Ecological Footprint accounting:

Building a Winning Hand The Ecological Footprint - Building a Winning Hand

Preparing for the ultimate resource game

This game is about our planet

The Earth provides all we need to live and thrive. Yet, as humanity pushes up against the therefore our well-being. The Ecological Footprint is a resource accounting tool. It mea­ Earth’s limits, managing our ecological assets becomes essential for successful gover- sures how much nature we have, how much we use, and who uses what. It provides nance, for sustainable development, and for humanity’s survival. Just as strong busi- important information for policymakers and decisionmakers as they develop their nesses keep detailed financial accounts to manage and protect their assets, we need winning hands. robust ecological resource accounts to manage and protect our ecological assets – and please cut here

The playing field is getting smaller The rules of the game have changed

Humanity now demands the equivalent of 1.3 Earths to meet our needs. Moderate In the past, the name of the game in our global economy has been quick profits – often United Nations scenarios suggest that if current trends continue humanity will demand at the planet’s expense. But in today’s world, where humanity is already exceeding 2 Earths by 2050. We are in ecological overshoot, using more resources and emit- planetary limits, ecological assets are becoming more critical. They are most valuable ting more wastes than the Earth can regenerate in a year. Yet the Earth cannot cope when they are managed well and therefore able to serve the human economy for with our increasing resource demand for long, and every day our room to manoeuvre years to come. is shrinking and our decisions are determining the future.

Old rules: 1.5 Human Demand on Biosphere: Ecological Footprint 1961–2003 Attract the maximum amount of financial capital possible to invest in your Humanity's total Ecological Footprint country, regardless of environmental and Earth's biological capacity social consequences, and hope for 1.0 economic growth.

Food, fibre, and timber portion of humanity’s Ecological Footprint New rules:

Number of Earths Nature is more powerful than the economy. 0.5 Ecological assets are becoming the decisive competitive factors. Know your ecological CO2 portion of humanity’s Ecological Footprint assets, manage them, protect them, use them 0.0 wisely, and your country will be better off. 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001

The Ecological Footprint compares the biologically the Earth’s available capacity. In 2007, we used 30 The effects of ecological overshoot are already visi- tables, overgrazing, tropical deforestation, massive productive land and water areas a human population percent more than the Earth’s available capacity. Yet ble: Jeffrey Sachs, renowned development economist extinction of species, overfishing, and climate change. requires to produce the resources it consumes and to a number of countries exceed this global average from Columbia University, points to increased water In the new game, survival and economic success will absorb its wastes. The graph shows humanity’s soa- by as much as 500 percent. shortages, desertification, land erosion, stalled pro- depend on knowing and working with the new rules. ring Footprint: in 1961, we consumed 50 percent of gress on crop productivity, declining groundwater ec De de In c Susta Ca T

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Is My country an ecological debtor or Step by step creditor? What should be my strategy? Play every card in due time

Each country has its own ecological risk profile and a unique path towards sustaina­ Today’s policy, investment, and infrastructure decisions will determine our resource ble development. Three factors can help any country work toward living within its use for decades to come. For example, is our future energy demand met by coal or means: 1. Use sustainable production practices that allow for increased wealth without wind? Is our mobility dependent on cars or public transportation? Will there be further increased resource use. Resource efficient infrastructure is key.2 . Reduce and reverse population growth or will the numbers stabilize? Ecological Footprint accounting population growth by giving women in your country full access to education and informs strategic decision-making, and for every large-scale decision you can influ- family planning support. 3. Maintain and increase biological capacity (the ability of ence, you have a choice: to support building resource traps, or to invest in opportuni- an ecosystem to provide resources and absorb waste) through careful management, ties that safeguard our future. improved irrigation, re-forestation, topsoil maintenance, and conservation.

Morocco Switzerland Tanzania Humanity‘s Footprint (in number of planet Earths) 2 Car (10–20 years) Business as Usual

Nuclear power station (US/Europe: 40 years), long-term waste

Highway (20–50 years)

Bridge (30–75 years) 500 km 500 km 500 km 1 Coal power station (30–75 years) 5 5 5 Number of Earths 4 4 4 Human (natn‘l avg: 32–82 years)

3 3 3 Commercial building design (50–100 years) 2 2 2

1 1 1 Housing, railway and dam (50–150 years) 0 0 0 0 1961 1968 1975 1982 1989 1996 2003 1961 1968 1975 1982 1989 1996 2003 1961 1968 1975 1982 1989 1996 2003 1960 1980 2000 2020 2040 2060 2080 2100 Ecological Footprint and biocapacity (global hectares per capita)

Ecological Footprint Biocapacity World’s biocapacity Humanity’s Ecological Footprint Earth’s biological capacity

These cards show how resource trends are playing Switzerland: Due to efficiency increases, the Are you investing in resource traps or opportunities? lead to ecosystem collapses around the world. We out in three countries. World-average biological ca- Swiss per person Footprint has flattened, though at a Is our new infrastructure leaving us a positive legacy only have a few decades to bring society back into pacity is shown as a common reference. If the high level. Switzerland’s Footprint is far higher than that allows us to operate in a resource-constrained one planet living, but with the right information and country’s Ecological Footprint is higher than biologi­ Switzerland’s biological capacity. The country is very world or is it a trap that undermines a sustainable human ingenuity we can win the ultimate resource cal capacity, the country is an ecological debtor. dependent on other countries’ ecological assets. future? Moderate United Nations scenarios imply game, if we all build a winning hand. Morocco: The Moroccan Footprint per capita is re­ Tanzania: The Ecological Footprint per person is that if current trends continue by 2050 humanity’s latively stable over time. The biological capacity per decreasing. But population growth pushed the biolo­ Footprint will be twice what the Earth can sustain person is far below world average. Due to drought gical capacity per capita below the world average. (green line). Our accumulated ecological debt may conditions, the biological capacity fluctuates. Building a winning hand requires good information Key questions the Ecological Footprint address

Is your country an ecological debtor or an ecological creditor? Can technological advances compensate for your increased resource demand?

What are the risks and opportunities for your country in a How can you help your citizens live better lives on fewer resources? resource-constrained world?

What natural assets does your country have? Are your infrastructure investments increasing the security of your country Are they healthy, or in decline? or are they making you more vulnerable? What is driving the change?

For further information, please visit www.footprintnetwork.org. For more on Footprint applications specifically, see www.footprintnetwork.org/nations and www.footprintnetwork.org/africa.

Contact us at Global Footprint Network 312 Clay Street, Suite 300 / Oakland, CA 94607-3510 USA +1-510-839-8879 / [email protected]