One of the biggest contributions that could be made to combating global burning is by boosting urbanization. People around the world, especially in third world countries, should be encouraged to move to urban areas. This would have a number of beneficial aspects for the environment.

It is far easier and far more economic to supply gas, electricity, fuel, water, sewage systems, etc to people who live in close proximity than to people who live far apart, “Economies of density (the number of people in a city) may be more important today than economies of scale.”[159]

If more people lived in urban areas this would prevent more damage being caused to the countryside.

If cities were greener this would attract more people to urban areas. More people would want to live in urban areas.

Urban areas can ensure that all the services that people require such as homes, work, leisure activities, and shopping, are all within close proximity. This reduces transport costs and boosts energy efficiency.

A fast, cheap and efficient public transport is possible only in urban areas - public transport in rural areas is unworkable.

Gregg easterbrook argues that in the developing world, sexism is rife .. “most developing world cultures are incalculably more sexist than western society.”[160]; “But then sexism is the indigenous culture of most developing nations.”[161] He goes on to say, “In many village cultures of africa and the subcontinent women do the field work, the water hauling, the wood gathering. While mothers work in the sun, the men sit in the shade drinking tea, waiting to seize whatever the women produce.”[162] This is not quite accurate. Sexism is rife in rural areas .. “the status of women in many rural african communities, not necessarily in urban communities, is low.”[163] It is only in urban areas that women can organize themselves to protect their interests.

Over-population occurs in patriarchal societies because women have little control over their own fertility. It is often argued that, in the industrializing world, large families are the result of parental choice. This is not true because women have little say over how many babies they have. Many women do not want large families because of the dangers of repeated childbirth and the acute burdens of raising a family whilst carrying out “most of the farmwork” but they are not give any choice about the matter. In africa, large families are not the result of a need for extra labour power. On the contrary, families have enough labour power. The problem is that many african males won’t work. They prefer to force women to do the work for them.

One of the most important advantages of an urban environment is that it would eventually lead to the abolition of the car. As soon as people move into the countryside they need a car, “Equally, when i’m at home in the depths of rural yorkshire, i want to be able to get about in the family car. That means i was glad of the keighley by-pass .. If prezza has any trouble on the project with tree-protestors he should hand me the electric saw.”[165] Only those people living in the countryside would have the space to own and drive a car - although they wouldn’t be allowed to enter the city with one - and the proce of petrol would be sufficiently hight to deter their use of the car too often.