5.11 Ecological Footprint

Ecological footprint

the total amount of land taken up by an individual or group

the measure of how much a person'/group consumes in an area of land

measured by GLOBAL HECTARES (gha)

Global hectares

unit used to measure one’s ecological footprint

Ecological footprint factors

what a certain amount of area is required for

Ex. food production, raw materials, housing, electricity production, and waste

Carbon footprint

all the CO₂ released by a person/group from their consumption and activities

measured in tonnes of CO₂/year

includes: material goods production, food production, energy use — the CO₂ needed to produce these objects

What are factors that increase your eco-footprint?

1. 1. wealthier people

   1. a. bigger houses, frequent travel, more resources used

2. 2. increased meat consumption

   1. a. need more land, energy, and water to produce meat than plants

3. 3. fossil fuel use

   1. a. used in heating, plastic production, travel/transport

What factors decrease your eco-footpring?

1. 1. using renewable nrg

   1. a. wind, solar, water

2. 2. using public transportation

3. 3. plant-based diets

4. 4. less consumption, travel, nrg usage

Global eco-footprint

the amount of land and materials used up globally

measured in number of earths — the amount of earths required if the whole earth consumed the same amount as an individual/group

tonnes of CO₂/year

unit used to measure one’s carbon footprint

per capita

per person

what does the phrase “Earth can support an ecological footprint of 1.6 gha per capita” mean?

Each person on Earth can only use up 1.6 gha for life to be sustainable

Ecological deficit

when a population uses up more natural resources than the environment can replenish; unsustainable living

Ecological reserve

when a population uses less resources than the environment replenishes; ecological footprint < environment replenshing rate; sustainable

Ecological handprint

what you do to reduce your footprint and better the environment

I=PAT

refers to the factors that affect your environmental impact

Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology