'Ecological footprints' measure our use of the earth's resources
Posted on 18 July 2001
Dr John Barrett has taken measures including travel, waste production, and electricity consumption, and calculated how many hectares of forest land would be needed to provide the energy to produce all the goods consumed and to absorb all the emissions, such as carbon and methane, caused by each activity.
The results are then averaged to produce an overall 'footprint'. In Liverpool, where he has just completed a study for the city council, the average is 4.1 hectares per person. In Guernsey, which he previously surveyed, the average is 8 hectares, increased enormously by the use of air freight to bring supplies into the island. The UK average is 4.9, and the American average is 10 - the highest in the world.
Dr Barrett, 28, tries hard to keep his own ecological footprint down. He measures it annually and it currently stands at 3 hectares. He is installing solar heating which will bring the figure down to the desirable 2.2. He cycles, and stood for the Green Party at the Council elections in Liverpool last year. However, he's about to fly off to a conference which is disastrous for his rating - therefore he rations himself to one flight every three years.
The Liverpool study is the first-ever component ecological footprint of a city in the world.
"The Liverpool study aimed to show people very graphically how much of an impact their consumption has on the world," said Dr Barrett. "Liverpool's usage takes up an area the size of Wales. It also demonstrates quickly and easily the most effective ways of making changes to improve matters. For example, in Liverpool increasing car occupancy would have a dramatic effect, as would reducing waste.
"Before the ecological footprint model was created it wasn't possible to measure the impact of different factors - but now people can decide where they want to put their efforts to reduce the damage they are causing using an objective set of figures."
Dr Barrett is recommending that Liverpool begins by working on its energy, domestic waste and water consumption. His study also included the amount of gas, coal and oil consumed in homes and by industry; travel by car, bus, train, air and ferry; built land; household and commercial waste and recycled waste; food; timber; water and waste water; road, sea, air and rail freight; and housing stock.
Notes to editors:
- Dr Barret is a member of the Stockholm Environment Institute and produced the City of Liverpool study with Anthony Scott of Sustainable Steps Consultants.
- Funding was provided by the Northwest Development Agency, the City of Liverpool, the Environment Agency, Government Office for the North West, and United Utilities.