Ecological Footprint measures the pressure that mankind has on the biosphere, according to productive surface (land and water surface) of the planet necessary to provide natural resources that it consumes and for the neutralization of the waste that the planet inhabitants generates.
Ecological Footprint of a country includes the area of cultivated land, pastures, forests and fisheries areas needed for fiber production, raw material, wood and food consumption areas occupied for neutralization of generated waste.
Biocapacity is the total amount of productive areas. The difference between the footprint and biocapacitate shows whether a country is debtor or ecological creditor.
Romania has the lowest ecological footprint of EU countries! In Romania, the difference between ecological footprint and biocapacitate varied over time: until 1970, biocapacity was higher than ecological footprint, between 1970 and 1994, the ratio has reversed. Assessments made after 1994 to date shows that biocapacity was higher than ecological footprint, with the exception of two years.
In Romania, the ecological footprint is 2.9 (against 2.4 in 2003), the lowest in the EU, but the country remains an ecological debtor, biocapacity being 2.3; The world consume, therefore, ecological resources of 1.4 planets. Romania still has an exceptional natural capital compared to other EU countries. Pressures to which it is subjected, however, are enormous.
Chaotic economic development, infrastructure projects - some even financed with EU funds - which does not take into account the devastating impact on the environment, irrational exploitation of natural resources, all this leads to a rapid increase in pressure over
ecosystems.
ecosystems.
EU Ecological Footprint
According to WWF estimates (World Wide Fund for Nature), the European Union's economic growth has doubled the ecological impact on the planet in the last 30 years.
Except for Finland, Latvia and Sweden, EU countries face a shortage of natural resources. Even if these countries have greater ecological reserves compared to other states, does not mean that they manage properly. For example, in Finland, pressure over environment increased to 70% since 1975, one of the highest growth rates in the EU.
One generation ago, Europe was a friendly environmentally creditor, using less natural resources than were available. Today, however, europeans consumptions, by far exceeds the carrying capacity of natural ecosystems. If everyone on this planet would have the same lifestyle as the europeans, we would need 2.6 more planets to provide the necessary resources and to neutralize the generated waste '(European office director of WWF statement, Tony Long).
Although it has only 7.7% of global population and 9.5% of the planet's biocapacity, the EU is responsible for 16% of the global ecological footprint. Despite technological advances, environmental pressure has been growing faster than the population of Europe, thus creating a shortage of natural resources both for the world and for future generations.
Except for Finland, Latvia and Sweden, EU countries face a shortage of natural resources. Even if these countries have greater ecological reserves compared to other states, does not mean that they manage properly. For example, in Finland, pressure over environment increased to 70% since 1975, one of the highest growth rates in the EU. Germany, together with Bulgaria and Latvia, managed to reduce their ecological footprint in the last three decades and at the same time to increase their human development index. However, Germany's ecological footprint is 2.5 times higher than the natural resources available and 2 times higher than the worlds average per person.
France is part of the general trends of the EU. With improved technology, France has a larger volume of resources, and consumption is increasing, especially in energy.
In Eastern Europe, for example, Hungary's ecological footprint - as other countries that had a centralized economy - has decreased since 1991, especially due to economic changes occurring with the end of the Soviet period. For Slovenia, in 1995 one could speak of sustainable development in global terms, in 2003, however, per capita, ecological footprint has doubled, while the development has increased by more than 5%.
One generation ago, Europe was a friendly environmentally creditor, using less natural resources than were available. Today, however, europeans consumptions, by far exceeds the carrying capacity of natural ecosystems. If everyone on this planet would have the same lifestyle as the europeans, we would need 2.6 more planets to provide the necessary resources and to neutralize the generated waste '(European office director of WWF statement, Tony Long).
For 2008, all produced resources were exhausted on 23 September, which means that, at present, the world needs a year and three
months to create what the world consumes in 12 months.
months to create what the world consumes in 12 months.
China ahead of U.S. regarding CO2 emissions!
China surpassed the U.S., officially became the world's biggest polluter, with emissions of 6 billion tons of CO2 last year, according to latest figures published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
China's emissions have increased by 11% in 2005, while the U.S. have dropped theirs in the proportion of 2% to 5.70 billion tons of CO2.
So, the ecological footprint measures the average bioproductivity that an individual or a nation uses in a given year. Ecological footprint of each of us is the total amount of productive land or wetlands (including the oceans) that provides everything you use in a year and absorbing waste products using the most widely available technologies at a time.
Per capita instead, China's emissions are still lower than the U.S. and other developed countries. In 2006, they were 4.6 tonnes per citizen in China and 20 for a U.S. citizen. At the historical level, the difference between the two biggest polluters is impressive. Thus, in 1850, the U.S. issued a total of 1.088 tons of carbon dioxide per capita, while Chinese figures amounted to only 68 tonnes per capita.
The two sources that published the figures are U.S. Government Agency and EIA agency, International Energy Agency (IEA) that collected data over 18 months. The figures refer only to emissions from fuel combustion, coal and gas. According to the Intergovernmental Platform on Climate Change (IPCC), which causes 57% of total global emissions of greenhouse gases.
Current figures confirm forecasts made last year by the Dutch Environment Agency, which announced China as the world's biggest polluter.
There are several websites where anyone can take a test to see his own ecological footprint. Here some: http://www.myfootprint.org/ , http://ecofoot.org/
At the end of the test find out how many planets would be needed to help sustain your consumption (food, energy, associated with housing, etc.) and to help absorb your waste products. The test calculates the area of cultivated land, pasture, forest and ocean consumption mentioned above.
So, the ecological footprint measures the average bioproductivity that an individual or a nation uses in a given year. Ecological footprint of each of us is the total amount of productive land or wetlands (including the oceans) that provides everything you use in a year and absorbing waste products using the most widely available technologies at a time. Sustainability in this context occurs when humanity will consume consistently slower than nature has the opportunity to regenerate itself.
by "environment clean generations"
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