The only metric that tracks how much nature we have – and how much nature we use Ecological Footprint accounting, first introduced in the 1990s and continuously developed, continues to be the only metric that compares overall human demand on nature with what our planet can renew — its biocapacity — and distils this into one number: how many Earths we use. Our economy is running a Bernie Madoff-style Ponzi scheme with the planet. We use future resources to run the present, using more than Earth can replenish. Like any such scheme, this works for a limited time, followed by a crash. Avoiding ecological bankruptcy requires rigorous resource accounting — a challenging task, but doable with the right tools. Ecological Footprint provides a complete introduction, covering: Footprint and biocapacity accounting Data and key findings for nations Worldwide examples including businesses, cities, and countries Strategies for creating regenerative economies Whether you’re a student, business leader, future-oriented city planner, economist, or have an abiding interest in humanity’s future, Footprint and biocapacity are key parameters to be reckoned with and Ecological Footprint is your essential guide. AWARDS SILVER | 2020 Eric Zencey Prize SILVER | 2019 Nautilus Book Awards: Ecology & Environment FINALIST | 2019 Foreword INDIES: Ecology & Environment
This is a ‘Whole Earth Catalog’ for the 21st century: an impressive and wide-ranging analysis of what’s wrong with our societies, organizations, ideologies, worldviews and cultures – and how to put them right. The book covers the finance system, agriculture, design, ecology, economy, sustainability, organizations and society at large.
Our day-to-day experiences over the past decade have taught us that there must be limits to our tremendous appetite for energy, natural resources, and consumer goods. Even utility and oil companies now promote conservation in the face of demands for dwindling energy reserves. And for years some biologists have warned us of the direct correlation between scarcity and population growth. These scientists see an appalling future riding the tidal wave of a worldwide growth of population and technology. A calm but unflinching realist, Catton suggests that we cannot stop this wave - for we have already overshot the Earth's capacity to support so huge a load. He contradicts those scientists, engineers, and technocrats who continue to write optimistically about energy alternatives. Catton asserts that the technological panaceas proposed by those who would harvest from the seas, harness the winds, and farm the deserts are ignoring the fundamental premise that "the principals of ecology apply to all living things." These principles tell us that, within a finite system, economic expansion is not irreversible and population growth cannot continue indefinitely. If we disregard these facts, our sagging American Dream will soon shatter completely.
"Every major problem facing humanity is exacerbated by a needlessly ballooning human population. So why is the explosive growth of the human family--more than sevenfold since the Industrial Revolution and still expanding rapidly--generally ignored by policy makers and the media? And why has the environmental movement chosen to be mostly silent about the fundamental driver of species loss and the destruction of wildlife habitats around the globe? Isn't it time to start speaking out about the equation that matters most to the future of people and the planet? The publication centerpiece of the Global Population Speakout campaign, Overdevelopment, Overpopulation, Overshoot ("OVER") moves beyond insider debates and tired arguments (human numbers and overconsumption are both responsible for the crisis of population overshoot). Anchored by a series of provocative photo essays, OVER presents the stark reality of a world transformed by human action, action that threatens our future and the buzzing, blossoming diversity of life with which we share the planet."--Publisher website.
Our Ecological Footprint presents an internationally-acclaimed tool for measuring and visualizing the resources required to sustain our households, communities, regions and nations, converting the seemingly complex concepts of carrying capacity, resource-use, waste-disposal and the like into a graphic form that everyone can grasp and use. An excellent handbook for community activists, planners, teachers, students and policy makers.
Studies on South Asia are an emerging interdisciplinary field, this volume expands on the currently limited literature available on South Asia and focuses on the regions environmental, climatic and natural resource base by looking at case studies from Nepal, India and Bangladesh. The book contains twelve chapters which deal with various environmental challenges, such as the impacts of climate change on floods and droughts, population structure and regeneration dynamics of dominant treeline species, environmental changes and rural livelihoods, and change analysis and impacts of hard coastal structures. Apart from the various thematic areas and diversity of geographical coverage, most of the studies also demonstrate the application of geospatial techniques for the collection of environmental data, and the use of GIS for spatial analysis of the data. The specific application of geospatial techniques and methods includes NDVI, NDWI, NDBI, SMI, SPOT-VGT NDVI, environmental flow, distribution and trend estimation of tropospheric formaldehyde, vegetation sensitivity to climate change, variability of tropospheric ozone, and geo-environmental problems. The contributors are seasoned researchers currently engaged in academic and research activities, and work at universities in USA, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Japan.
According to many authorities the impact of humanity on the earth is already overshooting the earth’s capacity to supply humanity’s needs. This is an unsustainable position. This book does not focus on the problem but on the solution, by showing what it is like to live within a fair earth share ecological footprint. The authors describe numerical methods used to calculate this, concentrating on low or no cost behaviour change, rather than on potentially expensive technological innovation. They show what people need to do now in regions where their current lifestyle means they are living beyond their ecological means, such as in Europe, North America and Australasia. The calculations focus on outcomes rather than on detailed discussion of the methods used. The main objective is to show that living with a reduced ecological footprint is both possible and not so very different from the way most people currently live in the west. The book clearly demonstrates that change in behaviour now will avoid some very challenging problems in the future. The emphasis is on workable, practical and sustainable solutions based on quantified research, rather than on generalities about overall problems facing humanity.
Das Umweltrecht nimmt an Umfang und Bedeutung zu, die Terminologie wird immer technischer und für den Laien undurchschaubarer. Für die juristische Praxis ist es jedoch unerläßlich, der Beweisführung Sachverständiger folgen zu können und möglichst auch die wissenschaftlichen Grundlagen jedes Falles zu durchdringen. Dieses Nachschlagewerk erklärt Termini und Konzepte mit vielen Diagrammen, Tabellen und Abbildungen, ohne naturwissenschaftliche Kenntnisse vorauszusetzen.
Humanity is facing a number of challenges that are increasing in intensity and are projected to become much worse in the coming years. The era of profligate consumption, aided by developments in science and technology, is causing enormous harm to the ecosystem on which we depend for our welfare, even survival. Our present lifestyle requires excessive amounts of planetary resources and generates numerous pollutants and waste materials. Ignorance of planetary limits and considering Earth to be a limitless source of useful materials and an infinite sink of unwanted products is endangering our future by depleting natural resources and degrading the environment. Many such developments have already begun to adversely affect the ecosystem. This book discusses these issues in a comprehensive manner, including climate change and its deleterious consequences, degradation and pollution of air, land, and seas, changing weather patterns, rising sea levels, forest fires, expanding deserts, and shortage of fresh water in many parts of the world. Each chapter of the book ends with a section with the title “The Way Forward” that makes suggestions for actions to be taken expeditiously to stop the progression of dangerous events. The continuous search for comforts, conveniences, and novel objects has brought humanity to a state where the continuation of this process endangers our welfare. While the effects of climate change will adversely affect our lives in many ways, there are numerous other developments that are detrimental to our way of life. Forests, which play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the environment and provide many benefits to humanity, are being razed for immediate gains. Overfishing and pollution are decreasing the productivity of seas. The flow of water in many rivers is decreasing due to overexploitation, irregular weather patterns, and loss of icecaps on mountain peaks. The productivity of farmlands, crucial for our survival, is decreasing due to the loss of topsoil and accumulation of salts. There are many such factors that threaten the welfare of large segments of population. The ultimate cause of these deleterious developments is humanity’s expanding search for novel objects without considering sustainability, and the implicit belief that technological developments will eventually solve all problems created by the culture of overconsumption. While technology can provide us with gizmos with amazing properties, problems of environmental degradation are global problems that require concerted actions by people everywhere. The degradation of the planetary environment and depletion of resources is occurring at a rapid rate. A lack of concern for sustainability while searching for items that provide immediate benefits is degrading the ecosystem. We may pass the planet on to the younger generations with more pollution, irregular weather patterns, and fewer endowments that may seriously limit their lives. Events are moving at such a pace that expeditious actions are required on many fronts.
Examines the factors which limit human economic and population growth and outlines the steps necessary for achieving a balance between population and production. Bibliogs
