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Application of a simplified ecological footprint at a regional scale
Citation:
HOPTON, M. AND D. WHITE. Application of a simplified ecological footprint at a regional scale. Presented at Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), New Orlean, LA, November 19 - 23, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
Ecological Footprint (EF) is a commonly used metric of environmental sustainability because it is straightforward in theory and easy to conceptualize. EF attempts to capture anthropogenic influence on resources by identifying the amount of biologically-productive land required to support the average annual per capita consumption and waste production. The data needs of traditional EF accounting are relatively uncomplicated, although the amount of data required can be daunting. This level of detail creates difficulty when analyzing sub-national regions because it is often difficult to obtain data for local areas. To overcome this problem, researchers often approximate values using national data for many of the variables or use values from disparate years. Rather than calculating a national EF and scaling it to the region, we attempted to restrict our variables to those specific to a region, thereby reducing the number of variables to those necessary to adequately conduct a representative EF analysis. We assembled 26 years of data consisting of 34 variables. However, some essential data were only available at state and national levels and had to be scaled to the region. We computed an EF analysis for the United States using the same methodology to determine if the regional analysis was merely a duplicate of the larger system. Our analysis revealed biocapacity decreased at both scales. EF, however, was relatively flat at the regional level, but increased at the national level. Furthermore, analysis of the region revealed a decreasing ecological reserve whereas the national analysis revealed an increasing ecological deficit. Our results indicate both systems are moving away from sustainability, albeit for different reasons. The differences in the results between the two analyses increased our confidence that the methodology captured trends in the region, rather than merely representing that of the larger system.
URLs/Downloads:
SOCIETY OF ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY (SETAC);NEW ORLEAN, LOUISIANA; 19-23 NOVEMBER 2009
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 5 KB, about PDF)