| Ecological Footprints |
| To protect our home planet we first need information. We have to understand as well as we can what we’re doing to it right now. That gives us the starting point for our journey back to planetary health. |
| Scientists have devised a powerful new tool called “ecological footprinting” which can help us claw our way out of crisis. An ecological footprint measures the area of land needed for the lifestyle of an individual, a community or a country. It is based on factors such as consumption of grain, fish, wood and fresh water along with emissions of carbon dioxide from cars and industry. |
| According to a study by the World Wildlife Fund published in July 2002, the United States footprint is 12.2 hectares per head of population compared with Western Europe’s 6.28 ha. In the African country of Burundi the figure falls to 0.5 ha. The statistics tell a clear story of unsustainable consumption levels in the rich countries of the world. If we all lived like Americans we would need six planets. |
| Canadian ecologist William Rees and his colleague Mathis Wackernagel developed this new concept in their book “Our Ecological Footprint” published in 1996. Now the idea is starting to come into the political mainstream. |
| In Wales, where the Gaia Coach Institute is based, First Minister Rhodri Morgan announced the national ecological footprint in April 2002. He told an international conference in the Welsh capital Cardiff: |
| "The Wales Ecological Footprint shows we are using 5.25 hectares per person living in Wales. This is below the UK and European average, and significantly below the footprint of North America. |
| "Unfortunately, the Wales footprint is far above the average fair earth share of about 1.92 hectares per person. If the whole of the world lived as Wales does we would need about two and three quarter planets to support us." |
| According to Wackernagel and other researchers, humanity's use of natural resources has exceeded the regenerative capacity of the Earth since the 1980s. This finding was outlined in a paper published in 2002 in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. |
| The paper, "Tracking the ecological overshoot of the human economy", said that back in 1961 humanity’s collective ecological footprint was about 70 percent of the Earth's regenerative capacity. By the 1980s demand had risen to match total global supply, and by 1999 demand exceeded supply by at least 20 percent. |
| The challenge for hefty consumers everywhere is to reduce our impact on the planet. Ecological footprinting enables us to keep track of our progress. |
| Recommended reading: |
| Wackernagel, Mathis and Rees, William "Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on Earth". Gabriola Island, Canada: New Society Publishers, 1996 |
| Chambers, Nicky; Simmons, Craig and Wackernagel, Mathis "Sharing Nature's Interest: Ecological Footprints as an indicator of sustainability". London and Sterling, VA: Earthscan Publications, 2000 |
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