Just about everyone on the planet by now must have a sense that things are getting a bit tight when it comes to resources and the environment. As children, most of us were taught the “Golden Rule” about sharing and not being greedy, but in this complex and interconnected world how do we know what is our fair share?
For me, one of the most useful concepts is the Ecological Footprint, developed by Mathis Wackernagel and Bill Rees at UBC. The following is an adaptation of a sustainable living quiz created by Jim Merkel in his book Radical Simplicity which shows how one can calculate their personal footprint goal, based on their own values and desire to see change happen.
The Ecological Footprint measures humanity’s demand on the biosphere in terms of the area of biologically productive land and sea required to provide the resources we use and to absorb our waste. In 2005 the global Ecological Footprint was 17.5 billion global hectares (gha), or 2.7 gha per person (a global hectare is a hectare with world-average ability to produce resources and absorb wastes). On the supply side, the total productive area, or biocapacity, was 13.6 billion gha, or 2.1 gha (5.2 acres) per person. (source: WWF Living Planet Report 2008)
1. What percentage of the Earth’s bioproductive spaces should humans use?
It’s not just us here, after all. We share the planet with millions of other species, and leaving room for them means it’s not all there for the taking. In this first section a ratio of 0.2 means that humans use 20% and 80% remains wild… 0.8 means humans use 80% and 20% remains wild.
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Humans Use
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 My Use
90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Left Wild
My use: _____________ (enter decimal)
2. How much bioproductivity do you wish to use compared to what is available for each person worldwide?
If you believe that every person on earth has the same entitlement to the earth’s resources, it gets more complicated. Here a ratio of 0.5 means that you will use half the global average available; 1 means perfect equality amongst humans; 3 means that you’ll use three times the global average.
My Use: ____________ (enter decimal)
Step 3. Intergenerational Equity
Presuming we as a society could live within our means, are you happy with the current state of, say, the Amazon rainforest or global fish stocks? At what rate do you wish to use your portion of the planet’s bioproductivity? In this section, an answer of 1 means that nature just keeps pace with our use. An answer of 0.8 means that you use your portion 20% slower than it regenerates – leaving fallow areas so the next generation inherits a less intensively-used Earth.
regenerating max use depleting
0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5
My Use: ___________ (enter decimal)
Step 4. Your overall equity factor
Clearly, the cumulative effect of these values decisions has an impact on what a sustainable rate of consumption could look like to each of us. To get a picture of your overall commitment to equity multiply “My use” from Steps 1-3 above together in decimal numbers.
Interspecies Interhuman Intergenerational Overall Equity
Equity Equity Equity Factor
__________ X _________ X _________ = ____________
Now, multiply the decimal above by 2.1 ha (an equal portion of total planetary bioproductivity), to get your personal sustainability goal.
2.1 ha x ___________ = _____________ ha (for acres x 2.47)
Now consider the footprints of average citizens in a few different countries today:
Canada: 5.8 Cuba: 2.7 USA: 9.0 UK: 6.1 France: 4.6 India: 0.8 China: 1.8
(For a more comprehensive list se this Wikipedia site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_ecological_footprint)
Adapted from Jim Merkel “Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth” 2003
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