Replace trees immediately - Sustainable urban living

HUMANITY passed a milestone in recent decades. For the first time, more of us live in cities than in rural settings. 

Crossing that Rubicon means it has become more difficult to ensure that our cities can support a tolerable quality of life.

Protecting air and water quality for city-dwellers may well be the next great challenge. London, like many conurbations, recognises this, and yesterday brought in a new levy on the oldest cars using the city centre. Drivers already pay a £11.50 congestion charge, but, from yesterday, those driving vehicles registered before 2006 must pay an additional £10 — £21.50, or €24.15, each time they visit parts of the city. This, unlike our head-in-the-sand food-production ambitions, is a proactive response to real climate change.