urban sprawl
Beyond these individual choices, businesses and public authorities must also do their part, experts insist. Bringing businesses and jobs back to central sectors that are accessible to as many people as possible, encouraging and investing in sustainable modes of transport and, above all, limiting urban sprawl.
“Paradoxically, cities fragment the territory less, because they have a greater density. But when we have suburbs that are increasingly far from the city centre, it creates sprawl that is energy-intensive, in addition to destroying wetlands and ecosystems and affecting biodiversity,” lists Pierre-Olivier Pineau.
Urban sprawl, “is a real energy, social and environmental crisis that we are experiencing, almost everywhere in Quebec,” also believes Jeanne Robin. “We must above all avoid making the situation even worse.”
What about teleworking?
At first glance, by reducing the number of daily trips to the office, teleworking seems to be a ready-made solution to the dilemma between living in the city or in the countryside. Moreover, during the pandemic, many people left large cities to settle in the regions in order to work remotely.
But paradoxically, this is not necessarily such good news for the environment.
“If someone travels 100 km twice a week to get to work, it can sometimes be worse than if they lived closer and traveled every day,” explains Jeanne Robin. “We don’t have precise data on this yet, but this is what many researchers fear.”
Green light
A summer school to learn how to teach the environment
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The University of Quebec in Rimouski held a new summer school in the heart of Bic National Park.
From August 12 to 16, a new summer school was held, organized by the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR). Taking place in the heart of Bic National Park, it allowed teachers of all levels, as well as education students, to learn about environmental education in a maritime context. Biologists, oceanographers and geographers joined education professors to give the courses.
Source: University of Quebec in Rimouski
He said
PHOTO FROM THE MARINE MAMMAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION GROUP WEBSITE
Biologist Patrick Weldon
With warming waters, white sharks are more comfortable in the waters [du golfe du Saint-Laurent]. They stay longer each year, and there are still large populations of grey seals, which are perfect prey. [pour eux].
Patrick Weldon, biologist and head of interventions at the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Network, on the subject of the carcass, found Monday in Rivière-au-Tonnerre, of a seal that may have been attacked by a white shark
Source : The North Coast
Figure
12,000
PHOTO TAKEN FROM SUNCABLE WEBSITE
Australia’s massive SunCable solar park was approved on Wednesday.
Australia on Wednesday approved plans for SunCable, a massive 12,000-hectare solar farm.
Australia’s Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said it would produce enough energy to power 3 million homes and would include panels, batteries and a cable from Australia to Singapore.
“This will be the largest solar park in the world, making Australia the world leader in green energy,” Mr.me Plibersek.
Source: Agence France-Presse
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