Lecture Notes: Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity

Key Concepts

• Ecological Footprint: Measures human demand on nature.
• Biocapacity: The productivity of a region's ecological assets.
• Ecological Budget: The balance between ecological footprint and biocapacity; many countries have "ecological budgets" in the red, meaning they demand more from nature than their ecosystems can regenerate.

Global Overview

• More than 80% of the world's population live in countries with an ecological deficit.
• Ecological footprint accounting helps us understand these deficits.

Country-Specific Data

• China:
  • Largest total ecological footprint globally.
  • Accounts for nearly 24% of the world's population.
  • Footprint per person: 3.6 global hectares.
• United States:
  • Footprint per person: 8.6 global hectares, significantly higher than China.
• Brazil:
  • Has an ecological reserve due to its immense forests.
  • Biocapacity per person: 8.9 global hectares.
  • Footprint per person: 3 global hectares.

Components of the Ecological Footprint

• Carbon Emissions: Largest component.
• Other Factors:
  • Consumption of food.
  • Use of timber and fiber (e.g., cotton).
  • Land use for cities.

Data and Research

• Global Footprint Network tracks the ecological footprint of over 2 million people in 200 countries and regions from 1961 to present.

Resources

• Footprint Explorer: To check if a country's ecological budget is in the red, visit the Footprint Explorer open data platform at data.footprintnetwork.org.