1. Ecological Footprint Accounting Tool for Sustainability
Balance between:
Resource demand: How much of the biosphere’s regenerative capacity is used by human activities?
Resource supply: How much regenerative capacity is available?

2. ‘Biosphere regenerative capacity’
Capacity of soil, water, plants, animals, micro-organisms to provide resources without being exhausted.
EG soil to grow food without eroding/losing fertility, forests to regrow after felling, fish stocks to build up after harvesting
EG surface and groundwater to provide drinking, industry, crop irrigation etc supply
Capacity for vegetation to absorb CO2, water to break down pollutants to harmless substances

3. Energy assumed to be the biggest problem
Climate change associated with rising GHGs assumed to be the biggest current threat to biosphere regenerative capacity
Energy production and consumption given greatest weighting
‘Carbon footprint’ focuses solely on GHG emissions [not covered here]

4. Overhang assumption
We can use biosphere resources eg fish, timber, soil, water, oil, gas etc faster than: (1) they can regenerate, (2) our waste products can be assimilated [ie not accumulate in toxic/damaging concentrations in air, water, on land]. But only for while.. Eventually either they run out, or we pollute our planet with very bad consequences for our wellbeing

5. Ecological Footprint
We measure the mutually exclusive types of areas necessary to produce the resources we consume and absorb the waste we produce.
The unit is a global hectare [gha] ( m²), with the average productivity of the world’s bio-productive surface (ocean and land). Assumes everybody on Earth is entitled to equal share of global resources

6. Footprint components
Ecological Footprint
Footprint components
Fossilenergie verbaute Abfall Nahrung Holz und Faser
Fläche
Fossil Fuel Built-up Waste Food Fibres, Firewood
absorption
W.Pekny, Plattform Footprint

7. Ecological Footprint
Non renewable fossil fuels impacts are calculated with the area necessary to absorb the emitted CO2 (forest and oceans).
Note each piece of land is assumed to have only one effect. Eg forest land to absorb carbon dioxide does not also provide timber, fish etc
Many methodological issues arise

8. Bioproductive segments
Biocapacity
67%
Oceans with low productivity
22%
Bioproductive segments
4% Oceans
with high
productivity
Bioproductive segments
13.4 B
hectares
18%
productive land
11%
Deserts, ice

9. Ecological Footprint
The very complex ecological inter-relations are summarized to simple parameter: area.
The strength of the concept is the obvious and indisputable limit of area on planet Earth.
No matter how much money, houses, industries we have, we need biocapacity to survive

10. 13.4B ha bio productive area
Ecological Footprint
Footprint
The only sustainability
metric with an
undisputable maximum
value: one Earth.
13.4B ha bio productive area

11. Assuming a fair allocation of area, there is about
1.8 gha available per person today (not including any area for biodiversity)
The average European citizen requires gha to meet his/her material demands. (US citizen 9.6 gha)

12. For all people to live like Europeans
would require 2.5 planets

13. Human Ecological Footprint, 1950-2050
Absolute Limits
Sustainable
scenario
Standard
Human Ecological Footprint,
+ 40% in 2008
Humankind uses an equivalent of 1.4 Earths
We no longer get along with the interest Earth provides.
We use the capital stocks.
Source: Ecological Footprint of Europe WWF
2008

14. Human Ecological Footprint, 1950-2050
Absolute Limits
Sustainable
scenario
Standard
Human Ecological Footprint,
By 2050, the ecological debts would equal about 34 years of planetary production
Source: GFN Daten update 2008

15. Ireland tenth A D National Footprints Figures in gha/capita China
Built land
Fishing
Forest
Pasture
Arable land
Carbon Footprint A
Switzerland D
Austria
Slovenia
China
Germany
Hungary
World
available
WWF Living Planet Report 2008

16. National Footprints figures in gha/capita China 1330 Nigeria 130
Indonesia
223
India
1100
Pakistan
158
Bangladesh
142
WWF Living Planet Report 2008

17. Top Down Bottom Up Product Footprints National Footprint
Aggregated Footprint
per capita
Component
Footprint
Top Down
Regional Footprints
City Footprints
Individual Footprint
Open NFA again, show two places of information
Why do we use top down for populations?
COMPLETENESS – need to sum to the global total for all people, bottom up not possible in practice
Why do we use bottom up for products?
Nothing to scale from! Advantage: resolution finer than top down, but will not sum to global totals
Will present both to you briefly, since both may contribute to type of Footprinting Bioregional is interested in
Bottom Up
Energy Footprint
Transport Footprint
Carbon Footprint

18. Summary 1
In relation to region/Earth’s capacity to provide us with energy, food, living space, assimilate wastes, can measure whether we are using resources faster than are being renewed
gha unit: big success, many organisations, countries, companies have adopted it as key indicator for measuring sustainability
Raising general awareness: many people believe they understand what the EF measures

19. Summary 2 Socio-economics not included Toxic substances not included
One aggregated figure: not much use for prioritising policies
Awareness/behaviour divide

20. What EF can do for us… Measure resource demand and supply.
Show us where we are using resources too quickly.
Highlight which land type is used most intensively.
Provides a basis for comparing overall resource demand amongst settlements, regions and countries.
Provides a personal account of the resource demand of an individual’s lifestyle.

21. What EF cannot do for us…
Show us why we are using resources too quickly.
Help with finding policies to reduce our consumption [other than the general policy: ‘we must use less’].
Take account of other impacts on the environment eg mercury pollution, ozone depletion [ie it UNDERESTIMATES our overall impact on the Earth].
Tell us about the impact of resource consumption on human health and wellbeing.

22. Take this quiz to estimate your Ecological Footprint www
Take this quiz to estimate your Ecological Footprint OR Search words: calculate your ecological footprint