What are ecological footprints?

Ecological footprints measure the extent to

which humans are using the Earths
bioproductive capacity
Units are global hectares
A hectare of land with average bio-productive
capacity (for agriculture, forest, nutrient cycling,
energy production, etc.)

A hectare = 2.5 acres

(1 acre is about a football field between the 5 yard lines)
(1 hectare is 2 complete football fields with endzones)

Ecological Footprint

From Living Planet Report 2008, World Wildlife Fund, 2008.

Ecological footprints measure Earths

carrying capacity for humans
In 2010, the biosphere had about 11.5 billion hectares
of biologically productive surface (about 1/4 of the
total planet)
2 billion ha of ocean (the continental shelves)
9.5 billion ha of land

Current estimates indicate that humans are overshooting the Earths carrying capacity by 25-50%
To sustain the current carrying capacity, we could need
11/2 Earths!
But, population growth and increasing development
means that we are increasing our use of Earths
carrying-capacity (bio-capacity)

From Living Planet Report 2008, World Wildlife Fund, 2008.

With respect to sustainability of the human endeavor,

population growth rate and population size are only
part of the picture: per capita consumption is the other

Developed countries
have very large
ecological footprints

Ecological Footprints (Hectares per person)

Ecological Footprint by Region

From Living Planet Report 2008, World Wildlife Fund, 2008.

United States Ecological Footprint By

Component
Biocapacity varies somewhat over time because of
technology, agricultural practices (such as fertilizer use
and irrigation), ecosystem degradation

Mexicos Footprint by Component

Mexico
Mexico has moved from using only 1/3 of its biocapacity
in 1961 to nearly 1 times its own biocapacity in 2002

Calculate your own ecological footprint

(Can you realistically reduce your footprint to 1 planet?)

So, where do we stand?

There are 11.5 billion hectares of bio-productive
land, and it is declining
There are about 7 billion people, and increasing at
about 1% per year
There are currently 1 2/3 hectares per person, and
most ecologists believe this is insufficient to support
a significant quality of life for the average person on
Earth
If we continue down the path we are on, there will be
less than 1 hectare per person by 2050

Sustainability ?

From Living Planet Report 2008, World Wildlife Fund, 2008.

Envisioning Solutions
Former president Bill Clinton has argued that
combating climate change doesnt have to mean
economic hardship (Clinton Initiative Topic)
It could be the biggest development stimulus since
World War II, creating millions of jobs and saving
trillions of dollars in foreign fuel imports
What are some of the strategies we have available?

9-20

Controlling Emissions is Cheap

Compared to Climate Change
A 2010 study by the Pew Trust estimates the cost of lost
ecological services by 2100
Costs included factors such as lost agricultural
productivity from drought, damage to infrastructure from
flooding and storms, lost biological productivity, health
costs from heat stress, and lost water supplies
The Pew report found that climate change is likely to cost
between $5 trillion and $90 trillion by 2100
The Stern Review (2006) estimates a cost of only about 1%
of global GDP to avoid the worst impacts of climate change

There Are Many Ways We Can Control

Greenhouse Emissions
We can reduce dependence on coal, which produces
more CO2 per energy unit than any other fuel
We could institute fees for selling fossil fuelsthese would
help fossil fuel prices represent their many hidden costs
We can invest in new technologies and energy efficiency
We can institute emissions trading, by instituting a legal
cap on emissions, then allowing companies to buy and
sell shares of that total cap (Californias AB-32 does
this)

A Wedge Approach Involves Dissecting

the Problem into Stepwise Solutions
To avoid a doubling of atmospheric CO2 we need to
reduce our annual carbon emissions by about 7
billion tons (=7 gigatons or GT) by 2060
Scientists have divided these emissions into 14
wedges, each of which represents 1 GT of
carbon emissions avoided in the year 2060

Local Initiatives Are Effective

California has greatly reduced Carbon emisions by
switching all coal burning power plants to natural gas
(decreased CO2 by 30%) & switching to green energy
production

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark pledged that

her country will be the first to be carbon neutral
Germany has reduced its CO2 emissions at least 10
percent by switching from coal to gas and by
encouraging energy efficiency throughout society
Denmark now gets 20% of its electricity from windmills

California: A long history of investing in

clean power and energy efficiency

1974

2008

California is a model for efficiency

Per Capita Electricity Sales (not including self-generation)

United States

(2005)

kWh/person

= 4,000kWh/yr
= $400/capita

California

Energy Efficiency Strategies

Flattening out the curve yesterday
Decouple sales from revenues eliminate disincentive
Set and strengthen building and appliance standards
Invest in utility energy efficiency programs

Bending the curve downward tomorrow

Strengthen incentives Decoupling Plus
Set long term goals to achieve durable, broad-based
reductions
Enhance strategic planning: work backwards from goals
Improve branding, messaging and marketing
Invest in workforce and research and development

Wedge Analysis

Accomplishing just half of these wedges could level off our

emissions. Accomplishing all of them could return to levels well
below those envisioned in the Kyoto protocol

McKinsey, December 2007

U.S. GHG Abatement Mapping Initiative

22 States Committed to Regional Carbon

Markets (w/ an additional 8 observing)

Source:
Pew Center

Products and the Environment

At first glance,
the relationship
between products
& our environment
may seem clear,

BUT.

Lets consider the simple French fry

What are its

connects to the
environment?
What impact does it
have?

How did the fry get to the restaurant?

Suppliers
Truck
Producer
Truck
Processing Plant
Truck
Distribution Center
Truck
Bobs Burger Shop

http://www.rprogress.org/

What impact did its journey have?

Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels

Fertilizers

Suppliers

Machinery

Pesticides
Irrigation

Truck

Seeds

Machinery

Producer

Fossil Fuels
Irrigation

Fossil Fuels
Hydropower

Truck

Hydroelectric dam
Processing Plant
Hydropower

Fossil Fuels
Machinery
Food waste

Truck

Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels

Freezer
Distribution Center
Hydroflourocarbons
Freezer

Truck
Bobs Burger Shop

http://www.rprogress.org/

Animal Feed
Fossil Fuels
Packaging

What impact did these impacts have?

Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels

Fertilizers

Runoff

Suppliers

Machinery
Loss of
Biodiversity

Pesticides

Irrigation
Loss of
Biodiversity

Truck

Seeds

Producer

Machinery
Air
Pollution

Fossil Fuels
Hydropower
Hydroelectric dam

Truck
Processing Plant

Hydropower

Fossil Fuels
Irrigation
Fossil Fuels

Air
Pollution

Machinery
Food waste

Truck

Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels

Freezer
Distribution Center
Damage
To Ozone

Air
Pollution

Animal Feed

Hydroflourocarbons
Truck
Freezer
Bobs Burger Shop
http://www.rprogress.org/

Fossil Fuels
Packaging

Solid
Waste

How might all of this affect the

Earths systems?

Forests

Fossil Fuels
Fertilizers

Runoff

Fossil Fuels
Suppliers

Loss of
Biodiversity

Seeds
Machinery

Air
Fossil Fuels
Pollution
Hydropower
Hydroelectric dam

Truck
Producer
Truck
Processing Plant

Hydropower

Air
Pollution

Machinery
Loss of
Biodiversity

Pesticides
Irrigation

Forests

River

Fossil Fuels
Irrigation
Fossil Fuels

Cropland
Air
Pollution

Machinery

Forests

Food waste
Truck

Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels

Freezer
Distribution Center
Damage
To Ozone

Hydroflourocarbons
Freezer

Forests

Truck
Bobs Burger Shop

Animal Feed

Grazing Land

Fossil Fuels
Packaging

Built-up Land

Solid
Waste

Built-up Land
http://www.rprogress.org/

Weve considered only the potato

Consider all the other

parts of your meal
the other foods
the utensils
the napkins
the condiments
the drinks

There are multiple

environmental impacts
involved in these as well