Eco footprint

Eco footprint refers to the process of maintaining a balance. It is a rule that governs everything that exists in the universe. Balance is the only way of survival and nature tries to maintain it in any and every possible way. The burgeoning rate of mankind’s activities disrupting the natural balance is taking us to certain doom. The only way to right the wrongs is to restore balance. And that is where Eco Footprint comes into play.

The Ecological Footprint measures the ecological assets that a given population requires to produce the natural resources it consumes, including plant-based food and fiber products, livestock and fish products, timber and other forest products, space for urban infrastructure, and to absorb its waste, especially carbon emissions.

It is a case of an equalized give and takes that we measure in technical terms so that we can get an idea of where we stand and how much more needs to be done so that we can continue to sustain life on the planet. As in, we should not etch a permanent footprint on our mother Earth that we can not restore. This is the kind of imprint you would not want to leave behind.

What is Eco Footprint?

Going by the Wikipedia definition, “The ecological footprint measures human demand on nature, i.e., the quantity of nature it takes to support people or an economy. It tracks this demand through an ecological accounting system. The accounts contrast the biologically productive area people use for their consumption to the biologically productive area available within a region or the world. In short, it is a measure of human impact on Earth’s ecosystem and reveals the dependence of the human economy on natural capital.

” How much did you understand from the aforesaid definition are quite technical terms? It is a measure of how much natural resources including air, water and land do we humans use to live. The number of natural resources that we are using for our motives should be sufficient to support us. If the wastes produced are recycled and nature will regenerate then we have a self-sustained environment. Otherwise, we are leaving a carbon footprint and that is going to be hard to remove.

What is the use?

If we do not keep tabs on the money we spend, we will run out of money sooner than we imagine. The same analogy goes for all our natural resources as well. If we do not measure spending the available resources, it can have a global impact. We would be at the brink of a catastrophe way too sooner than what we estimated. So it is a check to make us realize where we need to stop. To not be self-centered and start giving back to nature.

We blindly use nature and take our planet earth for granted. Thanks to the concern and awareness that is being spread across the world regarding the adverse impacts, the human race is now concerned about their home. It is a measure for nations to impose mandatory steps to reduce the carbon impact of one country. Also, individuals should come to know that every little effort makes a big difference.

Bio-capacity

The biological capacity of a particular ecosystem is an estimate of its production of certain biological materials such as natural resources, and its absorption and filtering of other materials such as carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The definition is self-explanatory. The assets of any area across the world that are of natural origins in any way, will come under the study of biocapacity for that particular region. It is an aid to measure the supply side of the cycle of sustainability. Call it a measure of efficiency or the rate at which nature can supply the resources over and over again for human use.

Your carbon footprint

Now that we know what it means we should also understand that it is not only for on a global level but you can also calculate your individual carbon footprint. There are footprint calculators easily available on the internet which will calculate your carbon footprint according to your daily activities. It is a conscious effort towards saving your planet. Only if we are aware of the consequences of our activities will we be able to do some damage control. The effects might not seem short term like there is always one person who would question these methods or aids saying what difference would one person does it make? But we always forget the bigger picture that every step counts! Be it small or big.

Help reduce the impact

The summits, conventions, and all the efforts that people put in are not worthless. Think of it as a way to safeguard your place on this planet in the years to come. You want enough water for your future generations or rather for yourself in the upcoming 30 years? Then save it! And do it now. You need breathable air where what is going in your lungs is not tar then stop filling the air with carbon! You want food to eat and not live on capsules or just supplements that we now hear in science fiction well guess what if we do not amend our ways now that fiction will turn into a very harsh reality in the blink of an eye.

Small steps are going to take us a long way. And if we don’t do it who will? We have had enough wake-up calls. Unfortunately, the time to act upon the planned changes is also passing by at an alarming rate. If we do not save what we have right now we will not have anything! We are headed on our own carved paths to extinction. Not if we reroute now. This not “better late than sorry” it is “if we are too late, all we can do is be sorry”.