Ecological Footprint

5 planets

Calculation of human pressure shows that: "If everyone lived the lifestyle of the average American, we would need 5 planets." Ecological Footprint Accounting thus addresses whether the planet is large enough to keep up with the demands of humanity.

2.7 gha

In 2011, the world average Ecological Footprint of 2.7 gha

1.72 gha

Biological capacity available per person (or per capita). Biologically productive land and water on Earth divided by number of people alive. This area also needs to accommodate the wild species that compete for the same biological material and spaces as humans. In 2011 : 12 billion hectares / 7 billion people = 1.72 global hectares per person

1990

Conceived in 1990 by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees at the University of British Columbia, the Ecological Footprint launched the broader Footprint movement, including the carbon footprint, and is now widely used by scientists, businesses, governments, individuals and institutions working to monitor ecological resource use and advance sustainable development.

Resource

Ecological footprint aims to look at the link between people and resources. Resource can be food, minerals, water, animal, and other natural supplies. If population increases, then the resource will decrease.

Calculation takes into account which resources?

Energy, Settlement, Timber and paper, Food and fibre, Seafood

Planet equivalents

Every individual and country's ecological footprint has a corresponding Planet Equivalent, or the number of Earths it would take to support humanity's Footprint if everyone lived like that individual or average citizen of a given country. It is the ratio of an individual's (or country's per capita) footprint to the per capita biological capacity available on Earth (1.72 gha in 2011).

Global Hectares

Global hectares are the accounting unit for the Ecological Footprint and biocapacity accounts. These productivity weighted biologically productive hectares allow researchers to report both the biocapacity of the earth or a region and the demand on biocapacity (the Ecological Footprint). A global hectare is a biologically productive hectare with world average biological productivity for a given year. Global hectares are needed because different land types have different productivities.

Ecological Footprint

IB DEFINITION: "The theoretical measurement of the amount of land and water a population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its waste under prevailing technology."

Biocapacity

On the supply side, biocapacity represents the planet's biologically productive land areas including our forests, pastures, cropland and fisheries.

Population

Population can be considered as an individual, city, business, nation, or all of humanity, that utilizes resources and assets in a scale of regional to global.

1970s

Since the 1970s, humanity has been in ecological overshoot with annual demand on resources exceeding what Earth can regenerate each year.

Ecological deficit (local or national)

The difference between the biocapacity and Ecological Footprint of a region or country. The deficit occurs when the Footprint of a population overcomes the biocapacity of the available area of that region. If there is a deficit, then the regional is importing biocapacity through trade or using regional ecological assets, or emitting waste into the global environment such as the atmosphere.

Ecological Reserve

The difference between the biocapacity and ecological footprint of a region or country. An ecological deficit occurs when the footprint of a population exceeds the biocapacity of the area available to that population. This is similar to the carrying capacity of ecological atmosphere

12 billion

The hectares of biologically productive land and water that were in the world in the year 2011.

1.54

The world's average ecological footprint in 2011 was equal to 1.54 Planet Equivalents.

Individual, city, nation or the planet

These are the scales for which an ecological footprint can be calculated. This shows us the pressure on our planet that can help us manage our ecological assets

Ecological deficit (global)

This cannot be compensated through trade and therefore it is equal to global overshoot, since there is no importing of resources to the planet.

Local overshoot

This occurs when a local ecosystem is exploited more rapidly than it can renew itself.

Global overshoot

This occurs when humanity's demand on nature surpasess the total world supply, or regenerative capabilities. Such overshoot leads to a depletion of Earth's life supporting natural capital and a buildup of waste.