It’s a good job I love old. Having trialled several different footprint calculators for work (Bio-Regional’s is the best I’ve found so far) it’s now confirmed in my mind that I should be reducing not only my waste and energy consumption but reducing the amount of goods that I buy new full stop. Having vowed to never use supermarkets 15 months ago, should I now vow to go a whole year without buying anything that isn’t at least second-hand? I think so…
According to Bio-Regional’s footprint calculator my ecological footprint is 3.1 global hectares. A global hectare is one hectare of biologically productive space with world-average productivity. In 2002 the biosphere had 11.4 billion hectares of biologically productive space corresponding to roughly one quarter of the planet’s surface. This includes 2.0 billion hectares of ocean and 9.4 billion hectares of land. 1 global hectare is a hectare representing the average capacity of one of these 11.4 billion hectares.
Global hectares allow the meaningful comparison of the ecological footprints of different countries, which use different qualities and mixes of cropland, grazing land, and forest. For comparative purposes an ecological footprint is usually expressed in gha per person. Once all global hectares of bioprucdtive land and sea are divided by the total global population, we end up with our fair earth share – 1.8 gha; thank you Ecological Budget. I’m currently using enough resources to require 1.7 planets - (not single handed – if everyone on the planet used the same as I currently do) – and produce 7.1 tonnes of CO2. The breakdown: home & energy – 15%; transport – 21%; food – 18%; goods – 8%; government – 19%; capital assets – 7%; and services 12%.
Obviously my target is 1 planet (1.8 gha) but what is my carbon emissions target. I’d heard 2.5 tonnes was the global fare share amount. I put the question to WWF who replied about a day later that it was about 3.92 tonnes.
Second thoughts…from the breakdown above its clear that I need to make cuts in transport, food and government emissions. Low carbon might be a little harder than first though. I walk everywhere, get the bus to work, use my car about 4 times a year and catch a train about three times a year; I don’t fly; Government emissions, well I vote, campaign and protest but could I guess do more; and I make ethical choices with my food. Will endeavour to find ways of improving.
