A weblog with random thoughts and reflections on society and ecology.
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Friday, April 18, 2003
Ecological Footprint
 An Ecological Footprint is the bioproductive land/sea area needed to support the lifestyle of an individual or a community. It is an effective educational tool and an intuitive sustainability indicator.
Definition
"The Ecological Footprint is a measure of the 'load' imposed by a given population on nature. It represents the land area necessary to sustain current levels of resource consumption and waste discharge by that population."
Fair Earth Share
The Fair Earth Share for each of the 6 billion people alive today is 4.7 acres. This is the total bioproductive area divided on 6 billion people. 4.7 acres is a high estimate as it leaves little room for other species.
Footprint of Nations
Some examples of the Ecological Footprint of the average citizen in different nations:
USA - 24 acres | Denmark - 16 acres | Germany - 12 acres | India - 1.9 acres
Footprint of Humanity
The Ecological Footprint of the average global citizen is currently 5.6 acres. This is a conservative estimate based on public data from governments and the UN.
 Overshoot
The Ecological Footprint for humanity as a whole is larger than the bioproductive land available. This state of overshoot is similar to living on the principal rather than the interest of an investment (there is no or little effect on quality of life until the bottom of the account is reached).
Solutions
To reduce humanity's Footprint - and live within the means of nature - we need to focus on two areas: (a) Prevent overpopulation (in all countries). (b) Reduce and shift our consumption.
10:03
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