Thursday, July 06, 2006
The Global Footprint Network
The Ecological Footprint is a tool which can be used for description and thus management of the ecological impact of human activity. The Network website includes (under free license) downloadable tables of the 2005 footprints for nations, as well as maps and information on global trends. A small staff, with a very distinguished Advisory Council, makes this information available online. The Network is also seeking to develop standards to be used by various groups applying their methodology, in order to help assure comparability in footprints developed by different groups at different times.
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One fifth of the world has a footprint of 3 global hectares or more per person, whilst almost half the world's population (47% of those in coutries with a published report) has a footprint of 1.5 global hectares or less. I've been doing some graphs on the footprint data and the difference between levels of consumption is staggering.
The group which gives most cause for optimism are the 'GF33' - a third of the world - countries with a footprint around the average.
The level among the 'top' nations is unsustainably high: 9.7 gha per person for the US and 10.5 for the United Arab Emirates, which includes Dubai. These heavy consumers need to start taking more notice of (respecting and learning from) the countries in the middle level of consumption.
By the way, the actual grouping is not meant to be exact, but, whichever cut-off points you use, the industrialised nations of 'the West' come out at the top of the top group.
Cathy
http://globalfootprint.blogspot.com and http://www.gf33.net
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