Awareness Raising Project

Indicator Comparison

One of the goals of the Awareness Raising Project was to gather a set of indicators so that it would be easier to compare environmental situations between St. Petersburg and Finnish cities. The first step in this indicator development process are the eleven indicators below. This comparison has been made between the project partners which are cities of Kotka, Turku and St. Petersburg, and UBC, VALONIA and Ecofellows Ltd. For the last mentioned partners, VALONIA and Ecofellows, VALONIA is related to a large number of different cities and municipalities located in the Southwest Finland where as Ecofellows is a company owned by the city of Tampere.

1. Population

The indicator Population reflects the number of people living in the city, and gives therefore the picture how large the city is. The majority of the cities in the Baltic Sea Region are small or middle-sized. In comparison with them, the population in the city of St. Petersburg is in its own class.

2. Total Area

Total area of the city measures the territory of the city. It includes all land and water area. The average size of the total area in the UBC member cities in the Baltic Sea Region is about 151 km². The total area of Southwest Finland stands out.

3. Water Consumption

The indicator Water consumption shows the effectiveness and responsible usage of water and indirectly water purification, distribution and delivery connected to the environmental impact. A big gap between the minimum and maximum figures can be explained, not only by the different level of effectiveness of water consumption, but also with differences in measuring consumption. Several cities reported on not only domestic water consumption, but also industrial one. Looking by the figure it is obvious that water consumption in St. Petersburg exceeds twofold the average number of 142 liters per inhabitant per day.

4. Number of Days when the Limit Value of PM10 is Exceeded

The indicator Number of days when the limit value of particulate matter (PM10) is exceeded depends on the industry and transport in the city. It is crucial when assessing the air quality. The standard to be aimed equals to zero days per year that some cities, for example, Kotka manage to keep.

5. Private Car Ownership per 1000 Inhabitants

The indicator Private car ownership indicates the number of cars per thousand inhabitants in 2008. This reflects the citizens’ need in own cars, indicates planning of the land use, avail-able services and the need in public transport. According to the above chart the amount of cars per 1000 inhabitant is slightly higher in Kotka, Tampere and Turku than in St. Petersburg that is likely to be explained with the higher land area available per person.

6. Percentage of Treated Waste Water

The indicator Percentage of treated waste water in the city displays the impact of the city on the water system and connected with it the process of eutrophication. According to the table Kotka, Tampere and Turku have a higher level of treated waste water in the city than St. Petersburg and cities/municipalities in Southwest Finland.

7. Percentage of Recreational Area

The indicator Percentage of recreational area per total area in the city centre reflects effectiveness and directions of development of land use and also diversity and convenience of the areas. It includes both land and water area. According to the chart figure Turku has the biggest share of recreational area in the city center in comparison with other cities mentioned in the chart.

8. Percentage of Schools with an Environmental Certificate

The Green flag certificate is an award in the Eco-Schools programme, an international initiative designed to encourage entire school to be active in regards to environment. It is a recognised award scheme that accredits schools that commit to continuously improve their environmental performance. It is also a learning resource that raises awareness of environmental and sustainable development issues through activities linked to subjects and areas in the curriculum. In the current comparison, the city of Tampere has the highest share of such schools.

9. Percentage of Nature Protected Areas

Percentage of nature protected areas of the total area of the city witnesses the commitment of the cities to preserve nature, ecologically significant spaces and improve biodiversity. The highest percentage is on the territory of the city of Turku.

10. Percentage of Air Pollutions Caused by Transport

The indicator Percentage of air pollutions caused by transport (NOX, PM10, CO) is an important indicator of the air quality as transport-related air pollution harms human health and causes climate change and global warming. According to the table St.Petersburg has the biggest amount of these three pollutants in the air generated by transport that can be stipulated by a big amount of transport in St. Petersburg.

11. Number of Oil Spill Accidents

An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term often refers to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters or can used in the relation of the land oil spills. According to the table St. Petersburg has the biggest amount of oil spills than can be explained with a big proportion of industries in St. Petersburg.