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Thematic assessment | Consumption and the environment Figure 2.1 Development of ecological footprint and available biocapacity per capita in EEA member countries Global hectares per person 5 Global hectares per person 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 1961 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 0 1961 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 Ecological footprint (gha/per person) Biocapacity (gha/per person) Carbon footprint (gha/per person) Food, fiber, timber and built footprint (gha/per person) Source: Global Footprint Network, 2009a. strengthen footprint calculations for Europe and make them more operational for EU environment and sectoral policies, currently a major weakness of the EF work. The EF translates a few of the global pressures caused directly and indirectly by a country's consumption into direct and virtual land use worldwide ( 4 ). A nation or a region's footprint can be benchmarked against the area of land, or biocapacity available nationally and globally per person, giving a useful indication of the extent to which its consumption is environmentally sustainable (Wackernagel and Rees, 1996). The biocapacity of a given piece of land is a function of its physical area, a factor that takes account of the type of land cover, and a yield factor varying according to local conditions. The global average EF was estimated at 2.6 global ha per person in 2006 compared to an average available global biocapacity of 1.8 global ha/person (Global Footprint Network, 2009a). In other words we are already using more of the world's resources than can be renewed — termed global overshoot. Environmental degradation due to over-use of natural resources is likely to lead to serious consequences for human well-being and health (Millenium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005; EEA, 2010). By 2006, the EF of the average resident of EEA member countries — 4.5 global ha/person — was already more than double both the average global biocapacity of 1.8 global ha/person and the available biocapacity within the territory of the EEA member countries of 2.1 global ha/person. This suggests that current European consumption and production patterns could not be transferred to the rest of the world without overstretching global ecosystem services. Moreover, Europe's footprint continues to rise while the available biocapacity per person both in Europe and globally is shrinking due to population growth and the degradation of ecosystems. Economic growth in Europe and other OECD countries has brought significant social gains. However, these have come hand in hand with a high demand for natural resources. Under current development pathways no country has so far managed to maintain sufficient levels of human development while keeping resource consumption within ecological limits (see Figure 2.2). Achieving a high level of human development without exceeding ecological limits requires the development of alternative ways of providing for social, health and educational needs that are less resource-intensive and less environmentally damaging. It should be noted that well-being is not necessarily linked to material wealth once basic needs are covered. In recognition of ( 4 ) This includes direct land use in the country for urban areas and roads, land used indirectly globally for the production of food, fiber, timber, energy consumed in the country, and finally 'virtual' land in the form of average forest that would be required to absorb CO 2 emissions from the country's use of fossil fuels thus avoiding accumulation in the atmosphere. 10 The European environment | State and outlook 2010
Thematic assessment | Consumption and the environment Figure 2.2 Human Development Index and ecological footprint Ecological footprint (global hectares per person) African countries Asian countries European countries Latin American and Caribbean countries North American countries Oceanian countries UNDP threshold for high human development 12 10 8 6 12 10 8 6 World average biocapacity per person in 1961 (This must also include the needs of wild species) 4 4 World average biocapacity per person in 2006 High human development within the Earth's limits 2 2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 0 United Nations Human Development Index Note: Both HDI and EF data refer to 2006. Source: Global Footprint Network, 2009b. this, the European Commission is committed to taking leadership in developing and making use of alternative and complementary indicators to gross domestic product (GDP) as a measure of social progress (EC, 2009). 2.3 The unseen trade in environmental pressures Only a relative minor part of environmental pressures caused by a country's consumption are emitted directly by consumers. For example, only 10–30 % of CO 2 -emissions caused by consumption in EU Member States are directly emitted by households for heating, cooking and the use of private cars. The majority are emitted during the production of consumed goods and services, including electricity. Moreover, in the global economy, where goods are increasingly produced and traded worldwide, a significant share of the environmental pressures associated with a European country's consumption are felt outside national borders, not only in other EU Member States but also elsewhere in the world. Although indirectly caused by ( 5 ) 'Embodied' pressures refers to pressures which have taken place along the full production chain of a product from material extraction to sale to the consumer. The European environment | State and outlook 2010 11
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TH-30-10-544-EN-N doi:10.2800/58407
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