Exam HW

Task 1

Watch Clip: What is Ecological Overshoot?

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/video_overshoot_explained/

Ecological overshoot is when we use more then our earth can provide. For example, Earth overshoot day is when we have used our regenerative recourses for the year, any recourses used beyond that point will not be regenerated by nature

Task 2

Go to website below and read about Earth Overshoot Day

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/earth_overshoot_day/

Read the section on The Cost of Ecological Spending and answer these questions

1.    How has humanity used nature’s resources throughout most of history? Humanity has and exploited natures recourses. We have farmed plants, animals and other natural recourses to produce food, transport and energy for the wellbeing of our civilization.

2.    Why are the mid 1970’s a critical threshold for humanity? In the mid 70’s we begun consuming more than our earth could provide. So much so that at this point it would take 1.5 earths to support what we consume.

3.    What is our current demand for renewable ecological resources? We demand roughly 150% of earth’s regenerative recourses.

4.    How many China’s does it take to support China?  It takes roughly 2.2 Chinas to support China

5.    Look at the chart on the RHS – what are worst performing countries? United Arab Emirates and Japan. I’d suspect the UAE because of large oil exports.

6.     Why do you believe these countries are performing badly on the ecological stakes? Some of these countries are major exporters or manufacturers. The UAE has exports worth $127,307,000,000

7.     What are the signs that we are ecologically overspending? Things like animals consistently becoming endangered, large amounts of farming land, less forests and natural habitats and huge amounts of finite recourse consumption all contributes to our ecological overspending

8.     Look at the chart showing Countries in the Red and complete an I see, I think, I wonder in order to try and explain the significance of the chart

I see	I think	I Wonder
Finland, Canada and Australia with high bio capacities and high incomes. Qatar and Switzerland with a high incomes but bio deficit. India, Vietnam, Philippians etc… bio deficit with a very low income. Parts of Europe (UK, Germany, France) and the US with very low bio capacity and average to high incomes, just over Greece.	Countries with a high population density are much lower on the bio capacity scale than countries like Australia.  Countries with worse environments, like sand or little green area also have are more deficit of both wealth and productive land.	I wonder how long it will take (if we continue the way we do) for our planet to become completely uninhabitable

Task 3

Take Link to

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/images/article_uploads/EarthOvershootDay_2014_Media_Backgrounder.pdf

1.    Read the article

2.    Summarize each section using the “Tweet” method

1) While economies, populations and resource demands grow, the size of Earth remains the same. Since the

1970s, when global ecological overshoot became a reality, we have been drawing down the biosphere's

principal rather than living off its annual interest. To support our demands on nature, we have been

liquidating resource stocks and allowing carbon dioxide to accumulate in the atmosphere.

Ecological overshoot is possible only for a limited time before ecosystems begin to degrade and possibly

collapse. Impacts of ecological overspending are apparent already in water shortages, desertification, soil

erosion, reduced cropland productivity, overgrazing, deforestation, rapid species extinction, fisheries

collapse and increased carbon concentration in the atmosphere.

Natural capital constraints also pose a threat to economic performance and economic stability. Such

economic pressure further complicates the ability of nations to address such challenges as the growing

division between the rich and poor.

The earth doesn't get bigger. Yet out demand does and it has since the dawn of time. However in the 1970’s we began to ‘over-consume’ due to this overconsumption we have accumulated carbon in the atmosphere and are destroying the essential things for our survival, like soil, water and animals.

2) The estimated level of resources and ecosystem services required to support human activities is just over

1.5 Earths. Overshoot has nearly doubled since 1961. In that time, human demand on resources has gone

from being within the means of what nature could support to significantly over budget.

Earth overshoot day has almost doubled since 1961. At this point in time it takes 1.5 earths to support out lifestyle meaning at roughly 6 months earth overshoot day will happen and though the rest of the year we will be significantly overspending our ‘nature budget’

3) Overshoot is driven by four key factors: 1) how much we consume, 2) how efficiently products are made, 3)

how many of us there are, and 4) how much nature is able to produce. Technology and more intensive inputs have helped expand biological productivity over the years, but that expansion has not come close to

keeping pace with the rate at which population and resource demand have expanded.

Global Footprint Network’s data show that both world population and consumption are increasing. Higher

per capita demand leaves a smaller pool of resources for everyone. Larger populations mean finite

resources must be divided among more people. Whatever the factors — consumption or population —

humanity is simply demanding more than Earth can provide. This overuse cannot be maintained for long.

If we continue on the course estimated by moderate United Nations projections for increasing population

and consumption, Global Footprint Network data show that we would need the capacity of three Earths to

keep up with our level of demand before mid-century. Whether such continued levels of overuse are

physically possible is highly uncertain.

Staying on this course would put the well-being of many of the planet's residents increasingly at risk.

The United Nations have predicted that by mid century if we don't do something about it we will require 3 earths. This means Earth Overshoot day will occur much earlier in the year. Overshoot is calculated by 1) Consumption 2) Production Efficiency 3) Population and 4) Natural production. ATM 1 and 3 are rising while 3 and 4 are declining. Increasing our eco footprint and how quickly we celebrate overshoot.

4) The Ecological Footprint also measures the carbon Footprint, which represents the land area required to

sequester carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning and cement production.

Today, the carbon Footprint is more than half of humanity’s total Ecological Footprint. It is also the fastest growing part of the Footprint. One hundred years ago the carbon Footprint was a very small fraction of they overall Ecological Footprint. Since 1970, our total carbon Footprint has more than doubled (in total global hectares).

Humanity’s carbon Footprint is the leading driver of climate change. Because we are emitting carbon dioxide into the air at a rate much faster than it can be absorbed, it is building up in the atmosphere and ocean.

Significantly reducing the carbon Footprint is an essential step to ending ecological overshoot and living within the means of our planet. It is also the most essential step in halting climate change, the most pervasive result of our ecological overspending.

In the modern day the Carbon footprint is over half of humanities total ecological footprint. In fact one hundred years ago the carbon footprint was a very small part of the ecological footprint and has more then doubled in the last century. Reducing our carbon footprint and ultimately our ecological footprint is essential to halting climate change and ecological overshoot. 

5) Every year Global Footprint Network calculates the number of days of that year that Earth’s bio capacity suffices to provide for humanity’s Ecological Footprint. The remainder of the year corresponds to global overshoot. Earth Overshoot Day is calculated by dividing the world bio capacity (the amount of ecological resources Earth is able to generate that year), by the world Ecological Footprint (humanity’s demand for that year), and multiplying by 365, the number of days in 2014:

(World Bio capacity / World Ecological Footprint) x 365 = Earth Overshoot Day

Every year the GFN calculates our consistently changing ecological foorprint and predicts our yearly overshoot day. This is accomplished by Dividing the worlds bio capacity by the ecological footprint and multiplying it by how many days are in that year. Or World bio capacity ÷ Ecological footprint × 365 = Earth Overshoot day

6) The national Footprint and bio capacity calculations are based on United Nations data sets and use about 6,000 data points per country and year. In addition the calculations use some complementary data points from the most recent scientific literature. The precision and reliability of the underlying data is not known and may vary from country to country.

However, Global Footprint Network not only updates its data on a regular basis, but also improves its methodology. Global Footprint Network estimates that the absolute precision may be within 15 per cent.

However, the assessments of overall trends are more robust.

One significant improvement Global Footprint Network is working on involves calculating the biosphere’s ability to absorb carbon. With data collected through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the emerging literature, more precise assessments are now possible. Preliminary calculations indicate that the average carbon sequestration capacity may be slightly lower than what was estimated in the past.

Using this new number would increase the carbon Footprint and the total Ecological Footprint. As soon as this research is completed, an updated carbon sequestration assessment will be included in the next National Footprint Accounts, which are used to calculate global Ecological Footprint and biocapacity.

Consequently, Earth Overshoot Day is meant as an approximation rather than an exact date. Still, the data shows that humanity’s demand on nature is at an unsustainable level — one year is no longer enough to regenerate humanity’s annual demand on the planet.

We require 1.5 planets to keep our lives sustainable. Well recent search results from the Global Footprint Network suggests otherwise. This is because of the Earths ability to absorb carbon may be lower then what we might’ve expected. Therefore raising our carbon footprint and ultimately our ecological footprint.

7) Global Footprint Network is an international sustainability think tank working to make ecological limits central to decision-making by advancing the Ecological Footprint. This resource management tool measures how much nature we have, how much we use and who uses what. Together with its partners, Global Footprint Network coordinates research, develops methodological standards, and provides decision makers with robust resource accounts to help the human economy operate within Earth’s ecological limits.

The Global Footprint Network uses how much nature we have and how much we consume, using a systematic, theoretical analysis the CFN can calculate our planets ecological limits.

3.    Answer the following question

·      What is the link between Ecological Footprint and Carbon Footprint? The carbon footprint is a section of the ecological footprint. Put it as a government. The carbon footprint is like the prime minister; it contributed most and usually puts a burden of everyone under it… in this case at least. However there are many other little footprints working with it, enlarging it and contributing to the total number of earths it takes to support our lifestyle. So the ecological footprint can also be used to measure the carbon footprint representing the land area required to sequester carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning.