Eco footprints

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 EXERCISE 24: Ecological Footprints and Worldviews INSTRUCTIONS

Homework

EXERCISE 24: Ecological Footprints and

Worldviews INSTRUCTIONS

Humans need and use natural resources to survive. However, unlike most other species, we

consume natural resources not just for survival, but also for convenience and status. In addition,

while non-human species generally must acquire the natural resources they need from within the

ecosystems where they reside, humans have devised ways to access natural resources from

distant ecosystems to satisfy their needs and wants. All this resource utilization has environmental

implications, positive or negative, and it frames our individual connections to the biosphere.

As individuals we often have different environmental worldviews and cultural perspectives

regarding our desire to utilize resources beyond meeting basic needs. How individuals believe the

world works, what they think their role in the world should be, and what they believe is right and

wrong behavior, shapes their environmental worldview. Conversely, an individual’s worldview is

reflected in their actions. In addition, due to differences in economic means, not all of us have the

ability to use natural resources at the same level. This raises questions of equitable distribution of

natural resources among human societies and between humans and other species.

Biologist Paul Ehrlich and physicist John Holden (1971) first proposed the following equation as a

means to measure the environmental impact of a particular resource use: I = P x A x T, where I is

the environmental impact, P is the number of people being considered, A is the affluence per

person as equated as resource consumption per person, and T is the environmental effects of

using the resource. More recently, Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees (1996) developed the

concept of an ecological footprint as a way for an individual to measure a personal

environmental impact using a method that encapsulates the variables in Ehrlich’s and Holden’s

equation. An ecological footprint is defined as the area of productive land required to provide

resources and assimilate waste to meet consumption needs. Ecological footprints can be

calculated at various levels such as for an individual, a community, a nation, or for the world.

In this lab, you will explore your environmental worldview, evaluate your environmental actions,

calculate your ecological footprint, and reflect the impact of your activities on the Earth. You will

also explore the concept of ecological overshoot and investigate the relationship between

biocapacity, ecological footprint and ecological overshoot.

OBJECTIVES

1. Define worldview, and discuss various environmental worldviews.

2. Explain your personal worldview in the environmental context.

3. List the ways you positively and negatively impact the biosphere and discuss the environmental

implications of your lifestyle.

4. Discuss how lifestyle behaviors reflect or contradict worldviews.

5. Explore your environmental impacts by quantifying your ecological footprint.

6. Define and describe relationships among biocapacity, ecological footprint, ecological

overshoot.

7. Explain ‘Earth Overshoot Day’ and apply to human impact on the planet

PROCEDURE

PART 1: EXPLORING YOUR WORLDVIEW

1. Describing an environmental worldview can be complicated, as there are a number of

underlying aspects that inform our worldview such as:

(1) How we perceive the value of nature (whether as intrinsically valuable or of value only as

constructed by its benefit to us)

(2) How we see ourselves fitting into nature (as superior, equal, or inferior in the web of life)

(3) How we balance our right versus our responsibilities (to other groups in society, to other

species, and to other generations)

(4) How we measure the consequences of technology (as essentially beneficial or largely

harmful)

(5) How we view the resiliency of nature (as fragile and easily disrupted or as robust and

enduring)

(6) How we calculate the availability of resources (as finite or infinite)

The Environmental Worldview Survey is to help you identify and articulate the various

dimensions of your worldview as described above. The statements in the survey are set up as

opposing pairs but there is no implication that a strong agreement with one should imply a strong

disagreement with the other. Rather, you may find that you partially agree with both positions.

Therefore, in responding to the pair of statements, consider the two as part of a continuum and in

each case circle the number on the scale that indicates the extent of your preference for one or the

other viewpoint. If you strongly prefer one viewpoint circle #2 closer to the statement you agree

with. If you have a slight preference, circle #1 as appropriate. If you have equal preference for both

viewpoints, circle 0. As a general organizer, the statements on the right are more pro-environment.

The point of this exercise is to get you to think about why you agree or disagree with the stated

propositions and what they say about your worldview. Space has been provided after each

category of statements for you to reflect on that particular dimension of your worldview. Use the

space to discuss social conditioning, cultural beliefs, family background, educational experiences,

or any other influences that may have shaped your view on that particular aspect.

2. Complete the Environmental Action Survey.

3. Based on your responses in the survey, select two photographs (you do not necessarily have to

be in the photos) that best reflect your environmental worldview and some aspect of your

environmental actions.

4. Prepare a brief write-up and for each photo in which you discuss why you selected the photo

and how and what it reflects of your worldview and environmental actions.

5. Your instructor may also ask you to prepare a brief (5 min) presentation to share your selection

of photos with the class.

6. Answer questions 1-2 on the Report Form for Exercise 24.

PART 2: CALCULTING AND ANALYZING ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS

1. Use this footprint calculator on the Global Footprint Network website to calculate your personal

ecological footprint. The calculator will lead you through the steps. Where indicated in the

calculator, add details to improve accuracy. Read over your general and detailed results; click on

the “i” symbols for more information throughout the results. In question 3 of the Report Form

for Exercise 24, record details of your ecological footprint in Tables 1, 2, and 3 under the

column “Current Footprint”.

2. Explore solutions following calculation of your ecological footprint. Then retake the ecological

footprint quiz, this time based on changes in lifestyle you would be willing to make. Enter your

details for your new, lower footprint under the column “Revised Footprint” in Tables 1, 2,

and 3 of question 3 on the Report Form.

3. Based on the two ecological footprint calculations answer questions 4-6 on the Report

Form for Exercise 24.

4. Explore National Footprint Accounts on the Global Footprint Network website. Click the center

circle that says Ecological Footprint Per Person and compare your footprint to average US

footprint as well as the footprint of other countries. Also explore other parameters such as

biocapacity per person. Based on exploring the national footprints answer questions 7-10 on

the Report Form for Exercise 24. You may use additional credible resources e.g., from your

textbook or the internet, in answering the questions. Embed citations where used within each

response. Provide complete citations for your resources, not simply url’s/web addresses.

5. Explore the discussion of ecological overshoot on the Global Footprint Network. Watch the brief

video. Read the discussion about Earth Overshoot Day for the most current year. Also check out

the changes in ecological footprint over time at , and explore country overshoot days. Based on

this this exploration of Overshoot Day respond to questions 11-13 on the Report Form for

Exercise 24.

REFERENCES

Ehrlich, PR, Holdren, JP. 1971. Impact of Population Growth. Science. 171 (3977):1212-1217.

National Footprint Accounts (NFA) 2018, Open Data Platform. Global Footprint Network. Retrieved

15 April 2018.

Wackernagel, M. and Rees W. 1996. Our ecological footprint: Reducing human impact on the Earth.

New Society Publishers, British Columbia, Canada.