Human Population & Ecological Footprints (DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS))

Human Population & Ecological Footprints

• An ecological footprint (EF) is a theoretical concept that acts as a valuable tool used to assess the environmental impact of human populations

  • It quantifies the area of land and water required to support a specific population at a particular standard of living

Ecological Footprints as a Measure of Demands

• The ecological footprint provides a comprehensive measure of the demands that human populations place on the environment

  • It takes into account the resources consumed by individuals, such as food, energy, water, and materials, as well as the waste generated and the ecosystem services required to absorb that waste

  • By considering these factors, ecological footprints help to evaluate the sustainability of human activities

Variation in Ecological Footprints

• Ecological footprints can vary significantly by country and even between individuals

  • This variation is influenced by various factors:

• Lifestyle choices:

  • Different lifestyle choices, including consumption patterns, transportation modes, and housing preferences, have a direct impact on ecological footprints

  • In this way, the environmental value system adopted by an individual, a group or a whole country determines the size of its ecological footprint

  • For example, individuals who consume large amounts of goods and services, have high energy demands, or engage in activities with significant environmental impacts will have larger ecological footprints compared to those with more sustainable lifestyles

• Productivity of food production systems:

  • The efficiency and sustainability of agricultural practices also contribute to variations in the size of a country's ecological footprint 

  • For example, countries with intensive and resource-intensive agricultural systems may have larger ecological footprints due to high demands for land, water, and inputs like fertilisers and pesticides

  • In contrast, countries with more sustainable and efficient farming practices typically have smaller ecological footprints

• Land use and industry:

  • The type of land use and industrial activities in a region can affect the size of its ecological footprint

  • For example, areas with extensive urbanisation, industrial development, or extractive industries may have larger ecological footprints due to increased resource consumption, energy demands, and waste generation

Photo by Paul Schellekens on Unsplash 

Lifestyle choices, including diets and consumption patterns, affect a region's ecological footprint size - countries that have very high consumption rates of highly processed foods have large ecological footprints due to both the resources required to sustain this diet or lifestyle, and the large amount of solid domestic waste this lifestyle produces

Ecological Footprints and Carrying Capacity

• Comparing the ecological footprint of a human population with the available land area provides insights into sustainability and carrying capacity

  • If the ecological footprint of a population exceeds the land area available to it, it indicates an unsustainable situation where resource consumption surpasses the environment's ability to regenerate

  • This suggests that the population is exceeding the carrying capacity of the area, leading to ecological degradation and potential resource depletion

• As global demand for resources increases, so the whole planet’s ecological footprint gets bigger and its carrying capacity gets smaller

  • Calculations suggest the world is in a state of overshoot, currently using the equivalent of 1.6 Earth’s worth of resources

  • With the global population predicted to increase to around 9-10 billion by 2050, even more ‘Earths’ will be required unless more sustainable resource use strategies are put in place

  • Eventually, this may begin to act as a natural ‘check’ on global population growth and even lead to global population decline

• Other implications of changes to humanity's increasing global ecological footprint and the planet's shrinking carrying capacity include:

  • Destruction of ecosystems such as forests and coral reefs with knock-on effects of extinction of plant and animal species 

  • Climate change

  • Deforestation and changes of land use for growing urban areas, transport and industrial development

  • Reduction of availability and quality of fresh water

  • Reduction in soil quality through erosion leading to crop and food shortages