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Measuring Our Ecological Footprint
The Eco-Footprint is a science-based methodology that addresses this question: how many natural resources do we use and how much do we have? Though we have long understood the importance of balancing assets against expenditure, we are only just beginning to recognise the value of using natural resources within the limits of the earth's productivity. Sustainability means living well, within the earth's biological capacity. An Eco-Footprint compares the ecosystem services we use each year, with the biosphere's capacity to re-generate them. These are measured in global acres, the units of biologically productive area needed to produce the resources we consume, and to absorb our waste. It can be applied to govern-ments, organisations and communities to assess their environmental impact. According to the Living Planet Report jointly published in 2004 by GFN and World Wide Fund for Nature, we get an average of 1.8 hectares per person space that also needs to accommodate non-human species. This is the average budget available for sustainable living using more implies ecological overload. The report also stated that the world average Eco-Footprint is 2.2 global hectares per person today, that is, 20 per cent more than what is available on the planet. In 2002, Hong Kong's Ecological Footprint was 4.3 global hectares per person or 2.4 times the world average. If the situation remains unchanged, we would need at least 100 times the existing land and sea area we have to support our current lifestyles.The organisers hope that this workshop will catalyze the development of a sustainability index in Hong Kong. This would be a significant step in as-sessing our status of sustainability and in moving towards a balanced future. Contact: (Source: Positive News: http://www.positivenews.org.uk/index.php)
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.)
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one-day workshop organised both by the Global Footprint Network and
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, supported by the Business Environment
Council, was held in November at the Jockey Club Environmental Building.
Up to 80 people from the business sector, academia, non-profit
organi-sations, environmental consultants and educators attended the
event to learn about the basic concepts of the Ecological Footprint.