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Measuring Marin County's Ecological Footprint

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Measuring Marin County's Ecological Footprint Measuring Marin County’s Ecological Footprint Prepared for the County of Marin Community Development Agency February 2006 Justin Kitzes, M.S. Steve Goldfinger, Ph.D. MEASURING MARIN’S ECOLOGICAL IMPACT Marin County is known for its served as a model for cities To what extent will successful distinctive natural setting and and counties throughout the implementation of these community support for Bay Area and the nation. programs and targets and environmental causes. actually reduce Marin’s From the early efforts of the Continuing in this tradition, demand on ecosystems? One Marin Open Space District to the current update to Marin’s way to answer this question is the county’s current Countywide Plan adopts to evaluate how consumption membership in the Cities for sustainability as a guiding of ecological resources and Climate Protection Campaign, principle, and offers programs services will change, using a Marin’s long history of and targets that provide a solid measure known as the conservation and foundation for continuing the Ecological Footprint. environmentally-aware transition towards sustainable planning and development has development in Marin County. WHAT IS THE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT? 1.4 There are many ways to measure our impact on nature. One of the 1.2 most widely used metrics is the Earth's biological capacity Ecological Footprint, an 1.0 accounting tool first developed in the early 1990s. A Footprint 0.8 measures ecological demand Humanity's total Ecological Footprint associated with human activities 0.6 in terms of the area of Number of Earths 0.4 biologically productive land and sea required to provide the 0.2 resources being used and to CO2 portion of humanity's Ecological Footprint absorb the wastes generated, 0.0 given current technology. This 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 area is reported in “global acres,” acres adjusted to reflect world-average biological Global “overshoot” - humanity’s In the United States today, the productivity. Footprint exceeding world average Footprint per person is biocapacity - began in the mid- more than twice the domestic Footprint (demand) can be 1980s and has been growing biocapacity available per compared to biocapacity steadily since. Now at 23%, person. The Footprint has (supply), a measure of the total overshoot is possible in the short- increased steadily over the past biologically productive area term by harvesting more 40 years, largely due to available. Globally, the average resources than nature can replace increased use of energy and person’s Footprint is 5.4 global each year or by allowing wastes, associated emissions of carbon acres, while only 4.4 global such as carbon dioxide (CO2), to dioxide (the energy Footprint acres are available per person. accumulate in the biosphere. If is discussed in more detail on Even less would be available if overshoot continues, ecosystems page 4). At the same time the some of this area was left for the become depleted and are at risk biocapacity available per use of wild species. of collapse. person in the U.S. has decreased, primarily because of population growth. Footprint and Biocapacity in the United States 12.0 Today, over 24 global acres are needed to support the 10.0 consumption of the average 8.0 U.S. resident; if everyone on 6.0 the globe were to consume at this level, we would need more 4.0 than five planets. 2.0 Global hecatares per person per hecatares Global 0.0 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 Biocapacity Footprint MARIN COUNTY’S ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT In 2001 Marin County became reflected in the Ecological both individual and collective the first municipality to Footprint of every Marin Footprint savings, Marin’s calculate its ecological resident. Individual decisions, Countywide Plan exemplifies footprint, which measured at such as how fuel efficient a car the type of actions that will 27 global acres per person, to buy, influence the size of be necessary if we are to slightly higher than that of the one’s Footprint, as do collective reduce global overshoot and average American and more decisions, such as whether achieve a prosperous and than double that of many transportation funds are used to ecologically sustainable industrialized European build highways or bike lanes. future countries. How do countries like France, Germany and Italy By calling for county-wide achieve their high standards of programs that will encourage living with significantly lower demands on ecosystems? Number of Earths that would be required if everyone had the footprint of a County in the Bay Area. To some extent, people in these countries simply consume less than U.S. residents. The average resident of France, for example, uses 1.3 global acres of timber land each year for everything from telephone poles to wood furniture to the daily newspaper. The average resident of the United States uses 3.2 global acres of timber land to provide these same types of products. While much of a person’s Footprint is determined by Ecological Footprints Around The World individual decisions and 30 activities, a significant portion 25 also depends on the 20 consumption patterns of the 15 country they live in. County, 10 state, and federal government globally available biological capacity activities - providing education, person / acres global 5 health and military services, for 0 example - require the use of Italy USA India Marin Marin China adesh resources, and these are Japan France Canada Panama Australia Germany Bangl GREENHOUSE GAS Human activities powered by Cities for Climate Protection Climate and Carbon fossil fuels such as coal, oil, Campaign (CCP), and and natural gas cause the waste completing a comprehensive • Humanity’s single largest demand on ecosystems product carbon dioxide (CO2) study on local sources of comes from emissions of to be released into the air. By carbon dioxide emissions and carbon dioxide. far, the largest contributors to the potentials for reduction. these emissions both The Countywide Plan sets a • Globally, humanity’s energy Footprint grew worldwide and in Marin target of reducing carbon 700% in the past 40 years. County are vehicle traffic and dioxide emissions by 15-20% energy use in buildings. by the year 2015. • The area required to sequester Marin residents’ CO2 emissions makes up Some of these emissions are One ton of carbon dioxide 62% of the county’s total absorbed by the oceans. The has a Footprint of 0.67 global Footprint. energy Footprint is the area of acres, the amount of land • Energy use in buildings is forest land required to absorb area required to sequester responsible for 44% of the remaining CO2 emissions if one ton of this greenhouse Marin’s greenhouse gas they are not to accumulate in gas each year. Marin emissions. 53% comes from transportation. the atmosphere. Energy land is County’s energy land the single largest component of Footprint, for the energy • In the year 2000, Marin the Ecological Footprint in used in transportation and County emitted over 2.6 most industrialized countries, buildings, is 1.6 million million tons of carbon dioxide. including the United States. global acres. A 20% reduction in this total • Marin County has a total Marin has already taken steps Footprint would produce a energy Footprint of 1.6 million global acres. towards decreasing its energy savings of 320,000 global Footprint, including joining the acres. PROGRAMS to reduce CARBON DIOXIDE Footprint Many different types of activities and programs can reduce Marin’s carbon dioxide emissions. The most important ways to reduce emissions are through (1) changes in transportation patterns and (2) energy efficiency and conservation in buildings, both commercial and residential. Actions focused specifically on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions can be found in programs in the Atmosphere and Climate section of the Countywide Plan. Programs and policies that call for more specific activities that can have an impact on carbon dioxide emissions are described in the TRANSPORTATION and ELECTRICITY pages in this report. Important transportation-related policies include TR-1 through TR-4. Significant energy reductions can be realized through policies EN-1 through EN-3in the Energy and Green Buildings sections. GETTING AROUND MARIN COUNTY Fossil fuel-burning vehicles transportation, such as From Here to There contribute significantly to driving alone, carpooling or Marin’s Ecological Footprint. public transit, can contribute • Marin residents drive over 2 billion miles each year. In the United States, significantly to reducing the transportation accounts for overall Footprint of Marin. • Transportation is approximately one third of the The County has set targets responsible for more than total energy Footprint. for decreases in the half of Marin’s greenhouse gas emissions. percentage of single drivers, The modes of transportation and for doubling, by the year • The average gasoline car with the highest Footprints are 2015, the number of in Marin gets 22 miles to the gallon. Increasing this air and car travel, which emit residents who walk and bike by 10 mpg would save the most carbon dioxide per to work. This latter change 200,000 global acres of passenger mile. Carpooling alone would save 9,000 Footprint each year. with another person halves the global acres of Footprint • Nearly half of Marin Footprint of driving per person, each year. residents work outside the while commuting by bus has county. only one-fourth the Footprint The list below includes some of driving alone. Walking or of the many programs • Two thirds of Marin commuters drive to work biking have almost zero contained in the Countywide alone, 11% carpool, and Footprint—in addition to the Plan that can help reduce the 10% take public transit. health benefits! transportation component of • Driving an average car Marin’s Ecological 12,000 miles a year Changing the relative use of Footprint.
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