Random facts 5U

UK Coast

 * Wherever you are in the UK, you’re never more than 70 miles from the sea: Furthest distance from the sea: The Ordnance Survey has calculated that the furthest point from the sea in all of the UK is: Latitude: 52º 43.6'N, Longitude: 1º 37.2'W - which is very close to the village of Coton in the Elms in Derbyshire.


 * The UK’s 17,820 km (11,073 miles) of coastline is host to an array of flora and fauna; in fact more than 40,000 species - around 50% of the UK’s plants and animals - live in our seas - including intricate corals, whales & dolphins, giant (but harmless) basking sharks, seals, puffins and a myriad of fish, crustaceans and molluscs. Source: Wildlife Trusts

Upland peat bogs in the UK

 * The amount of carbon stored in the UK’s peatlands is equivalent to at least three years of the UK’s total carbon dioxide emissions. There is more carbon stored in the UK’s peat than in all the forests of Britain and France combined. Source: Natural England, November 16 2007


 * Carbon dioxide emissions from soils totalled 13.69 million tonnes in 2005. By comparison, carbon dioxide emissions from domestic aviation was 2.47 million tonnes. Source: Natural England, November 16 2007


 * All of the peatlands in England and Wales would absorb around 41,000 tonnes of carbon a year if in a pristine condition but could emit up to 381,000 tonnes of carbon a year if they are damaged by practices such as excessive burning, drainage and over-grazing. Source: Natural England, November 16 2007


 * The restoration and enhancement of peatlands could save around 400,000 tonnes a year, which is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from 1.1 billion car miles or 84,000 family-sized cars. Peat land landscapes are also important habitats for up to 5,000 species of plants and animals such as Sphagnum mosses and cotton grasses, adders, oyster catchers and short-eared owls. Source: Natural England, November 16 2007

Urban farming

 * An estimated 800 million people are involved in urban farming worldwide. Source: Worldwatch Institute / Growing and gardening

Urban focus

 * Of the 3 billion urban dwellers today, 1 billion live in "slums," defined as areas where people cannot secure key necessities such as clean water, a nearby toilet, or durable housing. Source: Worldwatch Institute


 * "80 per cent of the British population living in an urban environment - far higher than the global average" Defra


 * According to UN statistics, about 50 per cent of the world’s population is living in cities today. By 2030 this percentage will be over 60 per cent. Source: UN news centre, UN welcomes New York City’s ‘green initiative’, 23 April 2007

Vegetarianism
Why it’s green to be vegetarian
 * Farmed animals produce more greenhouse gas emissions (18%) than the world’s entire transport system (13.5%). Source: The Vegetarian Society, September 2007 / Food

Wealth inequality in the UK

 * Wealth inequality is high in the UK: the wealthiest one per cent own almost a quarter of all the wealth in the country, while almost a third of the population owned less than £5,000 of marketable wealth. Source: ippr report, March 2007