TL: NSW GOVERNMENT SUMMIT ON AIR QUALITY (GP) SO: "COMMUNITY EXPECTATION' by Karla Bell: GREENPEACE AUSTRALIA DT: Sydney, 4-5 July 1991 Keywords: atmosphere australia australasia greenpeace gp reports emissions / INTRODUCTION: what are the community expectations The May Smog episode raised public awareness of the problem of air pollution, particularly in Western Sydney where people are suffering from asthma and hayfever. It also brought into focus the question of urban sprawl, landuse and transport. Air pollution has been shown to be much worse in the western suburbs than in the city area. A CSIRO report released in December 1990 titled, " Evaluation of Air Quality issues for the development of Macarthur South and South Creek Valley regions of Sydney" indicated that record readings of ground level ozone of .2 ppm were found on occasions in the Camden area, west of Sydney. These levels are approaching Los Angeles levels of .3 and .4 ppm. (The World Health Organisation Standard is .08 ppm.) AIR POLLUTION: Solving the problem Greenpeace as a community organisation expects that this "Smog Summit" will address concerns about air pollution in terms of making decisions: about controlling urban sprawl and the use of motor vehicles by expanding the public transport system and linking it with medium density housing. In a very short time, the general community and the media has demonstrated their understanding of the link between air pollution and the excessive use of cars and urban sprawl. See Table 1). TABLE 1) EDITORIAL - SUN HERALD SUNDAY 16.6 91 IF THE SMOG SUMMIT IS TO AVOID GENERATING INTO A TALKFEST SOME VERY HARD DECISIONS MUST FOLLOW. THESE WILL REQUIRE ORDINARY PEOPLE TO CHANGE THEIR ATTITUDES ON TWO SACRED COWS OF MODERN SOCIETY - THE CAR AND THE HOUSE ON THE QUARTER ACRE BLOCK. INTEREST IN ENORMOUSLY EXPENSIVE CITY FREEWAYS WHICH MOST EXPERTS SAY DO NOT EASE TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN THE LONG RUN- MUST BE REPLACED WITH MUCH GREATER ATTENTION TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT. URBAN SPRAWL - WHICH GOES HAND IN HAND WITH DEPENDENCE ON THE CAR - MUST BE RAPIDLY CONTAINED. NOT ONLY DOES SPRAWL CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO AIR POLLUTION, IT COSTS $35,000 JUST TO SERVICE EACH BLOCK ON SYDNEY'S FRINGE. Since this article was published other articles have indicated that the cost of urban sprawl may be as high as $ 70,000 per block, which is a massive subsidy for fringe development. Greenpeace believes that a major initiative from the "Smog Summit" should be the setting up of an agency, with representatives from Federal, State and Local government to co-ordinate a strategic integrated plan combining landuse and transport. See Table 2). TABLE 2 - GREENPEACE EXPECTATIONS OF THE "SMOG SUMMIT" 1. To recognise the significance of the principles of urban consolidation linked to mass transit as a means of limiting pollution, reducing environmental degradation and of meeting our C02 targets. 2. To set up an "AGENCY" which can show leadership and co- ordinate - the wide range of inputs from different State government portfolios - particularly LANDUSE, TRANSPORT AIR QUALITY AND TREASURY. 3. That this agency also works in with Local Government and the Federal government to achieve it's goals of urban consolidation and an integrated expanded public transport system. 4. This agency must declare a timetable for achieving it's goals and it must allow for public participation. There is a very significant contribution that the Federal government and Local government can make to help improve Sydney's air quality and indeed improve the air quality of smaller cities and towns by adopting the following. See Table 3) TABLE 3) - THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN HELP SOLVE SYDNEY'S AIR POLLUTION PROBLEMS BY: 1) changing the loan arrangements which favour fringe development. 2) setting National Fuel Consumption Standards for C02 emissions 3) setting stricter Air Quality Controls on HC, N0x, CO and O3 through Australian design rules for car manufacturers. N.B Australia currently uses U.S 1975 standards for HC = .93 grams per km C0 = 9.3 grams per km NOx = 1.93 grams per km The U.S have revised their standards down twice since 1975 in 1980 and 1988. We must have the latest emission standards to control vehicle emissions. B) - LOCAL GOVERNMENT CAN HELP SOLVE SYDNEY'S AIR POLLUTION PROBLEMS BY: 1) providing public transport corridors for all housing developments 2) changing zoning to medium density along transport corridors 3) providing more medium density housing around shopping and work centres. 4) restricting parking in city and suburban centres to the periphery of the centre. AIR QUALITY: the way into understanding our urban future By setting up this "AGENCY" with the inclusion of a wide range of portfolios and agencies, we can see that an analysis of air quality as a social and environmental problem leads to the wider question: WHAT SORT OF CITIES DO WE WANT? An OECD paper Paris: 1990, Environmental policies for cities in the 1990s has also concluded that if, "we want to improve air quality we have to decide what sort of cities do we want?" This question concerning the, 'health of our cities' has been surprisingly quickly understood by many politicians and members of the media. (See press clippings for the May to July period provided as an appendix to this paper) At the Federal level Mr Howe, The Minister for Housing and Health, Mr Kerin, The Treasurer and Mr Bob Brown, Minister for Land Transport have all entered the debate. See Table 4) SMH - 20.6.91 - SYDNEY FACES CRITICAL LAND SHORTAGE THERE IS A NEED TO CHANGE REGULATIONS SO THAT THERE COULD BE MORE MEDIUM-DENSITY DEVELOPMENT. FOR EXAMPLE, LARGE HOUSES COULD BE TURNED INTO MEDIUM DENSITY UNITS, BUT THIS IS ONLY HAPPENING ON A SMALL SCALE. IN SUBURBS WHERE AGED PEOPLE LIVE DENSITIES COULD BE QUADRUPLED. LOCAL GOVERNMENTS COULD OBTAIN FOUR LOTS OF RATES, THERE WOULD BE MORE USE OF URBAN SERVICES, SUCH AS TRANSPORT AND MORE ECONOMIC PROVISIONS OF INFRASTRUCTURE. MR HOWE SAID HE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAD NOT HAPPENED. SMH - 24.6.1991 - TRANSPORT, CITIES, KERIN'S PRIORITIES CANBERRA, THE TREASURER, MR KERIN, HAS SAID REFORM OF URBAN PLANNING AND THE SETTING UP OF A "FIRST CLASS" TRANSPORT SYSTEM WILL BE HIS MAIN PRIORITIES FOR REFORM. The Minister for Land Transport, Mr Bob Brown just prior to the "Smog Summit" announced a $ 59 million package for urban public transport in Sydney. Public transport has not received funds from the federal government for 21 years. Hopefully, this will be the beginnings of Federal funding for rail expansion to the states for urban areas like Sydney. Mr Brown, is showing Federal government interest in the affairs of NSW particularly public transport. Recently he wrote a letter to the Premier and Mr Baird on behalf of the Lightrail Association (LRA) urging them not to allow development on the transport corridor in the Eastern Suburbs. Slide show on what these landuse / transport solutions look like. SLIDES OF VIENNA 1)2) car free areas, 3)4)5) light rail, cycle ways and medium density SLIDES OF SYDNEY 6)-12)car free areas, medium density, beginnings of traffic calming. HEALTH - not the real issue Obviously air quality and health is of considerable concern for every one. The recent high smog levels undoubtedly affect health and well-being and will cause people health problems over a longer time than the days of excessive levels. "One does not just get sick on a bad day" Some scientists say: "it is difficult to prove conclusively air pollution effects health." During the Smog episode in May Studies of hospital or illness statistics in Sydney's west apparently showed no increase during high smog episodes. This conference has already demonstrated the attention many would like to focus on, that is to provide conclusive proof that air pollution affects health. Hence the request for further funding of epidemiological research on air pollution and health, rather than funding solutions. Greenpeace is satisfied that sufficient international documentation exists to prove significant health effects particularly on children from air pollution. See Table 5) TABLE 5) NEW SCIENTIST 23RD FEBRUARY, 1991. High ozone levels make asthma conditions worse, impair lung function, and increase both respiratory tract infections and hospital admissions. It is hardly surprising that this powerful oxidant capable of cracking stretched rubber and laddering nylon stockings at levels of only .01 or .02 ppm, harms the delicate tissues of the lung. Researchers have recently documented changes in the biochemistry of the lungs at ozone levels well below international safety limits. (New scientist, Science, 9th September 1989) -------------------------------------------------------------- The problem of wanting to prove the connection between health and air pollution is two fold: 1) we will have a large number of avoidable deaths of children and adults, whilst we conduct expensive epidemiological studies. 2) by putting off the hard decisions on landuse and transport each year it becomes more difficult to tackle. MONITORING: and air pollution objectives The Sydney Pollution Index (SPI), is a measure that provides the public with daily information about the levels of two air pollutants, fine particles and ozone. However, it does not provide daily readings on hydrocarbons (HC), nitrous oxides (NOX) or carbon monoxide (CO), nor will the expanded monitoring system promised by Mr Moore, The NSW Environment Minister as a result of the recent smog episode. SLIDE 13) - AIR POLLUTION MONITORING IN VIENNA - In the Viennese system 4 pollutants are shown HC, Nox, C0 and Ozone. At a certain level in the system a 'smog alarm' is indicated. All these pollutants are produced from cars This system is provided in the downtown and suburban areas. Sydney needs a similar system. The monitoring of air pollutants is only valuable in the context of setting air quality objectives for the community such as, smog alerts, expansion of public transport, limiting sprawl through medium density and controls on motor vehicle emissions and public education. The Victorian EPA (1990) reported on the health effects of air pollutants, including ozone and fine particles, for the purpose of setting air quality objectives. The report looked at a significant body of evidence on the environmental effects of ozone, including effects on well-being, health, and adverse effects for people with chronic respiratory disorders, estimated to be up to 40% of the population. Air pollution contributes to the loss of healthy respiratory functions and to disease; it also has other adverse effects on the environment. The Victorian government also concluded that to concentrate on the extent or severity of health damage from smog does not really help in giving adequate scope to the problem, and even less help in getting down to problem-solving. Smog, or even all the emissions affecting air quality, are symptomatic of a much larger risk to health, the environment, and the habitability of our city and our planet. The design of cities for motor vehicle use and their emissions are implicated in all these interlinking problems. Motor vehicles are the source of pollutants which contribute largely to air pollution, degrade land (acid rain) and encourage sprawl into non-urban areas, contribute to C02 emissions, cause accident trauma and create noise. All of these side effects hurt communities. TABLE 6) - CONTRIBUTION OF EMISSIONS FROM MOTOR VEHICLES In urban areas, motor vehicles contribute to noise and a high proportion of air contamination. Emission % Contribution from motor vehicles NOX 75% HC 59% C0 90% LEAD 95% PARTICULATES 40% (MUNRO, VIC EPA 1991, IIR CONFERENCE) MOTOR VEHICLES AND GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS Targets 1) The Federal government has an interim planning target of a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2005. 2) The NSW government has adopted a target of a 20% reduction in C02 emissions by 2005. N.B - Transport contributes 26% of C02 emissions and it is expected to grow by 40% by the year 2005. (BTCE - Working paper 1 - Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Australian Transport 1991.) Road transport contribution to CO2 emissions (BTCE - Working Paper 1 - as above) - ROAD VEHICLES = 54% - TRUCKS = 17% - VANS = 11% --------- - TOTAL = 82% ----------- All these problems associated with an overuse of motor vehicles make it necessary to limit their use. The easiest way to limit the spread of freeways and unnecessary motor vehicle use is to use public transport for regular trips in the peak time. Mass transit is best suited for peak loads and peak times. SLIDE 14) - Sydney in non peak time SLIDE 15) - Cahill Expressway reclaiming lanes for public transport on the harbour bridge. The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) should not be planning freeways for peaks loads at peak times. As you can see Sydney's roads are perfectly adequate for non-peak travel. The 60 kms of urban freeways planned for Sydney needs to be replaced with public transport infrastructure especially heavy and light rail systems. Road transport has it's place particularly for emergency vehicles. IN CONCLUSION - the mechanism is missing The process for deciding about urban consolidation, about growth, about the rate of growth, the management of growth, and the co-ordinated use of land and transport is not there. (See Table 2 again) The Departmental responsibilities are too narrow to deal with the extent of the problem. The issues are serious and we are structurally ill-equipped to take a comprehensive approach. TABLE 7 - WHAT DO WE WANT AS AN INTERIM GREENPEACE DEMANDS THAT THE NSW GOVERNMENT ADOPT THE FOLLOWING: 1) place all the land releases in the west of Sydney on hold until an integrated LANDUSE / TRANSPORT STRATEGY has been developed to improve air quality. 2) actively prevent development from occurring along any transport corridor which could be used in future for public transport such as light rail. - VOTE - Q1): Who at this "Smog Summit" is in favour of allowing development on the public transport corridor which could be used for light rail in the Eastern Suburbs? A1): With the exception of one, all were in favour of not allowing development on the transport corridor in the Eastern Suburbs. Q2): Who at this "Smog Summit" is in favour of developing western Sydney without adequate transport infrastructure. A2): With the exception of one, all were in favour of developing western Sydney with adequate transport infrastructure. RESPONSE submitted to the conference.