Dear old FT Magazine, as usual some very interesting articles this week.

One of them (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/5b3df528-02aa-11dc-a023-000b5df10621.html) by Tim Harford discusses carbon footprints of different regions in the UK.

Read it, it’s damn interesting and very short; but here’s a summary set of statements if you dont want to click on the link to read it:

1. “London’s Mayor’s office informs me that London emits 40 per cent less carbon dioxide a person than the national average”

2. “The Office for National Statistics reports that Londoners produce much less household waste than anywhere else in the UK. From the same source I learn that London’s households are the most likely to have no cars”

3. “London, like other big, dense cities, is good for the planet. That fact seems to surprise people. After all, cities are polluted places. But we need to make a fair comparison. There are 7,600 times more people in London than in Ashton Hayes, but if you took 7,600 villages like Ashton Hayes and tried to cram all of them inside the M25 you’d have a struggle. The first step, I suppose, would be to build a few thousand skyscrapers and fill them with gardens and garden sheds.”

4. “But it is worth remembering that Londoners – like the citizens of New York, Tokyo and many other dense cities around the world – have found a way of life that combines green living with wealth and economic dynamism. It turns people into unconscious, even unwilling, environmentalists.”

Here’s my questions, if anyone wants to have a discussion on this:

1. How believable is this? Specifically, did this author take into account all form of commercial footprint of London? I mean 40% less than national average with manufacturing already dying here seems steep. I understand the population in London is many times anywhere else but still.

2. If this is truly the case, what does that say about “oh the purity of the countryside; I just want a break out there” school of thought

3. If this is truly the case, how should the whole PoA for lowering global carbon footprint be changed (if at all)?  Should the criteria for carbon emission reduction differ for cities and villages in UK?

4. If this is not the case, then is there a fundamental flaw in carbon footprint estimations being followed?

not being critical, just want to learn more on this topic