APES 5.11 - Ecological Footprint

what can increase your footprint?

- affluence (wealth) increases carbon and ecological footprint → larger houses, more travel (more fossil fuels/gas used), more resources needed for material goods (cars, etc) - meat consumption (more land, more water, more energy) - fossil fuel usage (heating, electricity, travel, plastic)

carbon footprint

- all Co2 released from an individual or groups consumption and activity - this includes material goods, food production, and energy used (gasoline/fossil fuels, heat, electricity) → all release Co2 into the environment

what can decrease your footprint?

- renewable energy use (winds, solar, hydroelectric) - public transportation (less gas) - plant-based diet - less consumption, less travel, less energy use

how can your ecological footprint be expressed?

1. land (gha or global hectares) which is a biologically productive hectare (2.47 acres) 2. "number of earths" required if the entire world consumed the same level of resources as a given individual or group.

what is the current global footprint?

1.85 earths → meaning each year humanity consumes 1.85x what the earth can produce in a year

what is the current average US footprint?

5.1 earths land → 5.1 earth's worth of resources needed if the entire world consumed resources of an average american

what are the factors of an ecological footprint?

land required for... 1. food production 2. raw materials (wood, metal, plastic) 3. housing 4. electricity production (coal, natural gas, solar, wind, etc.) 5. waste produced (landfill space)

What is an ecological footprint?

the measure of how much a person/group consumes, expressed in area of land.

ecological footprint vs carbon footprint

your ecological footprint is measured in land (gha or global hectares) which is a biologically productive hectare (2.47 acres). in comparison, your carbon footprint is measured in tonnes of Co2 produced per year.