Megacities and the Environment
The world’s 25 largest cities comprise only 4% of the global population, but they have substantial impacts on the environment at multiple scales. Here we review what is known of the biogeochemistry of these megacities. Climatic, demographic, and economic data show no patterns across cities, save tha...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2002-01-01
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| Series: | The Scientific World Journal |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2002.103 |
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| _version_ | 1832549314783608832 |
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| author | Ethan H. Decker Scott Elliott Felisa A. Smith |
| author_facet | Ethan H. Decker Scott Elliott Felisa A. Smith |
| author_sort | Ethan H. Decker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The world’s 25 largest cities comprise only 4% of the global population, but they have substantial impacts on the environment at multiple scales. Here we review what is known of the biogeochemistry of these megacities. Climatic, demographic, and economic data show no patterns across cities, save that wealthier cities have lower growth rates. The flows of water, fuels, construction materials, and food are examined where data are available. Water, which by mass dwarfs the other inputs, is not retained in urban systems, whereas construction materials and food predominate in the urban infrastructure and the waste stream. Fuels are transformed into chemical wastes that have the most far-reaching and global impacts. The effects of megacity resource consumption on geologic, hydrologic, atmospheric, and ecological processes are explored at local, regional, and global scales. We put forth the concepts of urban metabolism and urban succession as organizing concepts for data collection, analysis, and synthesis on urban systems. We conclude that megacities are not the final stage of urban evolution; rather, the climax of urban development will occur at a global scale when human society is at steady state with resource supply rates. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-850973b8cf0b47a5bee31d0f11ad3b5a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1537-744X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2002-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Scientific World Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-850973b8cf0b47a5bee31d0f11ad3b5a2025-02-03T06:11:31ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal1537-744X2002-01-01237438610.1100/tsw.2002.103Megacities and the EnvironmentEthan H. Decker0Scott Elliott1Felisa A. Smith2Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USAAtmospheric and Climate Sciences Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USADepartment of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USAThe world’s 25 largest cities comprise only 4% of the global population, but they have substantial impacts on the environment at multiple scales. Here we review what is known of the biogeochemistry of these megacities. Climatic, demographic, and economic data show no patterns across cities, save that wealthier cities have lower growth rates. The flows of water, fuels, construction materials, and food are examined where data are available. Water, which by mass dwarfs the other inputs, is not retained in urban systems, whereas construction materials and food predominate in the urban infrastructure and the waste stream. Fuels are transformed into chemical wastes that have the most far-reaching and global impacts. The effects of megacity resource consumption on geologic, hydrologic, atmospheric, and ecological processes are explored at local, regional, and global scales. We put forth the concepts of urban metabolism and urban succession as organizing concepts for data collection, analysis, and synthesis on urban systems. We conclude that megacities are not the final stage of urban evolution; rather, the climax of urban development will occur at a global scale when human society is at steady state with resource supply rates.http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2002.103 |
| spellingShingle | Ethan H. Decker Scott Elliott Felisa A. Smith Megacities and the Environment The Scientific World Journal |
| title | Megacities and the Environment |
| title_full | Megacities and the Environment |
| title_fullStr | Megacities and the Environment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Megacities and the Environment |
| title_short | Megacities and the Environment |
| title_sort | megacities and the environment |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1100/tsw.2002.103 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ethanhdecker megacitiesandtheenvironment AT scottelliott megacitiesandtheenvironment AT felisaasmith megacitiesandtheenvironment |