Earth on course for ‘eco crunch’

The BBC is running with a story this morning that the earth is head for an ecological ‘credit crunch’! Conservation groups contend that three quarters of the world’s population lives in countries where consumption levels are outstripping environmental renewal. The story pays particular attention to ecological footprints, which Year 13 need to be aware of for the module ‘Urban-Rural Interrelationships’.

Ecological Footprints

Useful video below for Year 13 explaining the theory behind ecological footprints. The link that you need to consider is the impact of urban populations on rural environments. If our ecological footprints continue to grow then resources from rural environments will continue to be depleated.

Wikipedia page about ecological footprints. Approach with a bit of caution, as with any Wikipedia page, anybody can edit these pages. Calculate your own ecological footprint here.  Further information on ecological footprints from the WWF here. Ecological footprints overview from Global Footprint Network here. BBC news article about the world entering an ecological debt.