Mathis Wackernagel: The Ecological Footprint

Mathis Wackernagel, co-creator of the Ecological Footprint, describes how this tool lets us calculate the amount of natural resources necessary to support our collective expenditure. Pointing to our current over-expenditure, he explains how the ecological footprint can help us avoid ecological bankruptcy.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• ecology
• environment
• sustainability
• indigenous
• land
• rights
• politics
• paradigm
• shift

[celt130]

@buzongtang

As I said I am not commenting the video itself, I was replying to a comment who I feel to be wrong.

Personally I think we should and could go back to a agriculture closer to what was done before chemical fertilisers.Those fertilisers represent 75% of what is used and they are made with non-renewable ressources.

Going back to a more"organic"agriculture with animal manure could be a solution but at a price for the consumers.

There is a Berkeley study on the subject you can Google.

[buzongtang]

@celt130 I'm not disagreeing. I'm just saying most of the Earth's surface area is not farm land, and what areas are farm land are themselves not separate from interactions or dependency from the wider global environmental system. Whereas, according to my best understanding, the Ecological Footprint analysis encompasses thousands of data points across a wide spectrum of environmental and economic variables.

[celt130]

@buzongtang

Pastures can and are ecological as they are interesting for other lifeforms and don't demand a lot of work. On the other hand modern fields are not as interesting on a ecological side and worse, once they are harvested many animals are killed in the process.

[buzongtang]

@celt130 His calculations/analysis include non-farm land data points. Moreover, your language implies some kind of assumption in your thinking that farm land somehow remains economically viable independent of the non-farm land ecosystem (which is most of the ecosystem(s), where most of that is not fed by farm animal manure). As Wackernagel has said, "biodiversity is an asset." His statistical analysis includes literally thousands of data points--it is far from simplistic.

[celt130]

The problem I have with this way of thinking and counting is the fact that you need to see modern agriculture as a circle and not someting individual. It is not natural to grow billions of the same plant on a tight space so you need to feed the earth every year.How is the earth fed naturally?By the manure of farm animals.Those farm animals some people accuse polluting the world.Simply said,no farm animals manure, no plants to feed us.

[brendam44]

Thank you for the information, and most of all thank you for not having musical background as you speak.

[xXxJeninexXx]

Agreed with the others... Great video. Helped me understand the Ecological Footprint much better.. I am doing an essay for my Environmental Studies class. Thanks! =)

[MerrinPearse]

Great short video summarizing the concept of Ecological Footprint. Thanks it has helped my understanding of where EF fits within the topic of Sustainability. I must say that I am surprised by how few people have watched this.

[vilmasmb]

Well explained. Let's hope others will understand how important is to live green (if not green, than at least greener) life and make a change in the world.

[collectingrecords]

this is very usefull i am a college student in tucson az and this video is helping with our assignment thank you

Mathis wackernagel

(math Is Wack) :]