Calculate your ecological footprint at open day

USQ ecologist Dr Andy Le Brocque said Australians are living beyond the capacity of the Earth to support them.

'If everyone on the globe maintained our level of consumption of resources and production of wastes, we would need three Earths to support our global population. Of course, we only have one,' he said.

The measurement scale used by scientists to assess the impact of human activities measured in terms of biocapacity is Global hectares, which is the area of biologically productive land and water required to produce the goods consumed and to assimilate the wastes generated. It is the amount of the environment necessary to produce the goods and services needed to support a particular lifestyle.

Dr Le Brocque, who teaches environmental science and sustainability at USQ, said that Australia’s current average ecological footprint of 6.8 global hectares (gha) per person is the eighth highest in the world in terms of cost on the environment.

'The global average footprint is 2.7 gha per person, which means Australia’s footprint is over two and a half times higher than the global average and considerably larger than that of Bangladesh at 0.62 gha or that of the lowest footprint of 0.04 gha found in Puerto Rico,' he said.

The ecological footprint concept was developed in the 1990s by two Canadian researchers, William Rees and Mathis Wackernagel from the University of British Columbia and has become a widely accepted indicator of humanity’s overall impact on the natural environment.

'More than half of the average Australian’s footprint comes from greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from the burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity. The average Australian household generates about 14 tonnes of greenhouse gases each year. However, there are lots of relatively simple things that we can do to reduce our individual, and the nation’s ecological footprint.

'One of the main ways to reduce your ecological footprint is to change the way you use energy in the home. Switch to energy efficient light bulbs and turn off electronic devices when you are not using them.

'When you are replacing major appliances, such as stoves, fridges and hot water systems, consider purchasing a gas stove, a more efficient fridge, or an on-demand hot water system. For your next car, think about a smaller, more fuel efficient one and consider using public transport, walking or riding a bike for shorter distances.

'Buy products at the supermarket that are less processed, have less packaging and are sourced from your local area – the environmental costs of transporting produce can add significantly to your ecological footprint. Reduce your consumption of animal products – raising stock and processing meat has a considerably larger footprint than vegetables.

'Many of these simple lifestyle choices are also likely to save you considerable money, particularly as the true environmental costs become more factored into the price of our consumables,' he said.

Dr Le Brocque will be at USQ’s Toowoomba campus Open Day on Sunday 21 August and will be able to give you the opportunity to calculate your own individual ecological footprint and explore ways in which you and your family may be able to reduce it.

Contact Details:
Connie-Louise Rego, USQ Media, +61 7 4631 2977