GEOG 2210 S14

Dhurim Gjureci

The Measure of Ecological Footprint in Hopes to Reduce Human Consumption on the Earths Resources

To: Benjamin Bradshaw GEOG*2210 (DE) S14 Environment and Resources

From: Dhurim Gjureci 0678764

Thursday, July 17, 2014

The Measure of Ecological Footprint in Hopes to Reduce Human Consumption on the Earths Resources

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GEOG 2210 S14

Dhurim Gjureci

The Measure of Ecological Footprint in Hopes to Reduce Human Consumption on the Earths Resources By: Dhurim Gjureci

Table of Contents

What is Ecological Footprint? How is Ecological Footprint Measured? The Current State of the Earth Canada’s Ecological Footprint The Importance of Knowing Our Ecological Footprint Reduction Efforts Conclusion Bibliography Appendix/ Exhibits 3 4 5 6 6 8 11 12 13

GEOG 2210 S14 What is Ecological Footprint?

Dhurim Gjureci

An Ecological Footprint is a philosophy and measurement tool that compares

the human demand on nature’s resources with the earth’s ability to regenerate resources. Footprint values are categorized into several sectors including; carbon, food, housing, and goods and services as well as the total footprint number. The total footprint value provides us with the number of earths required to sustain the level of consumption at the current population.

The basis of ecological footprint is to know how much of nature’s resources

we are consuming and how long it will take the earth to renew those resources. According to the Global Footprint Network-­‐ Advancing the Science of Sustainability, “the Ecological Footprint has emerged as the world’s premier measure of humanity’s demand on nature.”

It is a complex accounting system that takes into consideration several

different factors. These factors consist of “areas for producing the resource it consumes, the space for accommodating its buildings and roads, and the ecosystems for absorbing its waste emissions such as carbon dioxide.” [Global Footprint Network] Carbon dioxide emission is a greenhouse gas released from burning fossil fuels. This occurs from various human activities and natural sources. The Industrial revolution has played a significant role in the extensive increase in carbon dioxide emissions. According to What’s Your Impact, “87 percent of all human-­‐produced carbon dioxide emissions come from burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil. The remainder results from the clearing of forests and other land use changes The Measure of Ecological Footprint in Hopes to Reduce Human Consumption on the Earths Resources

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(9%), as well as some industrial processes such as cement manufacturing.” -­‐ Exhibit 1. In simplified terms the Ecological Footprint philosophy is an excellent

accounting source to compare human demand on natures supply. Nature’s supply is based on how much land and sea is available. The Earth Day Network states “productive land and sea areas support human demands for food, fiber, timber, energy and space for infrastructure.”

How is Ecological Footprint Measured/ Calculated?

The measures focus on how quick we consume resources, create waste and how fast the earth responds to generating new resources. In Exhibit 2 we are able to visually see the factors that contribute to measuring humanity’s ecological footprint on the earth. Ecological Footprint can be calculated for individual people, businesses, nations, regions, and globally. Through this calculations humanity is capable of assessing the pressure they place on the earth, which may help increase awareness, live within the earth’s means, and reduce their own footprint.

The most effective way for this philosophy to help the Earth’s sustainability is to calculate the footprint of a person. “The Ecological Footprint of a person is calculated by considering all the biological materials consumed, and all the biological waste generated, by a person on a given year.” [Earth Day Network] The amount of material the individual consumed (tons per year) is divided the specific land/sea area where the waste material was absorbed.

GEOG 2210 S14 The Current State of the Earth

Dhurim Gjureci

Currently humanity is exceeding planetary limits and consumes the equivalent of 1.5 planets. It takes the Earth 18 months to renew what we consumed in just one year. By wasting resources quicker than they could be renewed places the Earth in an ecological overshoot. It is estimated that by 2030 we will require the equivalent of two planets to support us. Exhibit 3 depicts the current ecological footprint situation and the increasing overshoot.

Many Factors contribute to overshoot such as “collapsing fisheries,

diminishing forest cover, depletion of fresh water systems, and the build up of carbon dioxide emissions, which creates problems like global climate change.” [Global Footprint Network] Overshoot imposes large restraints on the poor that are unable to purchase resources to resolve problems.

Ending overshoot is not an impossible task however humanity and

businesses must recognize worldwide that ecological limits exist. In reviewable of the 2007 data presented by Global Footprint Networks it is apparent that high-­‐ income countries such as the United States of America have substantial effects on the Global footprint. The United States ecological footprint of consumption in 2007 was 8.0 with an ecological deficit of 4.1. The ecological deficit is the difference between the bio capacity and the ecological footprint. These values are much higher that than the global footprint, which is 2.7 and the global ecological deficit of 0.9. Most the third world countries are in ecological surplus and therefore work toward stabilizing the global footprint value. However with smaller countries expanding this imposes even more risk in the near future. The Measure of Ecological Footprint in Hopes to Reduce Human Consumption on the Earths Resources

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GEOG 2210 S14 Canada’s Ecological Footprint

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The average Canadian consumes 7.25 hectares of land/sea to sustain our

needs. According to Exhibit 4; Calgary, Edmonton, and Halton have the highest municipal footprints. Footprints range from 6.87 hectares per person to 9.86 hectares per person. The differences results in the kind of energy we consume to live our life. Considering the size of Canada’s land mass and ocean (sea) space the available bio capacity in Canada is 14.24 hectares per capita. In consideration with our demands, Canada has an ecological surplus of 7.0 hectares per capita. However according to a study conducted in 2002 the average Canadian has the third largest ecological footprint in the world, meaning that Canadians are consuming a very large share and aggressively surpassing the 1.9 hectares of nature to meet the needs of each individual around the world. According to The Ecological Footprints of Canadian Municipalities and Regions, “ Canadians’ energy demands make up the largest portion of our footprint (55%). The largest portion of energy demands on nature is due to energy consumed by industry (38%), transportation (35%), residential (15%) and commercial/businesses (12%).”

The Importance of Knowing Our Ecological Footprint Considering that humanity has been in an ecological overshoot with demand exceeding the resources supply since 1970 it is crucial that people, nations, businesses and especially the industrial sector know their impact on the Earth’s ability to regenerate resources. The best way for humanity to get involved is to know their ecological footprint. Multiple sources online allow people to assess their

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impact on the earth. Those online sources provide individuals with the opportunity to input data and are given information such as their biggest areas of resource consumption and what they can do to reduce the their pressure on the earth. A major reason why this philosophy is so recognized is that it is based on facts and account for aspects that encompass various forms of human activity. From the section above, the current state of the Earth, Canadians are capable of noticing how large their consumption and impact on the earth is. To end overshoot we must use Ecological Footprint as a measure to manage our ecological assets. Global Footprint Network recommends that the best way to manage our ecological assets is by, “knowing how much nature we have, how much we use, and who uses what is the first step, and will allow use to progress as we work toward our goal to sustainable, one-­‐planet living.”

Global ecological deficits contribute to devastating events such as resource loss, ecosystem collapse, debt, poverty, famine and war. A significant amount of people chose not to take part in protecting and nurturing our planet but there is so much more than just the Earth’s sustainability. It is crucial for businesses to be aware of their ecological footprint especially when they are expanding and seeking growth opportunities. This measure of sustainability is vital for all sectors and for both small and large businesses. By measuring the current footprint, and reviewing footprints of other lifestyles we are capable of finding more effective and efficient ways of meeting human needs.

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Reduction Efforts

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Organizations, governments, individuals and businesses must work together in reducing their ecological footprint on the earth. Especially in high-­‐income countries as they are among the greatest consumers of the earth’s resources.

Municipal Efforts to Reduce the Ecological Footprint: Municipalities across Canada and North American are working toward reducing their impact. Common municipal goals are to; encourage municipalities and Statistics Canada to track their energy consumption, achieving a “balanced ecological budget” where Canadian’s are living within the means of nature, educating and informing residents about their energy consumption and living with nature’s boundaries and requirements, city development offices encouraging builders to build within sustainable limits, encouraging people and businesses to track their footprint, providing ecological tax incentives, stating ecological footprint estimates on utility bills, and supporting local farmers and food industries.

Canadian Individual Efforts to Reduce Their Ecological Footprint As difficult it is for Canadians to believe that they are unable to reduce their consumption of the earth’s resources without compromising their life styles it is an obtainable goal. Canadian lifestyle choices include our method of transportation, where we are purchasing our goods from, and the products we purchase. Transportation has a very large impact on the ecological footprint and

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currently auto-­‐manufacturing companies are creating more energy/fuel efficient vehicles such as hybrid electric and independent electric. The good news is that Canadians are starting to make better choices in terms of transportation. Major cities such as Toronto are encouraging the use of taking public transportation or perhaps biking. What we purchase and from where play a significant role in reducing our footprint. We live and operate in a global economy however small initiatives such as purchasing from local merchants and farmer’s markets can reduce our impact. Other differences consists of whether the goods are organic or non-­‐ organic. Organic goods spare the land of mass amounts of fertilizer contaminating the soil. Even with all these efforts achieving one planet living and eliminating the overshoot is a challenging task. It is unknown if humanity will ever be able to achieve one planet living but as long as humanity is reducing their consumption and thinks about their waste it is progress. The Organization for Economic Co-­‐operation and Development [OECD] recent publication Greening Household Behaviour provided an understanding of the factors that influence people's behavior toward the environment. The study surveyed 10, 000 households on energy, food, transport, waste and water. Data was collected in eleven countries including Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Israel, Japan, Korea, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The survey found that people are ready to adjust their lifestyles to reduce ecological footprint and factor the environment into their everyday lives and purchases. Approximately, sixty percent of those surveyed would pay extra for cleaner energy and seventy-­‐five percent of The Measure of Ecological Footprint in Hopes to Reduce Human Consumption on the Earths Resources

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participants would pay up to twenty percent more for a hybrid vehicle. Households are also making changes to their eating habits to incorporate only organic fruits and vegetables. The range of households spending on organic produce has increased from 13% of households in Israel to 35% of households in Switzerland. Federal Governments Reduction Efforts Governments worldwide have incorporated policies and measures to protect the environment and individual citizens. Several governments use the ecological footprint as a measure of urban sustainability and often used as a tool to reduce and secure resources for the future. The Government of Canada has taken significant action to reduce green-­‐house gas emissions environmental footprint. For example, the government has taken strong actions on the transportation and electricity sectors to reduce green-­‐house gas emissions. As a result of the strategies implemented by the government, Canada's green-­‐house gas emissions have decreased by 5.1 percent. The Canadian government also encourages reduces ecological footprint by mandating renewable energy infrastructure by households and business through tax incentives. However, more can be done to ensure sustainable consumption. Governments can invest in environmentally sound services, such as public transit and increased quality of tap water. This would encourage people to drive less and decrease recyclable waste.

GEOG 2210 S14 Conclusion

Dhurim Gjureci

The common goal of those that follow the Ecological Footprint philosophy is to

one-­‐day return to one-­‐planet living. Considering that humanity has been operating in overshoot for over 40 years it makes this goal appear to be unattainable. However it is not impossible. People must choose to forgo certain aspects of their daily routine to ensure that the pressure on the earth does not increase and that the sustainability of the earth is brought under control. In hopes of reducing the footprint, humanity should; drive less; eat more organic goods, retrofitting homes to be more energy efficient, and searching for renewable energy alternatives. Humanity must not overlook that the supply of resources is not available upon request and that the earth must generate these resources. If growth and expansion progresses at the rate it has been progressing it is estimated that by 2050 humanity will consume the equivalent of 3 planets. [Exhibit 5] The largest challenge ahead is that humanity is selfish in nature and will not forgo certain wants in their lives to improve the wellbeing of the earth.

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Bibliography:

Dhurim Gjureci

Ecological Footprint FAQ. (n.d.). Earth Day Network Main. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from http://www.earthday.org/footprintfaq What are the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions?. (n.d.). What's Your Impact. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://whatsyourimpact.org/greenhouse-­‐ gases/carbon-­‐dioxide-­‐sources What does ecological overshoot mean?. (n.d.). WWF. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_ publications/living_planet_report/demands_on_our_planet/overshoot/

Wilson, J., & Anielski, M. (n.d.). Ecological Footprints of Canadian Municipalities and Regions. Federation of Canadian Municipalities . Retrieved July 14, 2014, from http://www.fcm.ca/Documents/reports/Ecological_Footprints_of_Canadian_Munici palities_and_Regions_EN.pdf

World Footprint. (n.d.). World Footprint. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/world_footprint/

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Exhibit 1

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Source: Le Quéré, C. et al. (2013). The global carbon budget 1959-­‐2011.

Exhibit 2

Source: Global Footprint Network-­‐ http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/footprint_basics_overview/

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Exhibit 3

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Source: Global Footprint Network, 2011

Exhibit 4

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Exhibit 5

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Source: Global Footprint Network

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