APES 5.11 Ecological Footprints

Enduring Understanding:

• When humans use natural resources, they alter natural systems. 

Learning Objective:

• Explain the variables measured in an ecological footprint.

Essential Knowledge:

• Ecological footprints compare resource demands and waste production required for an individual or a society.

• An ecological footprint is how many resources a person uses, expressed by an area of land
  • That area of land is indicative of how much land it would take to produce everything a person consumes/uses
• That’s a hard number to obtain, but there are five categories that help us add the land up
  • The carbon footprint is measured by how much energy someone uses
  • Built-up land refers to where someone lives
  • Forests refer to the timber and paper used
  • Cropland and pasture contains all food and fibers
  • Fisheries entail consumed seafood