2: Ecological Footprint
Ecological footprint and ecological pyramid are the two important concepts of Ecology. This topic will shed light on these two concepts.
Every action, whether by an individual or an organisation, impacts the environment is crucial. Environmental conditions such as climate change, natural disasters and pollution not only disrupt supply chains but can also increase the costs of raw materials. This interconnection emphasises the interconnection of ecology and business operations and also highlights that business activities often have significant repercussions on the environment.
“Ecological footprint” is a metric that measures the amount of natural resources we have, and how much of it we use. In short, it helps to measure the supply and demand of resources available in nature. The resources are depleting (both in quality and quantity) at an alarming rate. Further, the global competition for resources, new stringent environmental regulations, consumer demands for greener products and other such developments have also influenced resource demand and consumption. However, the ecological footprint can help identify the overutilization of resources and help turn these challenges into business opportunities.
The ecological footprint not only measures the organisation’s impact but also measures your impact against real ecological limits.
The Global Footprint Network formulated the ecological footprint standards in 2009. According to these standards, the ecological footprint can be calculated based on several parameters which can be classified into demand or supply side. On the demand side, human needs like timber, forest land/ other land spaces, fish and livestock etc. While the supply side includes all the ecological assets like cropland, grazing land, fishing grounds, built-up land etc.[2]
Our consumption patterns influence the ecological footprint and significantly affect biodiversity. By altering these patterns, we can decrease our footprint as well as its impact and ease the pressure on the world's biodiversity.
Example
1. A meat-based diet requires more resources (land, water, energy) than a plant-based diet, thus affecting more habitat area and emitting more carbon dioxide.
2. Shorter product lifespan and faster replacement demand more resources for manufacture, resulting in more pollutants and waste.