Monday, April 6, 2015

Natural Capital

Natural capital is the sum of natural resources and natural services. Examples of natural resources and natural services are listed below:

Natural resources:

  • Air
  • Water
  • Land
  • Soil
  • Life (Biodiversity)
  • Non renewable minerals (Iron, Copper, Sand)
  • Renewable energy (Sun, Wind, Flowing water) and
  • Non renewable energy (Fossil fuels, Nuclear power)

Natural services:

  • Air purification
  • Water purification
  • Soil renewal
  • Nutrient recycling
  • Food production
  • Pollination
  • Grassland renewal
  • Forest renewal
  • Waster treatment
  • Climate control
  • Population control (Species interaction) and
  • Pest control

Environmentally sustainable City

An envitonmentally sustainable city or ecocity or green city emphasizes the following points:

Preventing pollution and reducing waste
Using resources and matter resources efficiently
Recycling, reusing and composting atleast 60% of all municipal solid waste
Using solar and other locally available, renewable energy resources
Protecting and encouraging biodiversity by preserving surrounding land

The following are examples of green cities in the world:
Curitiba (Brazil)
Waitakere city (New Zealand)
Leicester (England)
Portland (Oregon, USA)
Davis (California, USA)
Olympia (Washington, USA)
Chattanooga (Tennessee, USA)