It’s not the sexiest environmental issue, but we also risk running out of soil.
The numbers speak for themselves. Since the 1950s, urban areas throughout the European continent have expanded their surface area by 78%, much faster than the population which has grown far more slowly, by barely 33%. Data from the European Environmental Agency (EEA) shows that 4% of Europe’s total land area is sealed (covered by concrete, asphalt or similar materials), which may not seem like much if it weren’t for the fact that, as a result of construction and infrastructure sprawl, today over 25% of the total European territory is now considered to be built up.
The result of all this is that whereas London, in just 10 years, has lost 12% of its gardens, replaced by about 2,600 hectares (6,500 acres) of pavement or road surface, the Rhine, one of Europe’s largest rivers, has lost fourfifths of its natural flood plains. In the course of the past 15 years, over three million hectares (7.5 M acres) of unsealed surface have disappeared in Italy.
There’s more at stake here than just the ecological, historical and cultural value of the landscape. An issue that is rarely addressed and hardly ever makes the headlines is food independence. Between 1990 and 2006, European nations combined produced six million less tons of wheat due to soil sealing, which amounts to roughly one-sixth of the annual harvest of France, Europe’s leading wheat producer.
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It’s not the sexiest environmental issue, but we also risk running out of soil.
The numbers speak for themselves. Since the 1950s, urban areas throughout the European continent have expanded their surface area by 78%, much faster than the population which has grown far more slowly, by barely 33%. Data from the European Environmental Agency (EEA) shows that 4% of Europe’s total land area is sealed (covered by concrete, asphalt or similar materials), which may not seem like much if it weren’t for the fact that, as a result of construction and infrastructure sprawl, today over 25% of the total European territory is now considered to be built up.
