< Previous | Contents | Next >
The “ecological footprint” is a measure of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystems. It is a standardized measure of demand for natural capital that may be contrasted with the planet’s ecological capacity to regenerate and represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area necessary to supply the resources a human population consumes, and to assimilate associated waste.
Currently, humanity’s total ecological footprint is estimated at 1.5 planet Earths—in other words, humanity uses ecological services 1.5 times as fact as Earth can renew them.
The “carbon footprint” is the amount of carbon being emitted by an activity or organization. The carbon component of the ecological footprint converts the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the amount of productive land and sea area of carbon dioxide being released into the amount of productive land and sea area required to sequester it and tells the demand on the Earth that results from burning fossil fuels.
The carbon footprint is 54% of the ecological footprint and its most rapidly-growing component having increased 11fold since 1961.
Global Footprint Network (GFN) every year presents a report on ecological footprint which maps consumption and requirement of natural resources to sustain it. Lifestyle adopted in developed countries is unsustainable and it will require five Earths to fulfil their lifestyle demands.
On the other hand, Indian lifestyle is sustainable where one earth is sufficient. The Earth Overshoot Report has indicated that the Ecological Footprint of developed countries ranges from 8 to 4 whereas India is at 0.9.
Do you know?
The Global Positioning System (GPS) will be used to count and map elephants in the elephant census to be held in April-May 2017. Forest officials will also use the line transect method as well as the dung decay rate
assessment for the purpose.