Ecological Footprint

1. EcologicalFootprint

3. Natural Capital • resource production (such as fish, timber or cereals), waste assimilation (such as CO2 absorption or sewage decomposition) and life support services (such as UV protection, biodiversity, water cleansing or climate stability).

4. Biocapacity the ability of an ecosystem to regenerate useful biological materials (resources) and to absorb wastes generated by humans.

5. MalthusianCrisis • There are lots of ways that naturereducesoverpopulation in an animal population. • The ultimate way, according to Malthus, waswhentherewould be morepeoplethanfood to feedthem

6. Malthus’sideaswereused to justify social darwinism SinceMalthus’s time, world population has increasedfrom 1.6 billion to 7 billion Science and technology has resulted in therebeingenough to feed 7-9 billion (ifwewanted to)

7. The same science has technology has beenveryresource and energy intensive Meaning 1) Weusemorerenewableresourcesthan the earthcanregenerate in a year and and 2) weputmorewaste in the air and water than the earthcanreabsorb in a year

8. When the earth’s population usesas manyresources as can be regenerated, and whosewastecan be reabsorbed, in oneyear, than the earth is in EcologicalBalance

9. Somecountriesusemoreresources per capita thanothers, far morethantheirown land canregenerate and reabsorb Such a country imports resources from othercountries and export itswaste back to them in terms of the air and water the world shares

10. To usehalf of nextyear’sbiocapacitynow this year, is the same as saying that weuse 1 ½ earths per year One country alonecanuse on itsown a wholeearth’syear’sworth of biocapacity – or more!

12. When a country, or the whole world, usesmoreresources and createsmorewastethan the earthcanreabsorb in oneyear, it ”borrows” from the earth’sfuturecapacity • The world is then in ”ecologicaldebt” to the future. • Musn’tthere be a limit to howmuchcan be borrowedfrom the future

13. The dayeachyearwhenwe start borrowing from the nextyear’scapacty is called Overshoot Day the day when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what the Earth can regenerate in that year. We uses stocks of resources and accumulate waste, primarily CO2 in the atmosphere.

14. Overshoot: 3 Factors how much we consume how many of us there are how much nature is able to produce. Technology has helped expand biological productivity over the years, but that expansion has not come close to keeping pace with the rate at which population and resource demand have expanded.

15. Slowlyincreasingresults of overshoot • water shortages, desertification, erosion, reduced cropland productivity • deforestation, rapid extinction of species, collapse of fisheries and global climate change

16. 1987 was ”yearzero,” whenresourceusagewasabout the same as the earth’sability to regenerate / reabsorb it Overshoot Day this yearwas August 22, 2012 Everyyear it moves up a week or twobased on earth’s population, amount of CO2 in the air, etc.

17. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuGuTsExN4Q&feature=player_embeddedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuGuTsExN4Q&feature=player_embedded

18. Carbon emissions is ½ of the footprint

19. EcologicalFootprint • The Ecological Footprint measures the amount of productive land and sea area it takes to produce all the resources a population consumes and absorb its waste, using prevailing technology. • It can be measured for an individual, town, nation, and the whole earth

20. Personal CalculatorHow much land area does it take to support your lifestyle?

21. Personal Footprint • ChooseSwitzerland, then New User • Food, shelter, mobility, goods, and services • WRITE DOWN YOUR PERCENTAGES FROM THE ABOVE PIE CHART, AND • YOUR ”ENERGY LAND” PERCENTAGE

22. Climate change, deforestation, overgrazing, fisheries collapse, food insecurity and the rapid extinction of species are all part of a single, over-arching problem: Humanity is simply demanding more from the Earth than in can provide