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Ecological Footprint - Science topic
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Questions related to Ecological Footprint
Understanding how zoning policies and urban development regulations can be optimized to promote vertical development and enhance land use efficiency is crucial for addressing the challenges of urban sprawl and environmental degradation. By focusing on high-density, mixed-use zoning, cities can maximize the use of limited land resources, reduce the ecological footprint of urban areas, and create more sustainable and livable communities. This question aims to explore effective regulatory frameworks and planning strategies that can support sustainable urban growth, ultimately contributing to better land conservation and improved urban resilience.
How can multistory buildings be designed and implemented to maximize sustainability and minimize their ecological footprint compared to low-rise developments?
Do you know what your nation's Ecological Footprint is?
According to the following link, Canada is an ecological creditor nation because it has an ecological rating of 7.01 and its capacity is 14.92, which means that it has a +7.91 positive score. In contrast, America is an ecological debtor nation because it has an ecological rating of 8 and its capacity is 3.87, which means that it has a -4.13 negative score. Since I am just now learning about the terminology of "Ecological Footprint," I am posting this ResearchGate question so that experts can provide their knowledge for those of us who need information because we do not yet understand ways in which we can begin to help make this a better world in which to live for ourselves and for future generations.
My source link:
Population dynamics is usually linked to system stability. For example, over population is linked to system unsustainability, and possible system collapse through overshooting behavior like ecological overshoot. Population dynamics is rarely linked to market pricing structures as markets are usually presented as supply and demand interactions consistent with their price structures. But market price structures can be seen as linked to the nature of the population they serve. Hence, population dynamics appears to be the connection between market price structure and system stability.
And this raises the question, Is population dynamics the link between market pricing and system stability? I think yes, what do you think?
Please, feel free to share your comments, Yes and why you think is Yes or No, and why you think is No.
Esteemed Researchers,
The above subject matter refers.
Please can anyone guide me on which of these two indicators to use in measuring environmental degradation. Is it the production OR consumption of Ecological Footprint?
I welcome all constructive inputs.
Thanks as always,
Ngozi
What technologies do we have or can we hope for that will both maintain or improve our material quality of life without increasing our ecological footprint? I think this is a very difficult question to answer in the affirmative, because the human ecological footprint increases with our quality of life, as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI), and improvements in the HDI are correlated with increases in per capita energy consumption.
Individual footprint calculation would help us to understand the impact of any lifestyle change more clearly.
Ecopedagogy is not just the knowledge, it is also a value and behavior - you live it. Habits formed at earlier stage of our lives. So, it is imperative that we introduce ecology as early in someone's life as possible. How early can you do this? Further more, if you introduced 'food garden' it has multiple benefits: it integrates knowledge from many domains, it let's you experience nature as a system as well as helping realize many pedagogical objectives such as promoting attention, creativity, patience and perhaps even multilateral thinking. It also fosters global citizenship. Knowledge in growing things is also a 'preparedness' to catastrophes to minimize their impact. In that sense, its an existential skill for survival. Agricultural literacy is shrinking every day. You can do this much better when they are small as they are also in close proximity to the soil. If they are exposed to diverse crops involved in growing, they are most likely to have diverse diet than those who are not - studies and experience backs up. Then what's the early ecopedagogy is like? Most importantly are there any negative side affects of it, if at all?
This is the main inquiry question for my PhD studies. I'm asking it with the geographic particularity because of the need for ecoliteracy to be sensitive to bioregions and cultural differences. Your ideas are welcome!
Can we conceive of technology that will maintain or improve the average quality of life, as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI), of all people around the globe while simultaneously breaking the link between HDI and our ecological footprint.
I need to get a satellite image from a site in the northern part of Iran for remote sensing research usage. I wonder where I can find such data?
A friend suggested these websites, but they didn't cover 1-meter hyperspectral imagery from the expected region: "Open Aerial Map, Google Earth Pro, Airbus."
The final goal is to collect data for ecological services calculation (O2 release Co2, No2, So2 absorbance) of vegetation of the specified region. If you know a better way to doing so, also very helpful.
Updated on 06.04.2020
Dear fellow colleagues and researchers!
My assumption:
All actions for circularity and sustainability require a holistic, systemic Life-Cycle-Assessment Standard, or all of our efforts might be wrong.
Decisions for circularity and sustainability require facts. Currently, a lot of circular activities do and will not work, because the data basis is not sufficient:
1. Current LCAs are not holistic: they deal primarily with GWP and the energy aspect ignoring certain environmental Impacts, such as nation-specific littering potentials, or biodiversity-loss
2. LCAs are not systemic: they ignore the high complexity of the Circular economy with hundreds of actors along every value-chain, the do not incorporate varying degrees of compliance on the side of industry and society
3. LCA data is outdated: mostly, the secondary (energy) data is 10-20 years old, and does not reflect up-to-date processes
4. LCAs only have the ISO 14040 standard, which is not holistic-systemic
5. Future policies and instruments, such as the PEF/OEF require up-to-date LCAs
Research and discussions with several LCA experts yielded no reqults for a holistic LCA standard available, and most of the auditors and consultants agreed that current LCAs are not reflecting the real world impacts. Also scientists already state the necessity for a holistic LCA standard, for example from BOKU Vienna, University of Technology Gothenburg, and the University of New South Wales. There is some research available not only in the sphere of LCAs but also Environmental Footprints in general, but it needs to be embedded into a standard, I think:
New Methods for Plastics-LCAs:
Quantification of Littering:
Littering Potential Indicator:
Loss of Biodiversity Indicator:
Sidenote: This discussion is focussed on the environmental aspects (LCA), but it might be interesting to develop a standard for more holistic approaches such as LCSA as well.
Consequential proposal:
We need to develop the HS-LCA Standard in a EU-wide joint-venture project between academia, industry, and society, similar to the PEF, but with the focus on materials. The first material in focus shall be plastics, to enable design for circularity, decide which cascades and recovery methods are best, discover which materials can substitute fossile plastics, and which of these strategies should be supported on a policy level. Real-world data enables the right decisions for a circular, sustainable society. If the data is insufficient, we cannot make the right decisions for society.
"What is the impact of a fossile-fuel-based plastic bottle with a lot of them ending up in the sea at the end-of-life?"
With the HS-LCA, we shall be able to compare this bottle drifting in the sea causing harm to the sealife and the ocean itself, to a biowaste-based and biodegradable bottle suitable for reuse or recycling in every EU-member-state with even the lowest recovery technology standard.
"What is the impact of a consumer electronic product depending on various design concepts with different materials, modules, and a range of usage scenarios?"
With the HS-LCA, we could give companies the chance to compare various design options based on a holistic life cycle assessment, possibly helping them to widen their point-of-view on true sustainability.
What is your Knowledge on that? Is a "HS-LCA" already available or in development? Are you working on it? What do I miss? Looking forward to hearing from you!
Basically one of my students is working on institutional ecological footprints. we have collected all the required data and now working on the calculations.
Many studies have claimed that ecological footprint is not a true reflection of ecosystem. Possibly, its merely seen as a measure of productivity.
Hi WEF-Nexus group,
Most of the WEF-Nexus studies, talks about water footprints. Of course they talk about ecological and carbon footprints also. But in most of the ecological footprints studies, water footprints will be a part.
But my question is:
- If we assess the water footprint of food, the resultant water footprints, what we get from assessment, Can it be the nexus between water and food ?
- And , if we talk about nexus between food and water, should we include energy (energy footprint consumed to prepare the food) also, then only it called as FOOD and WATER Nexus ?
- What is the difference between Water footprints and Water Nexus ?
Please help me to clear these doubts
Thanks in advance
Regards
Dagani.
In my research into Sustainability Engineering, Time Use shows itself to be a very important variable. Together with ecological impacts (Ecological Footprint or Planetary Boundaries), Time Use to meet needs is a required unit of measurement. I am using both Max Neef's theory of Fundamental Human Needs, and Doyal & Gough's theory of Human Need.
In my current paper, I am wanting to make a number of statements, and I would like to know of existing publications that have made similar conclusions:
• People are, at all times, acting to meet their perceived needs
• People are generally not able to distinguish between their actual needs and their perceived needs
• People will always act to minimize the time used to meet their perceived needs, so that the time available to meet their wants are maximized
• People will generally act to maximize the portion of their perceived needs that are met
Are there sources you would recommend?
I would like to compile a list of researchers (economists, conservation scientists, sociologists) who work on questions related to responsible/ethical/green supply chain management, or who work on the ground with producers/suppliers. Many thanks if you do have any suggestions,
Hi everyone,
I am trying to assess the environmental footprint of an industrial-scale plant for high-lipid microalgae cultivation. Currently, I am focussing on waste water from the cultivation plant. I wonder if water left after the algae harvest can be led back into the sea without further treatment. Some thoughts/open questions:
- N and P concentration should be low at the end of the lipid-production phase (starving conditions), so eutrophication risk should be low. But: Is N and P concentration low enough? How much is acceptable?
- Could high NaCl concentrations in the cultivation medium be potentially harmful to sea life?
- Could algae left in the waste water pose a risk, e.g. could they set foot in the sea and cause an artificial algal bloom?
I'm thankful about your thoughts/experiences and even more thankful for studies / laws / regulations on the topic.
Best regards.
Benjamin Portner
It will be nice to have suggestions and contribution of calculating carbon footprint, ecological footprint and bio capacity. Scientific methods including software that can be used will be appreciated.
Moreover, expecting the answer, could it be a good indicator of sustainability? If yes, please explain it too.
Like to thank you for your precious time!
Regards,
On the Global Footprint Network website I was able to download data only for 2014.
The main trend in the usage of algae oil is biodiesel, but it can be used as cooking oil as well. Would it be economical to substitute palm oil? Algae oil may have a lower ecological footprint.
I need to calculate my ecological footprint but so far i have only seen calculators that are too general or for certain first world countries.
I am looking for the recent trends of innovation and challenges in Geothermal
Recent EU projects have developed some interesting indicators (such as TESS) to calculate CO2 emission and ecological footprint. This question would like to compile other ones already tested and used.
Regarding the success or perceived failure is that for example, such as "colapse" of the initiative it self could be a natural process to prepare and seed the soil and then allow the development of different CBI, enterprises, implementation at the members working place, etc...
Do please let me know any scientific article, report and other documents I could dive in to better understand the state of the art. Very grateful for your help.
What are the interconnection/ relationship for these fields?
This project is absolutely interesting to me, both as a researcher on innovation and public policy and as an oil industry professional. Your approach is going to be concentrated on the Norwegian site or you also want to evaluate the international linkages of the Norwegian oil and gas value chain?
I am about to choose my dissertation title and I'm looking for a title between these three areas: Project management - Sustainability - Carbon Tax/emission
Answer may be from the Hydrological point of view
I am research associate at Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar and work with Carlos Larrea , former coordinator of the Yasuni Initiative, on supply side climate policy in biodiversity hotspots.
Based in Argentina (Ministry of Agroindustry, Dept. of Bioenergy)
MSc in Energy and Resources, UCBErkeley
The definition of the footprint is clear, but I like to know how easy or difficult it is to really come up with a reliable number for a town. So I am looking for existing experience.
This question is subject to a Call for Knowledge of the EKLIPSE Mechanism to explore the need for a suitable knolwedge synthesis activity - please share your knowledge via the EKLIPSE KNOCK Forum to get engaged.
Am currently working on my thesis concept note on "The Implications Of Euclidean zoning (mono zoning) On Sustainable Conservation Of Public Urban Green Spaces In Nairobi City."
I would appreciate any leads on literature concerning the following sub headings:
1. Defining the concept of Zoning
2. Historical underpinnings of zoning (based on epochs)
3. Evolution of Euclidean or single use zoning
4. Motives and Consequences of Euclidean zoning (focus on land use planning and green space conservation).
5. Case Studies: Application of Euclidean zoning in land use regulation within environmentally sensitive areas e.g. green spaces
Thanks in advance!
My project is about the public participation and environmental education in water area,so I would like to get some information about this case.
The study aims to identify the main obstacles that prevent people from acting more environmental-friendly and therefore reducing their individual footprint.
Currently doing a HE study in the area of environmental management. My research interest is in the adoption and implementation of EMS in Africa. I am therefore interested in finding out if there are studies on adoption and or implementation of environmental management systems in any where in the world.
I know it is conceptually linked to ecological footprint. Does anyone know where/when/by whom the term was first uttered? Citations are more helpful than vague references please.
Sustainability related "Footprint" calculation methodologies have been used for human. But has it ever been used for animals? If that, then how? Can someone provide me some link related to this work?
Energy efficiency is just one of the many criteria that could be used, as 'footprints' are being adapted to measure the impacts of buildings in terms of carbon emissions, water and energy consumption.
In other words, how distant we are from considering all the aspects related to the consumption of resources in the 'sustainability' equation of our building stock? Could this be delivered through a unified indicator?
Are you aware of cases where these techniques have been applied in real urban and regional planning policies, plans, and programs?
Thank you for your suggestions.
Depending on national institutional framework and planning tradition, can 'footprints' be better implemented:
- directly in the urban and regional planning schemes (policies, plans, programs), or
- in Sustainability Assessments used to measure the sustainability of the aforementioned planing schemes?
Could you provide some evidence referring to relevant case studies or publications?
I need to estimate "tourism carrying capacity" for an Island surrounded by coral reef ecosystem, to plan a sustainable development.
I wish to know other point of view regarding the PEF, Product Environmental Footprint, and its applicability in companies. Off course, when PEF will be more than a "pilot project" or when the study phase will be finished, this could be another tool that could be quite easily applied for companies too, but my doubt is: PEF will be simply another environmental accounting system to be added to those already present? (like green label, EMAS, EPD, organic certification, environmental management tools, and so on...finally all the ways to comunicate to the market the link between products and environment). If this it's true, PEF, from my point of view, is nothing new, maybe it is more robust, clear, correct, complete, ot whatever you want....but from the consumers point of view.... it is just another tools that must explained...by highlighting the differences between all the other. In my opinion, companies, and the market, need "lean" management tools in order to obtain 2 goals: internally improve the process by finding the hot spots to be improved and externally comunicate all the efforts spent for a better environmental performance. Off course, already exist some practical tool to reach these objectives (LCA, green label, and so on)....but, in my opinion, there's still confusion because there are too many tools around a single topic
I wonder: PEF, what do you think about it? It could reach the objectives above mentionedin practice? Personally....I wonder if another tool quite close to a label could be helpfull...
Thanks to everyone who'll spend time to answer.
Luca Chiusano
I´m calculating the ecological footprint of an oil well. This include drilling, transport, and all the waste generated in this operation. Can you give me a hint? I´m looking into the global footprint network for some answers.
regards
Land conflict effects land use (and deforestation in Brazil). Can anyone give me good examples of places where contention between groups (e.g., mechanized interests and subsistence farmers) is leading to loss of native wildlands (forests, savannas, etc.). I wish to generalize my research to a broader, possibly global, perspective.
Is anyone aware of survey data which looks to understand the link between attitudes on environmental issues and attitudes towards women? I am also curious about whether those who feel that caring for the environment is decidedly feminine are more/less inclined to support environmental initiatives. Any help would be appreciated!
Conference Paper What can Ecofeminism Contribute towards Multilateral Global ...
I got my PhD in energy engineering, but I did quite a bit of environmental studies research on the side. I think about things differently than most people, and question conventional wisdom. I have dozens of ideas for papers that I think could get significant attention on topics like ecological footprint, economics of CO2 reduction, water, transportation, urban planning, food, waste, animal welfare, and biodiversity. But I don’t have enough time to do them myself, so I am looking for an environmental studies collaborator. Does anyone know someone like this?
Carrying capacity
Ecological footprint
In addition to the ecological footprint, what are other quantitative methods that can show levels of sustainability?
Ecological footprint is widespread recognized as an environmental indicator showing the impact of human consume on naural resources, so measuring the (in)sustainability of most human practices and habits. Nevertheless, it has been seldom considered as a tool able to support decision-making processes to forward social and productive development of small communities with the involvement of local governments and collection of hard data with proper methodologies designed for such purpose.
An innovation is the implementation of a new or significant improvement product (good or services) or process a new marketing method, or a new marketing organizational method in business practice, workplace organization or external relation. As a minimum requirement the method must be new (or significantly improved). According to OECD (2005), innovation activities are all scientific, technological, organizational, financial, and commercial steps which actually, or are intended to, lead to the implementation of innovations
Cities play an important role in social and economic activities. Cities generally perform poorly in terms of environmental performance (compared to social and economic activities). One of the main reasons behind this poor environmental performance appears to be due to population pressure and its impacts on the environment. Currently, about 50% population live in cities which is projected to rise in the coming years (by 2050 it could 6 out of 10 people will live in cities). Most of world megacities (> 10 million people) are in developing countries (e.g. Guangzhou, Shanghai, Jakarta, Seoul, Delhi, Mexico, Karachi, Manila, Sao Paulo, Mumbai, Beijing, Moscow, Dhaka, Cairo, Kolkata, Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Istanbul, Lagos, Tehran, Rio de Janeiro, Shenzhen and Tanjin) and few are in developed countries (Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Osaka, London, Rhine-Ruhr, Paris). The dense population in cities generate huge volume of solid and soluble wastes, the demand for electricity, water and traffic in cities will cause significant carbon footprints and water footprints. What measures would be needed so that cities remain a healthy place to live on in terms of managing carbon pollution and water pollution in the future?