Measuring sustainable consumption: the Ecological Footprint

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Measuring sustainable consumption the
Ecological Footprint

• Martha Rosemeyer
• Introduction to Environmental Studies
• October 7, 2002

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General Concept of sustainability

• Satisfying the needs of present generations
  without compromising the needs of future
  generations.
• Bruntland Commission 1987
• So broad that it is devoid of operational
  significance
• How do we know that progress is being made toward
  sustainability?

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Indicator of sustainability

• We want to measure the ability to consume
  sustainably in a number of different categories
• food
• shelter
• transport
• goods and services
• Question becomes how to aggregate these
  measurements

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Characteristics of an indicator of sustainability

• Relatively easy to measure
• Could be repeated
• Sensitive
• Correspond to level of aggregation that is
  appropriate
• Developed in a participatory manner

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Concept of Ecological Footprint

• The quantity of
• bioproductive land
• that is required to
• support current
• consumption
• food, housing, transport, consumer goods,
  services
• Includes land needed for absorption of waste

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Assumptions

• Resources consumed and waste are measured, and
  data accessible
• Consumption and waste can be related to land area

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US Ecological Footprint- new
Total .7 5.4 0 5.2 0 4.3 0
5.8 0 2.8 .7 23.5
Note new fishing numbers
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• Consumption in over 60 categories
• Add imports and subtract exports
• Resource use and waste emissions are expressed in
  land area required -- one unit

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Ecological footprints of nations

• US 24 acres
• Germany 12 acres
• China 3.9 acres
• India 1.9 acres

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Energy land

• Land needed
• to absorb CO2

2.47 acre/1 ha
acre football field
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Forest use
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Transport
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Transport
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How can the ecological footprint be used?

• Global scale
• National level
• Municipalities, e.g. Thurston Co.
• Individual items tomatoes grown in greenhouse
  vs. in the field
• Household/personal scale

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Overshoot

• Growth beyond
• carrying capacity
• or
• when demand
• exceeds ecological
• supply

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Humanitys Ecological Footprint- 20-30
larger than is sustainable
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• Only 1.9 ha or 4.7 acres of biologically
  productive space per person on Earth
• World average is 2.3 ha or 5.6 acres

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Recognition

• Proceedings
• of the National
• Academy of
• Sciences, July 2002
• Concludes that
• since 1980s have
• exceeded regenerative
• capacity of biosphere
• 1999- 20 overshoot

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National EF with capacity anddeficit
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CanadianE F

• Impact of 5
• categories on
• energy,
• degradation
• garden
• crop
• pasture
• forest

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Local E F

• Lower Fraser River
• Valley BC

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Comparingsystems

• Greenhouse
• vs.
• field grown
• (10x greater)

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Personal

• Calculation of
• individual
• ecological
• footprint

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Opportunity for personal reflection

• Assignment due this Wednesday, October 9

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Ecological Footprint of Thurston County

• Dr. Paula Swedeen from Sustainable Community
  Roundtable will be with us Wednesday.
• According to new calculations that more
  accurately account for CO2 emissions, Thurston
  County's ecological footprint is even bigger
  than reported in our 1997 Indicator Update. At
  10.3 hectares (25.4 acres) per capita, sustaining
  our current population requires a land area ten
  times the size of Thurston County. At projected
  growth rates, we'll require one and a half times
  that amount of land to maintain our current
  quality of life unless many more of us redefine
  what quality of life means, adopt an ethic of
  voluntary simplicity, and radically reduce our
  consumption.