The Ecological Footprint is simply a way to measure how much we use and consume, in relation to our environment’s capacity to provide and support our needs. In other words, it calculates our impact on our environment (https://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/ecological-footprint-definition)
Let's start with the global magnitude of the climate change problem. 51 billion tons of greenhouse gases are emitted each year globally. If we are to have a chance of survival - let alone thrive as humanity, we need to get to Net Zero by 2050. Clearly, this is a daunting task; one that will require massive innovation and changes to industries, public policy, and our lifestyles.
Before I get into India’s ecological footprint, let's take a look at the biggest drivers in emissions globally. Understanding what drives total emissions is incredibly important because it gives us a sense of what we need to do as policymakers, nations, citizens and innovators to address the prominent climate problem in our world.
The largest contributor to emissions is steel, cement and plastic. Together, they account for a whopping 31% of global emissions.
Next is electricity generation - especially coal and natural gas-based electricity production - this accounts for 27% of emissions.
Agriculture and food come next. Specifically cattle farming, swine farming and fertilizer, that account for 11% of emissions.
Transport and mobility like ships, trucks, cars and planes account for 17% of emissions.
NOW LET'S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT INDIA'S ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
In 2018, India’s carbon footprint consisted of 2.65 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions. The average carbon footprint of every person was estimated at 0.56 tonnes per year– but only 0.19 tonnes among the poor and 1.32 tonnes among the rich. India’s ecological footprint in 1975 was 0.66 global hectares (gha) per person, INCREASING TO 1.19 gha per capita in 2017. As you can see, the amount of land required per capita to support a person’s consumption has DOUBLED over this period. The higher the income levels, the more consumption there is of resources like electricity, food, packaging and travel. Hence, as India continues to develop we should expect emissions to increase, therefore increasing the burden on resources.
I’d now like to compare India to Brazil, Singapore and the Democratic Republic of Congo because they are all so different.
Brazil
On a per capita level, Brazil’s ecological footprint is 2.8 gha per person compared to India’s ecological footprint of 1.19 gha per person.
This was surprising to me since Brazil’s GDP per capita is much higher - 4 times as high as India - so, consumption is higher.
But over the last 45 years, Brazil’s ecological footprint has only marginally increased, fluctuating between 2 and 3 gha per person. Unlike India’s doubling footprint, Brazil’s increase is marginal because the country has a large biocapacity and is taking steps to reduce the rate of deforestation - launching campaigns to protect land, punish loggers, farmers and miners. However, emissions in energy, industry and agriculture sectors continue to rise steadily.
Singapore
Singapore is an island city-state. Between 1975 and 2000s, there has been a drastic increase in the country’s per capita ecological footprint from 1.61 to 8 gha. This is due to a dramatic increase in consumption and transportation patterns. The country has to import its major resources such as food and water.
The Democratic Republic of Congo
Compared to Singapore, Brazil, and India, The Democratic Republic of Congo is by far the most impressive, decreasing from 9.67 gha per person in 1975 to 0.75 gha per person in 2017. The Democratic Republic of Congo’s ecological footprint has exponentially decreased over the past 50 years because of its small population, low consumption due to poverty, and high biocapacity - the country has the second-largest rainforest in the world.
This data has taught me that, interestingly enough, developing countries that are economically poor have the lowest ecological footprints because with lower income comes low consumption. The countries with high biocapacity and small populations are also better able to manage their ecological footprints because their extensive land offsets greenhouse gas emissions.
NOW LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT MY ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
Now, let us focus on my own ecological footprint. Let me start by saying I was surprised to see that my ecological footprint this year is 4.9 gha compared to the national average of 1.19 gha, even though we’ve been in lockdown. This is largely because of the airline trips I took from India to the US where my grandparents live, and from India to Sri Lanka, where my grandmother lives. My carbon footprint was 9.1 tonnes of CO2 emissions this year, which accounts for 65% of my total ecological footprint…. That is crazy!
HIGH IMPACT SOLUTIONS
While brainstorming solutions to reduce my footprint, I discovered a few approaches that I initially thought were “high impact”, but realized they wouldn't be as impactful.
At first, I thought reducing my consumption of clothes, electronics and plastics would make a substantial impact, however, consumption of goods only accounts for 8% of my ecological footprint compared to the other driving factors. Regardless, I will continue to reduce consumption in any way possible, because everything counts. And besides, I love shopping at thrift stores!
I also considered changing food consumption patterns. But my family already eats organic and local by purchasing from local farms, our vegetables and fruits are never wrapped in plastic. We rarely eat chicken or fish and beef is banned in our country.
I need to focus on solutions that will reduce my carbon footprint which accounts for 65% of my ecological footprint including reducing air travel and electricity consumption.
Reduce air travel and daily transportation:
The single biggest contributor to my ecological footprint is transportation. It accounts for 1.6 gha. Because we travel back to America and Sri Lanka every year, our air travel contributes significantly to our carbon footprint. To reduce my footprint by at least 30%, I MUST minimize my air travel and daily transportation. We may consider switching to an electric vehicle.
Convert to Solar Power
Another big driver of my ecological footprint is my electricity consumption at home. In India, we have the option to convert to solar power. We currently live in a standalone house that is eligible for solar panel installation, but we need to do more research. This solution is “High Impact” because 62% of our electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, mostly coal and natural gas. Switching to renewable energy will reduce my ecological footprint.
And finally, I need to be more engaged! Although this solution does not improve my ecological footprint, it will have a greater impact. The question I have asked myself is, “what role can I play in my broader community that can help this fight on a national scale?”. My first step to answering this critical question is understanding Delhi government policies that impact climate change. My next step would be finding ways to encourage policymakers so that climate change is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Smart city planning, public transportation to reduce the number of cars on the road, increasing the Earth’s biocapacity, and supporting clean energy solutions is going to require policy change! It’s difficult to reduce our ecological footprint because it requires investment and innovation to find impactful solutions!
