Living Planet KEY

Living Planet Report:

Graphing Analysis:

Directions: Use the graphs to answer the related questions. Most questions must be answered in complete sentences. The exception to answering in complete sentences is for questions where a line is provided.

Use Figure 22 to answer these questions.

  1. What is the title of the graph? Ecological footprint per person by country, 2005
  1. What type of graph is used to display the data? Bar graph
  1. What is the x-axis showing? country in order of decreasing footprint
  1. What is the y-axis showing? global hectares per person (footprint)
  1. Why is the bar shown in multiple colors? What do the multiple colors indicate?

The footprint is broken down by different categories of resource use. Each color represents a different use of the land.

  1. What does the green line that runs across all the bars represent?

The green line represents the total productive area of the earth or biocapacity in global hectares per person.

  1. What information is provided by this graph? [In other words, what can you learn by reading this graph?]

You can tell how much of each land resource a country uses. You can compare total use with biocapacity or see how far over or under biocapacity a country is.

  1. What was the criterion for including a country on the list?
    [Hint: Look at the description of the figure.]

Countries with populations over 1 million were included in this graph.

  1. Which two countries have the highest carbon footprint?
  1. United Arab Empirates
  2. Kuwait
  1. Which country has the largest use of grazing land per person? Uraguay
  1. Describe one significant difference in the pattern of countries with the highest ecological footprint per person with the countries with the lowest ecological footprint per person. [Consider the different factors influencing the footprint.]

The carbon footprint of countries that consume more resources is significantly greater than those with smaller footprints.

Use Figure 23 to answer these questions.

  1. What is the title of the graph? Ecological footprint by component 1961-2005
  1. What is the x-axis showing? Timeline or year from 1960-2005
  1. What is the y-axis showing?Number of planet earths
  1. What information is provided by this graph? [In other words, what can you learn by reading this graph?]

We can learn how our resource usage has changed over time.

  1. Which two components have changed the least during the past 40 years?
  1. Use of grazing land
  2. forests
  1. Which component has changed the most during the past 40 years? Carbon Footprint

Use Figure 25 to answer these questions.

  1. What is the title of the graph? Biocapacity per person by country and relative to footprint 2005
  1. What is the x-axis showing? countries in decreasing order of biocapacity use per person
  1. What is the y-axis showing? biocapacity available per person
  1. What does the solid line intersecting the bars indicate? global biocapacity per person
  1. Compare the US footprint to its biocapacity. (Hint, use the legend to help you) The US footprint is 50-100% greater than its biocapacity

Use Figure 26 to answer these questions.

  1. What is the title of the graph? Biocapacity and ecological footprint by region 2005
  1. What is the x-axis showing? population of countries
  1. What is the y-axis showing? global hectares per person (biocapacity)
  1. What does the dotted red line on each bar show? that countries footprint
  1. What does the number on each bar mean? Why are some numbers positive and some negative?the number tells the difference between footprint and biocapactiy. Positive numbers indicate that the country has more resources than it uses. Negatives indicate a debt.
  1. What information is provided by this graph? [In other words, what can you learn by reading this graph?]

You can see which countries have ecological resources (don’t use all of their resocues) an those that are using more than they have in this graph. You can also see the difference in global hectares per person.

  1. Which region has the smallest population? Europe- Non- EU
  1. What is the population of the region with the smallest population? 240 million
  1. Which region has the smallest ecological footprint? Aisia-pacific
  1. Approximately what is the national ecological footprint of the European Union (Europe EU)? 5 global hectares per person
  1. Approximately what is the biocapacity of Latin America and the Caribbean?

5 global hectares per person

Use Figure 28 to answer these questions.

  1. What is the title of the graph? Water footprint of consumption per person by country 1997-2001
  1. What is the x-axis showing? Countries in order of decreasing water usages.
  1. What is the y-axis showing? Volume of water used per person per year
  1. What is the difference between internal and external water?

The internal water footprint includes water used to grow, make and use the product within a country while the external measures the same components for goods that have been imported.

  1. Which three countries have the largest internal water footprint?

Sudan, mali and Thialand have the largest interant water footprints.

  1. Which three countries have the largest external water footprint?

Malta, Belgium and Luxemborg and Switzerland hav the largest external water footprints.

  1. Select two countries with data that surprised you. Why did you choose these countries?

Use Figures 38 and 39 to answer the following questions.

  1. What information do these graphs tell you?

The population and ecological footprints at two different time points is shown on this graph.

  1. What is the difference between the two graphs?

There is a 44 year difference between the two graphs. In that time populations have increased as well as ecological footprints.

  1. Which region has changed the most between 1961 and 2005? Explain your answer.

Asia-pacific population has doubled while Europe’s footprint has doubled.

  1. Which region has changed the least between 1961 and 2005? Explain your answer.

Non-EU Europe has seen a small population increase (about 40 million) compared to other countries and its footprint remained about the same.

Ecological Footprint Analysis:

Directions: Use the class discussions, previous course work and the reading and graphs/maps in the Living Planet Report to help you answer these questions. Remember that questions must be answered in complete sentences unless noted.

  1. Typical Daily Activities: (Just list them!)

Developing Countries:Developed Countries:

Obtaining food and water. Using individual transportation

Caring for children and familiesWorking or going to school

Working for family income, Recreation-shopping, sports,

social activities,

use of media and technology.

  1. What characteristics separate developing countries from developed countries?

Access to clean water supplies, sanitation facilities, available food and medical supplies, technology, opportunities for women and girls, education......

  1. What are resources?

Resources are things that people use in order to meet their needs or wants- water, food, shelter, clothing, paper, technology, energy,......

  1. What are renewable resources?

A renewable resource can be replaced or replenished if used in a responsible manner

List a few examples:

water, trees, agricultural products

  1. What are nonrenewable resources?

Nonrenewable resources are those that cannot be replaced once expended,

List a few examples:

oil, coal and natural gas.

  1. What does resource depletion mean?

Resource depletion occurs when you a resource faster than can be restored or replaced

  1. It is possible for both renewable and nonrenewable resources to become depleted. Explain how that is possible.

It is possible to deplete both types of resources. For example if you cut down trees and do not replant, eventually you will have no trees for your use. Nonrenewable resources such as coal and oil require specific conditions to form and it is unlikely that those conditions will be repeated, therefore we are limited to the current supply.

Living Planet Report Analysis Questions:

  1. What is an ecological footprint?

An ecological footprint is the measure of how we are using our resources, generally expressed in global hectares.

  1. What was the GLOBAL ecological footprint in 2005? 17.5 million global hectares.
  2. How does that compare with the amount replenished every year?

Global biocapacity is 13.6 billion global hectares so we have exceeded our ability to replenish by 3.9 billion global hectares.

  1. What is ecological overshoot?

Ecological overshoot is how much more we use than the earth can replace naturally.

  1. How long has the Earth been in ecological overshoot? Since the 1980s
  1. How is it possible for us to maintain our current levels of resource use even though the Earth is in ecological overshoot? (How can we use more resources each year than are being replaced each year? Think!)

We are consuming our resources faster than we can replenish them. We have a supply but our use isn’t in balance with the replacement rate. Additionally, debtor countries (those who use more than they have)import from countries with more reserves. And, before the 1980s, people used fewer resources each year than the Earth naturally replaced. As a result, the Earth has some stored resources that people are using today.

  1. What is biocapacity?

Biocapacity is the ability of the earth to produce food, fiber, and timber and to absorb the wastes emitted by use.

  1. What types of things do you think are included as built-up land?

Built up land includes areas that are not available for producing products such as cities and towns, factory areas, airports and stadiums.

  1. How does the ecological footprint of the U.S. compare to Italy? (Quantify.)

The US has twice the carbon footprint and forest resources of Italy but uses only slightly more grazing land and fishing ground, while the built up land is about the same. Italy uses a little more than half of what we do.

  1. How does the ecological footprint of the U.S. compare to Mongolia? (Quantify.)

The US footprint in most categories is much greater than that of Mongolia, except in grazing land use, where Mongolia uses much more that we do (ratios are reversed). Their footprint is less than half of ours.

  1. How does the ecological footprint of the U.S. compare to Rwanda? (Quantify.)

Rowanda is well below the biocapacity line, with virtually no carbon footprint and no fishing ground usage. The majority of their use is crop land.

  1. Which country’s ecological footprint most surprised you? WHY?
  1. Which regions of the world are using FEWER resources than are available in their region? (In other words, which countries have excess biocapacity?)

Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe (Non-EU) and Africa are consuming FEWER resource than they have available.

  1. Create two lists of these regions – one showing greatest to least ecological footprint per capita and the other showing greatest to least population.

Ecological Footprint:Population:

North America Asia (Pacific)

Europe(EU) Africa

Europe (Non-EU) Latin American and the Caribbean

Middle East and Central Asia Europe (EU)

Latin America and the Caribbean Middle East and Central Asia

Asia- Pacific North America

Africa. Europe (Non-EU).

  • How does the population of a region compare to the consumption of a region?

There is not a straight correlation of increasing population with excess consumption. Africa with the second highest population has a higher biocapacity than what it consumes. So, often, areas with smaller populations are actually consuming greater amounts of resources.

  1. How has the population in developing countries changed during the past 40 years?

Population in developing countries has increased dramatically in the last 40 years.

  1. How has the population in developed countries changed during the past 40 years?

Population in developed countries has increased but the rate of increase is slowing.

  1. Consider Water footprints. What are three water intensive products? Why are they considered water intensive?

Cotton clothing, Beef and sugar are water intensive products because it takes a lot of water to grow and process these items. They use the highest percentage of water for agricultural products. 23 percent for beef, 3.7 percent for cotton and 3.4 percent for sugar.

  1. How could global trade impact resource availability and resource use worldwide?

Pressure to produce a product for export, in a developing country that has limited water resources, may lead to shortages and depletion of water sources that ultimately endanger peoples health, the biocapacity of the area as well as economic support.

  1. How is an ecological footprint related to sustainability?

In order to achieve sustainability, we need to balance our ecological footprint with our biocapacity. What we take, can not exceed the ability of the earth to replace and replenish.

  1. How would a sustainable society look in terms of biocapacity and resource use?

Resource use would be equal to or less than the biocapacity in a sustainable society.