The term "ecological footprint" was conceived at the University of British Columbia by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees in 1990. It is a measurement of how much land, water and natural resources a person, city, country or humanity as a whole requires to produce the resource it consumes. To leave no footprint would mean that a person replaces to the environment exactly what he takes. Since the mid-1980s, humankind has been in ecological overshoot, meaning they are taking more than they are giving back.
Our Footprint's Future
Current measurements show that it would take the planet about 16 months to replace what humanity uses in one year. In other words, we humans use 1.3 planets to sustain ourselves. The United Nations estimates that if current trends continue, by the mid-2030s we will need two Earths to sustain ourselves.
What a Large Footprint Means
Our leaving a greater footprint means that fresh water is being depleted, fisheries are diminishing, forest cover is retreating and pollution and waste are building up. One of the results of such as large ecological footprint is global warming and climate change. Aside from the geological problems, ecological overshoot also means increased wars and conflicts over resources, famine, increased disease, mass migrations and multiple human tragedies.
Corporate Ecological Footprint
A business must use up resources such as paper and supplies and thus produces waste. Factories produce massive amounts of pollution. Very few businesses plant trees, recycle and work to increase fresh air and water. The reason for monitoring a business's ecological footprint is to get people to identify and work within ecological limits. Many activists believe that the key is individual action and creating public demand for new laws and policies, investing in green technology, infrastructure and increasing recycling and energy resources.
Urban Ecological Footprint
Analyzing a city, state or country's ecological footprint allows governments to track natural capital demands and to compare this to what is available. By doing this, governments are able to accurately determine effective distribution of demands within their economy. People know constraints and future liabilities and are able to compare their situation with similar cases.
Your Ecological Footprint
More than 70 percent of humanity's ecological footprint comes from city-level pollution and resource use. Demographic studies indicate that cities will grow in population and, in turn, will need more resources and produce greater waste. City governments can do a great deal in reducing their footprint by encouraging all residents to monitor their own footprint. Recycling initiatives, more green space and city and private facilities going green (or more environmentally sound) would contribute a great deal to reversing the trend of the ecological footprint becoming deeper. If a city tracks its ecological footprint, it may be able to limit demand by greater use of green technology. Since urban infrastructure is meant to sustain large numbers of people for long periods of time, improving a city's ecological footprint could have significant effects on large areas for generations.
Tags: ecological footprint, ecological footprint, Ecological Footprint, ecological overshoot, fresh water, great deal
