What is an ecological footprint? How can we reduce our footprint to maintain a healthier environment our children can live in? Examples.
Our planet is constantly emitting CO2, but in a safe amount that is controllable by itself: by the forests, corals, and other natural resources.
The problem is with human-caused global warming. Scientists say that people are 99.99% responsible for heating the planet. We produce so many greenhouse gas emissions that our planet cannot deal with.
Sea level is rising, and on top of that, our waters are now full of plastic. The air is constantly warming and being polluted, leading to slow death because of the smoke.
What is an ecological footprint?
In short, an ecological footprint is the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources. It compares demand and supply: the smaller the ratio, the better, meaning that fewer natural resources would be enough for a person.
Generally, the ecological footprint has 6 aspects:
- Cropland
- Pasture
- Fisheries
- Forest
- Built-up land
- Carbon-needs
An ecological footprint determines how much is an unused land’s supply capacity: what is its production capacity or how much waste can be stored there.
Environmental footprint means how much land can be used by one person. The unit of measure is hectare/individual (10.000 m2/person).
Our global footprint
Earth can cover our needs up to 1.8 hectares/person, while on a global average, each individual would need more than 2 hectares.
Our current habitat and comfortable life have a big price: Earth is facing its biggest threat ever – climate change.
How to reduce your environmental footprint?
Environmental footprint depends on
- Meat consumption
- Food waste
- Home size
- Home energy consumption
- Number of unnecessary items
- Traveling methods
Even with an average lifestyle, people would need 2.5 Earths to keep up with their current habitats. Until our civilization does not have a sustainable economy, we need to change our lifestyle.
- Plug off
- Reduce your plastic use
- Collect waste selectively
- Eat less meat
- Use car-sharing, public transport, or ride your bike
- Purchase in the local market
- Save on heating in winter and cooling in summer
- Bring your shopping bag
- Collect and use rainwater
- Buy second-hand products
Conclusion
- Environmental footprint means how much land can be used by one person.
- We overuse our planet
- Use this footprint calculator