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Ecological footprints compared
- data from the 2008 report from the Global Footprint Network's Footprint
for Nations:
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/ecological_footprint_atlas_2008
or
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/footprint_for_nations/
To download the Excel spreadsheet,follow the link to '2008 Data
Tables' on either page above.
 World (global hectares per person):
High Income Countries - 972 million population - 6.4 av. footprint
Middle Income Countries - 3,098 million population - 2.2 av. footprint
Low Income Countries - 2,371 million population - 1.0 av. footprint
UK footprint - 5.3 (global hectares per person) - down from 5.6 in the 2005 table
EU and other European countries with higher footprints (per person) than UK:
Denmark - 8.0 (global hectares per person)
Norway - 6.9
Estonia* - 6.4
Ireland - 6.3
Greece - 5.9
Spain - 5.7
Countries with the highest footprints worldwide (global hectares per person):
United Arab Emirates - 9.5 (seven emirates including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah)
USA - .9.4
Kuwait - 8.9
Australia* - 7.8
New Zealand* - 7.7
Canada* - 7.1
Uraguay* - 5.5
* these countries are in 'ecological credit' despite having high footprints per person.
Calculate your own
Ecological Footprint:
From http://www.ecologicalfootprint.com
(footprint calculator from Best Foot Forward footprint analysts/consultants - other calculators
are also available)
On this calculator, if you select the highest
variables (in brackets below), it results in a footprint of 9.5 global hectares producing an estimated carbon footprint of 21.4 tonnes CO2.
If everyone lived like this we would need 5.8 planets to support global consumption.
I live in the United Kingdom.
I travel mostly by ......... (car, heavy user)
and usually holiday ....... (a long flight away)
I live in a ........ (large house)
that I share with ....... (one other person)
For the size of my home, my heating/cooling bills are relatively ........ (high)
I buy my electricity from ....... (non-renewable sources)
and I tend ....... (not to conserve energy)
......... (I am a heavy meat eater) and
usally eat ......... (mostly convenience foods)
I produce ..... (an above average) amount of domestic waste,
most of which is ...... (not recycled).
Now change the variables to the (almost*) lowest:
I live in the United Kingdom.
I travel mostly by ......... (walking/cycling)
and usually holiday ....... (close to home)
I live in a ........ (flat/apartment)
that I share with ....... (more than six others)
For the size of my home, my heating/cooling bills are relatively ........ (low)
I buy my electricity from ....... (renewable sources)
and I tend ....... (to conserve energy)
......... (I am a vegetarian) and
usally eat ......... (mostly fresh, locally grown produce)
I produce ..... (a below average) amount of domestic waste,
most of which is ...... (recycled).
This gives an ecological footprint of 2.5 global hectares, which gives an estimated carbon footprint of 4.3 tonnes CO2.
If everyone lived like this, we would need 1.5 planets to support global consumption.
* the very lowest would involve living in a zero emissions dwelling, but there are very few of those in the UK as yet.
You can also do a slightly more detailed calculation on the WWF website - it doesn't
show your ecological footprint but it tells you how many planets would be needed for everyone to live like you.
http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/
Earth Overshoot Day 2009
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/earth_overshoot_day/
or
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/overshoot
Earth Overshoot Day is the day each year when we've used up all the
resources which the earth can regenerate in a year, putting us into
ecological deficit. In 2008, this was on 23rd September - 101 days
before the end of the year.
After all the efforts and publicity about climate
change and cutting emissions, will it be earlier or later this year?
As of today (11th Sept) 95% of the resources have been used, according
to the Global Footprint Network - see http://www.footprintnetwork.org/overshoot
The Global Footprint Network has published a useful
media briefing pack here
(pdf format).
This information page was compiled in good faith by
Cathy Aitchison, Aitchison
Media & Development, to promote awareness of ecological
footprints and Earth Overshoot Day. Please check the websites and
organisations named here before using any of the information and credit
the relevant organisations and sources. |