GEF

Unit 2  |  Humanity’s Ecological Footprint 52 GROWYOUR KNOWLEDGE As you have learned, the ecological footprint is a useful tool for calculating the impact on Earth’s systems by a given person or country. At its core is a basic concept: some of us use more energy and more resources than others. People in developed countries like the U.S. tend to have much larger ecological footprints. They consume more energy and resources, and they tend to generate much more waste. In this activity you will analyze a chart to determine how different factors contribute to the World Ecological Footprint, according to the Global Footprint Network (www.footprintnetwork.org ). 1. With your teacher’s permission, visit the Global Footprint Network (www.footprintnetwork.org ). Explore the site to learn more about ecological footprints. 2. Click Tools & Resources, and then click Data. Examine theWorld Ecological Footprint by Component chart, and answer the following questions. a. Which component has the greatest impact? b. Which component’s impact increases the most over time? c. In what year does demand reach 1.5 Earths available? d. At the rate shown in the chart, how many Earths do you think will be needed to meet demand in the year 2022? the people involved in every aspect of their products. As sus- tainability becomes more and more important, we can expect that ecological and carbon footprints will become increasingly relevant to people’s daily lives.