The Ecological footprint is a measure of the impact that human activities have on the environment, expressed in terms of the amount of land and water needed to sustain those activities. It is a way of assessing the sustainability of our lifestyles and consumption patterns. The ecological footprint takes into account the amount of resources consumed, the waste produced, and the environmental impact of these activities. This concept was developed by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees in the early 1990s and it is usually measured in global hectares (gha) per person.
An ecological footprint can be used to compare the sustainability of different countries, regions, or individuals. It can also be used to monitor changes in resource consumption and environmental impact over time and to inform policy and decision-making towards more sustainable development.
With this need for measurement, there are two types of scale used to measure the Ecological Footprint. One is the demand side and the other is the supply side.
Ecological Footprint measures the demand of an individual or population for nature-related products such as plant-based food, fibre, fish product, space for the development of cities and demand for other forest-related products. This also measures the supply side, which includes a city or state’s biocapacity or biologically productive lands. Ecological footprint is not limited to a city or a country, it can also be measured for a single individual.
There is a gap between Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity. And this gap can be due to many factors. A region’s Ecological Footprint shouldn’t exceed its biocapacity, because otherwise, it would be in a biocapacity deficit. And if a region’s biocapacity exceeds its Ecological Footprint, it has a biocapacity reserve.
Ecological Footprint Vs. Carbon Footprint
Both Ecological Footprint and Carbon Footprint are ways to measure one’s impact on the environment. The only difference is that the carbon footprint measure is about the amount of greenhouse gas emitted by an individual or an organization, meanwhile, Ecological Footprint is about the demand for natural resources by individuals or organizations. In other words, Carbon Footprint focuses on greenhouse gas emissions and Ecological Footprint focuses on the lifestyle led by individuals.
Small changes for a big change
To reduce one’s ecological footprint one has to measure it. Because once it’s clear what the impact we are making on the environment, it is easy to control our actions and in turn our ecological footprint. This can be done in various ways, such as:
- There should be a reduction in the use of electricity.
- More restrictions should be put on polluting appliances, like various vehicles.
- Recycling should be taken as a common practice.
- Ecological products should be used as an alternative to the products which harm the environment.
- We should keep in mind the fact that we are supposed to give back to nature and work according to that.
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