ACCORDING TO THE EF, IS THE HUMAN POPULATION LIVING AT, BEYOND OR BELOW THE EARTH’S NATURAL BIOCAPACITY? FOR HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN THE CASE? IS THIS SUSTAINABLE?

ACCORDING TO THE EF, IS THE HUMAN POPULATION LIVING AT, BEYOND OR BELOW THE EARTH’S NATURAL BIOCAPACITY? FOR HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN THE CASE? IS THIS SUSTAINABLE?

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Due date: On or before 11 a.m. Friday, November 18, 2016.
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Ecological Footprint (EF)
The Ecological footprint (EF) measures how much of the regenerative capacity of the biosphere is used up by human activities. It is the sum of productive land and water area required to support the population and provide the resources it consumes, absorb its waste and provide infrastructure (Stiglitz et al., 2009, p. 244, http://www.insee.fr/fr/publications-et-services/default.asp?page=dossiers_web/stiglitz/documentscommission.htm). Biocapacity is a measure showing the capacity of biosphere to regenerate and provide for life. More detailed definitions are given on page 5.
Figure 1: Humanity’s ecological footprint by component 1961-2012
Figure 2: Ecological footprint and Biocapacity per capita 1961-2012
Figure 3: United States of America: Ecological footprint and Biocapacity per capita 1961-2012
1. According to the EF, is the human population living at, beyond or below the Earth’s natural biocapacity? For how long has this been the case? Is this sustainable?
2. According to the EF, is the US population living at, beyond or below USA’s natural biocapacity? For how long has this been the case? Is this sustainable?
3. If you assume that EF grows at a constant yearly rate, what is the approximate slope of the EF relationship with time for USA? And what is its units? Give the equation of, and sketch this line, with EF on the vertical axis and year on the horizontal axis. (EF for 2012 is 8.2 and for 1961 was approximately 8.1).
4. If you assume that biocapacity grows at a constant yearly rate, what is the approximate slope of the biocapacity relationship with time for USA? And what is its units? Give the equation of, and sketch this line, with biocapacity on the vertical axis and year on the horizontal axis. (biocapacity for 2012 is 3.8 and for 1961 was approximately 5.2).
5. If this trend continues, what will EF and biocapacity be in 2050? (Hint: use your equation from questions 3 and 4.) What will biocapacity minus EF be in 2050? Will there be a deficit or reserve?
6. Use the data presented in Figure 1 to suggest a policy to make land use sustainable.
Definitions: Source: Global Footprint Network
Footprint and Biocapacity Accounting
Footprint and biocapacity accounting helps us answer the basic research question: How much do people demand from biologically productive surfaces (Ecological Footprint) compared to how much can the planet (or a region’s productive surface) regenerate on those surfaces (biocapacity)?
What is the Ecological Footprint? What is it composed of?
The Ecological Footprint is the area of land and water it takes for a human population to generate the renewable resources it consumes and to absorb the corresponding waste it generates, using prevailing technology. In other words, it measures the -quantity of nature- that we use and compares it with how much -nature- we have.
The components of the Footprint include:
Cropland: Cropland is the most bioproductive of all the land-use types and consists of areas used to produce food and fibre for human consumption, feed for livestock, oil crops, and rubber. The cropland Footprint includes crop products allocated to livestock and aquaculture feed mixes, and those used for fibres and materials. Due to lack of globally consistent data sets, current cropland Footprint calculations do not yet take into account the extent to which farming techniques or unsustainable agricultural practices may cause longterm degradation of soil.
Forest land: Forest land provides for two competing services: the forest product Footprint, which is calculated based on the amount of lumber, pulp, timber products, and fuel wood consumed by a population on a yearly basis; and the carbon Footprint, which represents the carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels in addition to the embodied carbon in imported goods. The carbon Footprint component is represented by the area of forest land required to sequester these carbon emissions. Currently, the carbon Footprint is the largest portion of humanity’s Footprint.
Fishing grounds: The fishing grounds Footprint is calculated based on estimates of the maximum sustainable catch for a variety of fish species. These sustainable catch estimates are converted into an equivalent mass of primary production based on the various species’ trophic levels. This estimate of maximum harvestable primary production is then divided amongst the continental shelf areas of the world. Fish caught and used in aquaculture feed mixes are included.
Grazing land: Grazing land is used to raise livestock for meat, dairy, hide, and wool products. The grazing land Footprint is calculated by comparing the amount of livestock feed available in a country with the amount of feed required for all livestock in that year, with the remainder of feed demand assumed to come from grazing land.
Built-up land: The built-up land Footprint is calculated based on the area of land covered by human infrastructure: transportation, housing, and industrial structures. Built-up land may occupy what would previously have been cropland. What is Biocapacity?

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