Ecological Footprint Ecological Footprint (Impronta ecologica)(Impronta ecologica)

Ecological FootprintEcological Footprint

What is A Ecological Footprint?The ecological footprint is a measure of

human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. It compares human demand with planet Earth's ecological capacity to regenerate. It represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area needed to regenerate the resources a human population consumes and to absorb and render harmless the corresponding waste.

Using this assessment, it is possible to estimate how much of the Earth (or how many planet Earths) it would take to support humanity if everybody lived a given lifestyle

Ecological FootprintEcological FootprintDepends from:Energy

consumptionLoss of

biodiversityLand

consumption Sea resources

consumptionLand resources

consumption

Distribution of Distribution of population…population…

… … and ecological and ecological footprintfootprint

2009

… … and ecological and ecological footprint per capitafootprint per capita

Ecological Footprint by Ecological Footprint by regionregion

2010 Earth Overshoot day: August 21st: the day in which we exhaust our ecological budget for the year

ScenarioScenario

2010 Earth Overshoot day: August 21st: the day in which we exhaust our ecological budget for the year

Carbon FootprintCarbon FootprintWhat is A Carbon Footprint?A carbon footprint is a measure of the

impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc.

The carbon footprint is a measurement of all greenhouse gases we individually produce and has units of tonnes (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Greenhouse GasesGreenhouse Gases Vapore acqueo Anidride carbonica (CO2)

Metano (CH4)

Ossidi di azoto (N2O)

Gas fluorurati

Atmospheric composition has

changed in the past two centuries: all the main

greenhouse gases have substantially

increased

Human activities have changed the composition Human activities have changed the composition of the atmosphere since the pre- industrial eraof the atmosphere since the pre- industrial era

Warmest 12 years:1998, 2005, 2003, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2001, 1997, 1995, 1999, 1990, 2000

TemperatureTemperature

The effects of the warming are visible also in the Arctic sea ice cover

Arctic sea ice area decreased by 2.7% per decade (Summer: -7.4% per decade)

Thank you for your Thank you for your attentionattention

 http://www.footprintnetwork.org/it/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/