How to Reduce Ecological Footprints (DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS)): Revision Note

Reducing Ecological Footprints

• Ecological Footprints (EFs) measure the impact of human activities on the environment

  • They do this by calculating the area of land and water needed to sustain a particular human population

  • An EF is measured in global hectares (gha) per capita (i.e. hectares per person)

• EFs take into account factors such as food consumption, transportation, and energy use

  • EFs can be used to compare the sustainability of different lifestyles, businesses, and even whole countries

  • If the EF of a lifestyle, business or country exceeds the area available to the population (also known as the biocapacity - the amount of resources that the planet can provide sustainably), it means that it is not sustainable in the long term

• To reduce an EF, it is important to adopt more sustainable practices such as reducing meat consumption, using renewable energy sources, and using public transport or walking instead of driving

• EFs are a useful tool for promoting sustainable development and for raising awareness about the impact of human activities on the environment

The ecological footprint of various countries, expressed as the number of hectares of land required to sustain the current standard of living in that country - Elias, Scott (2015) Global Change Impacts on the Biosphere

The ecological footprint of various countries can also be displayed in map-form