The Application of the Ecological Footprint: A case of passenger transport in Merseyside

The release of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels is believed to be responsible for climate change. In the UK, road transport emits 22% of the total output of carbon dioxide. This study applies the ecological footprint to Merseyside to ascertain the global environmental impact of passenger transport (expressed in hectares). Results show that car travel has a footprint of 704 000 hectares, which is 87% of the total footprint. It is demonstrated in scenarios that Policy initiatives involving the Local Transport Plan will cause the footprint to increase. It is also shown that individual behaviour could be influenced when highlighting the impacts of different modes of transport along the same route. By using the ecological footprint in educational programmes, the effect can be shown of carbon emissions and land appropriation on the 'school run'; these issues could be promoted alongside others such as health, safety, congestion, global equity and fairness.     

Modification of ecological footprint evaluation method to include non-renewable resource consumption using thermodynamic approach

This study is to modify the ecological footprint methodology by incorporating non-renewable or abiotic resources as an additional category. The use of abiotic resources can be quantified as global hectare by using thermodynamic approaches. A detailed case study on various countries including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Japan, USA, and Vietnam shows the advantage of using the new modified ecological footprint (EF) as an indicator for sustainable development. The modified EF includes not only biotic resources, but also the abiotic resources. The case study indicates that the modified EF differs from the traditional EF up to 123% in the case of Belgium, and 90% in the case of Australia. For developing countries such as Brazil and Vietnam, the differences are relatively smaller (21% for Brazil and 9.4% for Vietnam). The estimated total ecological footprint of the world using the new method implies more serious problems associated with over consumption than using results from the original ecological footprint method.     

Modification of ecological footprint evaluation method to include non-renewable resource consumption using thermodynamic approach

This study is to modify the ecological footprint methodology by incorporating non-renewable or abiotic resources as an additional category. The use of abiotic resources can be quantified as global hectare by using thermodynamic approaches. A detailed case study on various countries including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Japan, USA, and Vietnam shows the advantage of using the new modified ecological footprint (EF) as an indicator for sustainable development. The modified EF includes not only biotic resources, but also the abiotic resources. The case study indicates that the modified EF differs from the traditional EF up to 123% in the case of Belgium, and 90% in the case of Australia. For developing countries such as Brazil and Vietnam, the differences are relatively smaller (21% for Brazil and 9.4% for Vietnam). The estimated total ecological footprint of the world using the new method implies more serious problems associated with over consumption than using results from the original ecological footprint method.     

以“生态足迹”的方法衡量青藏高原可持续发展能力

通过论述青海西藏两地环境质量总体向好的结论引证青藏高原生态盈余。用"生态足迹"和"人类发展指数"两种指标来衡量青藏高原的可持续发展能力,结果表明青藏高原有着较好的生态盈余,但人类发展指数值偏低,限制了青藏高原的可持续发展能力。应通过提高公共服务能力,加强生态系统管理,减少碳足迹来实现青藏高原的生态文明。     

立体气候区生态足迹研究——以攀枝花市米易县为例

以四川省攀枝花市米易县2008年、2009年的统计数据为基础,运用生态足迹计算方法,对该县生态足迹进行了研究.结果表明,米易县人均生态足迹为1.0657hm2、人均生态承载力为1.0405 hm2,生态足迹与生态承载力大致相当,米易县处于地区非可持续性—全球可持续性发展状态.在此基础上,提出了实现立体气候区可持续发展的对策和建议.     

Calculating ecological footprints at the municipal level: what is a reasonable approach for Canada?

No clear ecological footprint calculation strategy is available for small- and mid-sized communities within Canada. By adjusting provincial or national footprint findings using data sets available in the public domain, we develop and test a calculation strategy to estimate municipal ecological footprints. Because the calculation approach is consistent with the Global Footprint Network standardised methodology, it permits meaningful comparisons between communities and with global and national footprint estimates. It offers planners, policy-makers, and community leaders an accessible, straight forward, and cost effective strategy for estimating the ecological footprint at the community and municipal level. The suggested approach is best suited for using the ecological footprint as an awareness and education tool. The large number of limitations associated with calculating the municipal approach and limitations associated with calculating ecological footprints in general at the local level make it an unsuitable tool to inform community planning and policy development.     

近十年来大理州旅游业碳足迹演变分析（2000-2011年）

应用以生命周期为原理的碳足迹评价方法,以云南省大理白族自治州旅游业发展为研究对象,计算得出游客在2000-2011年交通、住宿、饮食、游览、娱乐、购物六个方面所留下的碳足迹.研究结果表明,交通和游购娱的碳足迹总量占比重较大,说明大理州旅游业依然停留在传统观光旅游阶段.通过分析大理州旅游业发展面临的问题,在些基础上提出了促进大理州低碳旅游发展的策略.     

乡村旅游生态足迹结构与特征研究——以北京市延庆县柳沟村为例

通过对北京市郊县柳沟村的实证研究,得到乡村旅游生态足迹的特点和构成.研究发现,各类生态系统服务多功能性节约了部分生态足迹,该村60万游客2011年生态足迹为2266.724chm2,平均0.003778chm2/人,是一种生态足迹较小的旅游方式;占用土地类型比例依次是化石能源地45.37％、可耕地44.79％、水域9.69％、建成地0.15％.从旅游环节来看,食宿、交通、游购娱、废弃物处理比例分别为46.06％、27.25％、22.54％、4.15％.由于本地不具备生产条件或生产优势,食物贸易转移了部分生态足迹,目的地发展旅游业可提高生态效率和社会效益.     

成都市生态足迹分析评价研究

生态足迹分析法是一种全新的生态承载力计算方法.从生态足迹分析原理出发,分析统计了成都市生物资源消费、碳吸收地、建设用地的生态足迹,得到人均生态赤字为1.183gha,属于较严重生态赤字区的结论.结果表明,该区域对自然的影响超出了其生态承载能力的范围,需要进行调整.     

Rubber tire life cycle assessment and the effect of reducing carbon footprint by replacing carbon black with graphene

This research utilizes real operating data from a tire plant operating in Central Taiwan to investigate the carbon footprint emissions (CO₂e) involved in producing the electric bicycle. The simulation results are based on the PAS 2050 standard using the SimaPro 7.3 software tool. Our results show the total carbon footprint emissions of 1.2-kg tire for the electric bicycle weighing 4.53-kg CO₂e, composed of 2.63-kg CO₂e from raw tire materials stage, 1.295-kg CO₂e from tire manufacturing stage, and 0.605-kg CO₂e from tire transport stage. An international certified organization, British Standard Institute (BSI), verified the accuracy of our results as 98.7%. We found that carbon emissions at the raw materials stage were higher than that for the other two stages – manufacturing and transportation. Carbon black was determined as the maximum source of carbon emissions at the raw material stage. To reduce the tire plant carbon emissions, this paper recommends using graphene to replace carbon black. Graphene has been reported by many researches to improve the properties of rubber products. From our simulation results, the carbon footprint emissions of 4.56-kg CO₂e of the origin tire plant uses 0.456-kg carbon black to produce 1.2-kg electric bicycle tires. This can be reduced to 4.29 (5.92%), 4.03 (11.62%), 3.75 (11.76%), and 3.49-kg CO₂e (23.46%) by using graphene to replace carbon black 25, 50, 75, and 100 wt% respectively. If we focus only on 0.456-kg carbon black producing 1.08-kg CO₂e, the reduced carbon footprint will be 0.812 (24.81%), 0.547 (49.35%), 0.28 (74.07%), and 0.0128-kg CO₂e (98.81%) by using graphene to replace carbon black 25, 50, 75, and 100 wt% respectively. From our analysis, graphene replacing carbon black can reduce carbon footprint. This has not been published previously and provides a direction for the tire plant to save carbon emissions.     

芜湖市生态占用测度方法的分析与应用

应用Wackemagel等提出的生态占用测度方法对芜湖市2004年的生态占用和生态容量进行了分析和计算。利用生态占用分析方法从宏观上度量了芜湖市社会经济发展的可持续性以及生态状况。结果表明，计算年的人均生态赤字为3．757429226hm^2．并提出了相应的对策和措施，为芜湖市建设“生态城市”提供量化依据。     

民族自治区高碳能源生态足迹与经济增长的动态响应

从碳循环角度改进生态足迹模型,在建立向量自回归模型的基础上,运用广义脉冲响应函数法来描述民族自治区经济增长与高碳能源生态足迹之间的动态关联性.冲击响应分析表明,民族自治区经济增长与高碳能源生态足迹之间存在较强的交互响应作用,一方面经济增长是高碳能源生态足迹持续增加的重要原因,另一方面高碳能源生态足迹对经济增长具有一定的反作用.     

Avoided deforestation as a greenhouse gas mitigation tool: economic issues

Tropical deforestation is a significant contributor to accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. GHG emissions from deforestation in the tropics were in the range of 1 to 2 Pg C yr(-1) for the 1990s, which is equivalent to as much as 25% of global anthropogenic GHG emissions. While there is growing interest in providing incentives to avoid deforestation and consequently reduce net carbon emissions, there is limited information available on the potential costs of these activities. This paper uses a global forestry and land use model to analyze the potential marginal costs of reducing net carbon emissions by avoiding deforestation in tropical countries. Our estimates suggest that about 0.1 Pg C yr(-1) of emissions reductions could be obtained over the next 30 to 50 yr for $5 per Mg C, and about 1.6 Pg C yr(-1) could be obtained over the same time frame for $100 per Mg C. In addition, the effects of carbon incentives on land use could be substantial. Relative to projected baseline conditions, we find that there would be around 3 million additional hectares (ha) of forestland in 2055 at $5 per Mg C and 422 million ha at $100 per Mg C. Estimates of reductions in area deforested, GHG mitigation potential, and annual land rental payments required are presented, all of which vary by region, carbon price paid, and time frame of mitigation.     

基于能值模型的大连市2005—2010年生态足迹动态研究

能值—生态足迹是运用能值转换率和区域能值密度建立修正的生态足迹模型,能更加精确地反映区域生态经济发展状况。运用改进的能值—生态足迹模型,探讨了2005—2010年大连市动态生态足迹。模型分析得出,2005—2010年大连能值—生态承载力均低于能值—生态足迹,处于生态赤字状态。6年间生态赤字由2005年的1.51hm2增加到了2010年的2.59hm2,且在生态足迹构成中能源足迹所占比重逐年增大。     

Assessment of environmental footprint using geospatial approach to ascertain the Sustainable Development Goal 2030s of India

Utilization of natural resources has multiplied globally, resulting in serious environmental deterioration and impeding the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For the harmonious development of human nourishment and the balance of nature, it is vital to evaluate environmental segments' resource usage, transformation, and residue, referred to as ‘footprint,’ in order to highlight carrying capacity and sustainability. This analysis highlights the Environmental Footprint (EF) of India per state from 2010 to 2020 in terms of hectares per capita. This study evaluates India's biological, hydrological, energy, ecological, and pollution footprints, carrying capacity, environmental pressure, and environmental deficit using 17 distinct parameters categorized under the themes of biological resource, hydrological resource, energy resource, and pollution concentration. We proposed a reoriented methodology and EF concepts that determine India's footprint, carrying capacity, nature of sustainability, environmental pressure index, and its consequential links to the 2030 SDGs. As a result, the biological resources contributed to ~50% of the environmental footprint, while hydrological, energy, and pollutants made up the remaining. Between 2010 and 2020, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal had the highest EF, while Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern provinces had the lowest. During the research period, the ecological deficit in India has increased overall. India impedes the 2030 SDGs; therefore, the study provides a picture of resource consumption, waste generation, economic growth, and societal changes, enabling academics and policymakers to redefine or document policy for a more sustainable future.     

A bottom-up approach towards the assessment of ecological footprints and biocapacity

The concept of ecological footprint (EF) assessment embeds into the broader concept of sustainable development, relating directly to quality of life and maintaining the natural constraints of the global ecosystem. EFs relate to the balance between the Earth's biocapacity and consumption, measured as land equivalence in global hectares per capita. The majority of studies relating to EF assessments have adopted a top-down methodology in order to assess national and regional EFs. Furthermore, these studies are mainly based upon national accounts of input, output and trade; information which is readily available for most countries, and the EFs usually require an assessment of equivalent land area per capita to maintain the current levels of consumption. Since its inception in the mid-1990s, the EF methodology has been refined and has been widely adopted by many countries and governments as a tool to measure biocapacity, or, the consumption of resources. In this paper, we present a bottom-up methodology to measure the EF of a rural region (near Chennai) in southern India. Advantages and limitations of this approach are then discussed through comparisons with regional and national assessments.     

皖西大别山区生态足迹实证分析-以金寨县为例

在简要介绍生态足迹模型的基础上,以皖西大别山区金寨县为例,对该地区2002年的经济发展的状况进行了实证分析.结果表明,金寨县2002年的经济发展是可持续的,其中在生态承载力中,林地贡献率最大,其次为草地,分别占77.0%和19.2%;耕地和水域贡献率最低,分别为1.5%和1.3%;在所需的生态足迹中,耕地足迹最大,其次为化石燃料,分别占47.7%和42.0%,草地、建筑用地、水域、林地足迹较小.     

Quantifying the environmental impact of ecovillages and co-housing communities: a systematic literature review

Many intentional communities worldwide, such as ecovillages and co-housing communities, have explicit goals of living in an environmentally sustainable manner, and are taking conscious steps towards these goals in response to the widely discussed unsustainability of the global sociotechnical system. There are numerous claims from researchers and community members, in the academic and grey literature, that intentional communities are making significant improvements towards sustainability goals, particularly in terms of environmental impact. However, actual measures of progress, with evidence supporting these claims, are relatively scarce. This paper presents the findings of a systematic review of quantitative studies of the environmental impact of intentional communities, including comparisons with relevant “mainstream” communities. The review focused on the two indicators that are most commonly reported in studies of the impact of intentional communities – the ecological footprint and the carbon footprint. This review was undertaken as there is a lack of literature reviews that comprehensively compile existing quantitative studies about intentional communities. In total, the review identified 16 separate studies covering 23 communities and 30 footprint measurements, with publication dates ranging from 2000 to 2014. This is a greater number of studies than in any other literature review of this topic. Taken as a whole, these compiled studies provide strong support for claims of greater environmental sustainability within these communities, and reinforce the need for greater research and exploration of the role sustainability-oriented intentional communities can play in the transition to more sustainable sociotechnical systems.     

Cars and fuels for tomorrow: a comparative assessment

Light duty vehicles, i.e. passenger cars and light trucks, account for approximately half of global transportation energy demand and, thus, a major share of carbon dioxide and other emissions from the transport sector. Energy consumption in the transport sector is expected to grow in the future, especially in developing countries. Cars with alternative powertrains to internal combustion engines (notably battery, hybrid and fuel-cell powertrains), in combination with potentially low carbon electricity or alternative fuels (notably hydrogen and methanol), can reduce energy demand by at least 50%, and carbon dioxide and regulated emissions much further. This article presents a comparative technical and economic assessment of promising future fuel/vehicle combinations. There are several promising technologies but no obvious winners. However, the electric drivetrain is a common denominator in the alternative powertrains and continued cost reductions are important for widespread deployment in future vehicles. Development paths from current fossil fuel based systems to future carbon-neutral supply systems appear to be flexible and a gradual phasing-in of new powertrains and carbon-neutral fluid fuels or electricity is technically possible. Technology development drivers and vehicle manufacturers are found mainly in industrialised countries, but developing countries represent a growing market and may have an increasingly important role in shaping the future.     

特大城市集群绿色发展与生态足迹关联特征

本文以成渝城市群、长江中游城市群和长三角城市群为研究对象,解析不同空间尺度下绿色发展与生态足迹时空变化特征,并结合耦合协调度模型、环境库兹涅茨曲线（EKC）理论探究绿色发展与生态足迹的关联特征。研究表明,长江经济带城市群2000—2015年绿色发展水平逐年提升,约16.44%的城市达到较高水平,空间上呈现“东部高、西部低”的特征。人均三维生态足迹增长逐渐趋缓,成渝城市群达到峰值（5.21hm²）后逐年稳定下降。长江经济带绿色发展与生态足迹处于良好协调状态,绿色经济的快速发展带动了耦合协调度的提高。绿色发展与生态足迹存在倒“ U”形EKC曲线关系,由于自然资源基础和产业结构差异,成渝城市群（拐点出现在2008年）绿色发展与生态足迹协调关系好转早于中下游城市群（拐点分别在2019年、2012年）。四川、安徽应作为降低资源消耗的重点对象,未来应进一步加强区域中心城市的辐射带动作用,拉动周围城市提高绿色发展水平。研究成果能为区域绿色发展与生态环境协同管理提供思路与理论支持。