UPCOMING DATES

Ecological Footprints Topic 6 – Energy Sources A.S: E – H

Are we running out of space?

If not space, then what are we running out of? Natural Resources! Resources, land to dispose of waste

Ecological Footprint The amount of land and water resources used and land needed for waste assimilation per person in order to sustain their lifestyle/standard of living. It measures a person’s demand on the bio-capacity of the Earth. Carbon Footprint is only a portion of your EF. What factors make up your ecological footprint? (Bio capacity = Amount of a given area to generate supply of renewable resources and absorb carbon emissions) Where we live, food we eat, the energy we use, the amount of water we use, the trash we make and how it is managed.

Did you know that the average ecological footprint of: The U.S. is 8.1 hectares (20 acres) per person… An LEDC is 1.8 ha (4.5 ac) per person… The world’s average is 2.7 ha (6.7 ac) per person However, the planet only has a bio-capacity of about 1.5 ha (3.7 ac) of productive land per person. We are already in a bio-capacity deficit! Is this sustainable? If our ecological footprints are so large, how is it that 7 billion people are able to live on the planet right now? WE TRADE – goods, services, energy, money!

Footprints around the world Why is average footprint for the developing world (LEDC) so low? They use less : & produce less: What are the implications of an LEDC raising their ecological footprint to that of an MEDC like the U.S.?