APES Unit 5 - Ecological Footprints

ecological footprint

the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply the people with resources and to absorb and recycle the wastes and pollution produced by such resource use

ways developed countries have higher footprints than developing countries

• meat rich diets

• dependence on fossil fuels increases carbon dioxide emissions

sustainability

we are using a resource without depleting it for future generations

maximum sustainable yield (MSY)

the maximum amount of a resource that can be harvested without compromising the future availability of that resource

measuring sustainablility

• biodiversity - currently decreasing, mass extinction

• food productions - relies on climate/global warming and healthy water and soil

• average global temp - increasing, caused by GHG

• human population and depletion of resource