What is your ecological footprint?
Everything you do takes its toll on nature.Imagine your day-to-day, your routine, what you eat, what your wear, how you get to work or to school, how do you go on holidays… do you have any idea of how big your ecological footprint is? How many resources you use up? How many planets do we need to keep consumption at current levels?
A small step for mankind, a big help for the Earth
The metric used to calculate the relation between human activities and natural resources consumption in our planet is called Ecological Footprint. This means that the ecological footprint measures the impact that each one of us has on the environment and tells us how many planets humanity would need if everyone on Earth had the same behaviour.
This concept arose in the 90’s but steadily gained popularity and, fast-forward to nowadays, it is used to measure the impact that mankind has on the terrestrial ecosystem, being also a measurement of how the world economy depends on Earth’s natural resources.
Evidently, a small ecological footprint is ideal. This means that the less planets we need to support our lifestyle, the better – especially since we only have this one.
What goes into my ecological footprint?
Your ecological footprint (and everyone’s for that matter) is affected by every single thing you do. From from the amount of water used at home, to the leaky kitchen tap, the morning coffee on your way to work, the choice of more energy-efficient appliances, eating more processed food or using cars… In fact it’s all connected.
Did you know that choosing local produce helps reduce your ecological footprint? For a very simple reason: if the fresh produce you use is locally sourced, on the one hand, less petrol will be needed to transport it; on the other hand, with shorter travel distances, the cooling needs of certain groceries are also reduced, thus minimising the amount of energy spent on this type of operation.
Oops! I have a giant ecological footprint… what now?
If your ecological footprint is larger than it should (one planet or less), the only way is to try and reduce it. This starts with a change of habits. To reduce you ecological footprint try:
- Saving water, electricity and gas – know the top water wasters at home;
- Traveling more using public transportation, and less by car. If it really is impossible to avoid using your car, try ride sharing with your co-workers, for example;
- Walking, jogging or cycling to work;
- Having at least one vegetarian meal a week;
- Saying good riddance to single-use plastics. Choose a thermos or reusable cup for your coffee breaks or fabric tote bags to carry your groceries;
- Not wasting food. Know 9 tips to avoid food waste;
- Buying local, be it food, clothes or other items;
- Recycling and reusing whenever possible;
- Choosing renewable energies.
Ecological Footprint: How many Earths does the world need?
The 2022 data shows the current global ecological footprint is about 1.75 planets. It means that the world needs almost two Earths to be able to support its lifestyle. The latest numbers put the UK’s ecological footprint at 2.6 Earths – which means that if all the 8 billion people on the planet lived the same way as UK residents, we would need more than two and a half planets.
The ecological footprint changes from country to country and the 2022 data suggests that developed countries use much more resources than developing ones.
Overshoot day happens every year.
The ecological footprint idea is tightly linked with another, more recent concept: Overshoot Day. This is not a day to be celebrated but rather to be avoided.
Complicated? We’ll make it simple. Think of resources as money: a salary must last, at least, for a whole month, right? Now, if this monthly salary is spent in just two weeks, the remainder of the month will be in the red – or to live on credit. The same thing happens with Earth Overshoot Day: if we use up all of the natural resources our planet can provide for a whole year in just a few months, the rest of the year will also be in the red.
Although every country has its date – according to that country’s habits, traditions, and approach to renewable energies – there is a yearly date that applies to the whole planet. In 2023, Earth Overshoot Day takes place on 2 August. This means that in 2023, humanity has exhausted the available productive area of the planet to regenerate natural resources and absorb waste five days later than in 2022.
According to Global Footprint Network, the organisation responsible for calculating Earth Overload Day, humanity uses more than 75% of what the planet’s ecosystems can regenerate. If every person living on Earth lived like a UK person, resources would run out on 19 May.
The Jerónimo Martins Group is present in Portugal, where resources would run out on 7 May, in Poland, on 2 May, and in Colombia, on 8 November.
The country that uses the most resources is Qatar (10 February), and the country that uses the least is Jamaica (20 December).
