National Ecological Footprints
Not only does an individual have an ecological footprint, but so do countries and businesses. Individuals generally have little say over how electricity is produced or the intensity of its agricultural production.
An ecological budget of a country can be thought of as the contrast between the resources it uses, its ecological footprint, versus its bio-capacity, the ecological productivity of a region. A country is in the red, it has an ecological debt when it uses more resources than it produces and can replace. These countries demand more than their ecosystems can regenerate.
Factors that Affect a Country's Ecological Footprint
- Large carbon emissions
- Large food consumption
- Large textile consumption
- Timber consumption
- High level of urbanization
- Consumer culture
- Industrialization
- Hot/cold extremes
- Technology
- High standard of living
Countries with the smallest ecological footprint, with the exception of India, tend to be smaller countries. They are all countries with a lot of poverty. Many of their citizens also suffer from energy poverty and live subsistent, or close to subsistent lives. These countries do not have a lot of fossil fuel resources. Again with the exception of India, they are industrially less developed.
According to the ecological footprint survey I would need 1.25 earths to sustain my ecological footprint, but considering the average Canadian needs three earths, I did pretty well. I walk most places and wear second hand clothes. I don’t buy a lot of stuff either.
Steps I Can Take to Reduce my Ecological Footprint
- Letting the yellow mellow
- Switch to LED lights
- Buy second-hand clothes
- Buy local and don’t waste
- Buy meat from local farms that use restorative agriculture.
When we make choices that protect our environment, it is called environmental stewardship. Anyone can be an environmental steward.
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