How Is Your Ecological Footprint Calculated?
Other People Are Reading
-
Basics
-
An ecological footprint is the measure of how much of earth's biological capacity is required by an individual, group, or activity. The basic purpose of the ecological footprint is to expose any overshoot; that is, the consumption and use of earth's resources that go beyond earth's capacity to replenish in time. For example, if an individual consumes an amount every year that takes the earth more than year to reproduce, that individual has overshot. Thus, the footprint is expressed as the number of earth's necessary for an individual or group to continue their lifestyle.
General Factors
-
On a meta-level, the ecological footprint measures the biological materials consumed and biological wastes generated by an individual, group (e.g. nation,) or human activity in a given year. This amount is divided by the yield of usable land and sea, and then expanded to a global level to determine the earth's ability to handle the cost. Generally, humanity is calculated to be exceeding the ecological limit by almost 40%. If the entire world consumed as much as an average US citizen, it would take more than five earths' worth of materials to support humanity.
-
Individual Factors
-
Several factors go into determining the drain an individual or group is having on the environment. The effects of these factors are calculated in global hectares, or global acres, units which measure the drain on global ecosystems. There is enough space on earth for each person to use roughly 4.5 hectares, but the average US citizen uses over 24. Obviously, airline and car travel is factored heavily into an ecological footprint, since the burning of fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide which hurts the environment. In addition, the amount of electricity used is factored, as is the origin and type of food bought for a household or group. Air conditioning, as well as the structure of a house that lets cold air escape, can also be included in an ecological footprint. Both transportation and home energy use approximately 7 of the 24 hectares the average US citizen consumes. Food takes up another 7, as does goods and services, while housing consumes the final 3 hectares.
-
