...Resources ~ Interview with Mathis Wackernagel, co-creator of the Ecological Footprint, conducted by Between the Lines' Melinda Tuhus
The Ecological Footprint Offers a Tool to Measure Human Consumption of Resources
Interview with Mathis Wackernagel, co-creator of the Ecological Footprint, conducted by Melinda Tuhus
Worldwide human population is on the rise, and the demand for resources is increasing even faster. In the current situation, a tool called the Ecological Footprint is one way to measure how much land and water humans need to produce the resources they use and to absorb the waste they create. Using internationally accepted measurement tools, it's been determined that humans need an average of 4.5 acres -- or footprint -- per person to meet those needs. But in the U.S., the average footprint is 24 acres. Thus, it would take five Earth-size planets to meet humanity's resource needs if everyone consumed as much as the average American.
Ever-larger footprints have led to a situation in which humans are consuming almost 25 percent more resources each year than can be regenerated annually. And that doesn't even take into account what resources non-human life forms require.
Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Mathis Wackernagel, the co-creator of the Ecological Footprint. A Swiss citizen now living in Oakland, Calif., Wackernagel recently visited Yale University in New Haven, Conn., where he gave speeches and workshops on how to utilize the tool. He maintains the method provides objective measurements, which then can be used by governments or non-governmental organizations to evaluate the impact of city, region or country on the world's resources.
Contact the Ecological Footprint network by calling (510) 839-8879 or visit their website at www.footprintnetwork.org. Visit www.ecofoot.org to take the ecological footprint quiz and see how many planets your lifestyle requires.
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Original: BTL:The Ecological Footprint Offers a Tool to Measure Human Consumption of...