Ecological Footprint and Sustainable Development

Objectives

Look at the related topics of ecological footprint and sustainable development. This includes the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Ecological footprint

The ecological footprint is the amount of land that would be required to provide the resources for a population

The world's ecological footprint (2022) is 2.58 ha per person

Biocapacity is the land available to meet people's demand. The Earth's biocapacity (2022) is 1.51 ha per person.

[math]\frac{2.58}{1.51}=1.71 Earths[/math]

In words, humans are now using resources 1.71 times what the Earth can provide. By 2040 this will grow to about 2 Earths.

The following table shows the footprint/biocapacity for selected countries.

	Footprint	Biocapacity
Australia	6.1	11.5
United Arab Emirates	8.9	0.6
United States of America	7.8	3.7
Russia	5.8	7.5
Thailand	2.4	1.2
India	1.1	0.4

I=PAT

As can be seen from above, the footprint is not only dependent on the population, but on the amount of resources used per capita. This can be represented by the (highly) simplified model:

I = PxAxT

where I = Impact, P = Population (size), A = Affluence (consumption of resources per person), T = Technological impact (per unit consumption)

Activity

Calculate your own footprint using the footprint calculator given under Web Resources. Think about ways you could reduce your footprint.

Sustainable Development

Definition

There are many definitions of sustainable development over the years. To give more direction to the concept, the UN General Assembly in set up the World Commission on Environment and Development, chaired by the former prime minister of Norway - Gro Harlem Brundtland. They published, in 1987, a report called Our Common Future, better known as "the Brundtland Report".

As part of the Brundtland Report they gave the following definition, which has now become the standard definition of sustainable development:

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs It contains within it two key concepts:

• The concept of 'needs', in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and

• The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

As part of the move toward future sustainable development, and as a replacement for the Millennium Development Goals, the UN General Assembly agreed in 2015 on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's). These are to be achieved by 2030.

The SDGs consist of 17 goals. The goals are

UN poster showing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals

1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life Below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals

These are subdivided into 169 more specific targets. Each of the targets has one or more indicators.

Web Resources

Ecological Footprint There are many footprint calculators available on the internet, where you can calculate your own footprint. One example is, Global Footprint Network's calculator The Global Footprint Network website at https://www.footprintnetwork.org also has a database of footprints and biocapacities for countries and has news and information related to ecological footprint. Sustainable Development and SDGs International Institute for Sustainable Development - contains many articles on sustainable development and SDG's. They also have a newsletter about sustainable development. SciDev.net - many articles on sustainability and sustainable development ReliefWeb - a news and information website provided by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Is sustainable development dead? UN Division on Sustainable Development - includes peroid reports on the status of the SDGs Wikipedia article on sustainable development Our Common Future (pdf) - text of the Brundtland commission report SDG main page - Information about all the SDG's, including targets, indicators, etc. Hint: Click on the individuals goals at the bottom to get more info.