1b. United States: My Ecological Footprint

Environment   Aug 4, 2017 by cedricchan

1. Ecological Footprint Calculator

What part of your ecological footprint most surprised you?

What surprised me most about my ecological footprint was how many Planet Earths it would take to support humans if everyone lived like me. According to my ecological footprint, that number is 5.3 Earths. Living here, I feel like everything I do is normal, but apparently, normal is destroying the Earth’s little resources. What also surprised me was how little things like using less animal-products, using products of recycled materials, and taking local vacations can make my ecological footprint better.

How did your footprint compare to your city’s average and your country’s average?

The national average is 9.6 global hectares, while my footprint is 7.3 hectares. This made me realize just how much work there is to be done. Yes, I am slightly better than the national average, but I'm not doing great, which just shows how most of the population is using unsustainable amounts of resources.

Find a location with a smaller carbon footprint from yours, within your own country if possible. What is different about this community from your own? What can you learn from this?

San Francisco has a smaller carbon footprint than Los Altos does. This is mainly due to the use of public transportation. What I can learn from this is that if I take public transportation more often, I can decrease my carbon footprint.

What parts of your footprint do you feel is possible to reduce? What parts don’t?

I think I can reduce the parts of my footprint that the quiz recommended; mainly, my use of animal-products, my use of recycled materials, and my international travel. Some things I don’t think I can immediately change are my car and my house.

Read this article about large companies, individual actions, and climate change: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/just-90-com... What do you think are the limits and possibilities in affecting climate change by the reduction of individual footprints?

Personally, I think that an individual trying to lower their carbon footprint will not do much good. However, if that individual were to get other people to also lower their carbon footprints, they might be able to inspire change within other people, and make a larger difference. 

2. Climate Challenge

What strategy did you take in Climate Challenge? Was it effective in reducing emissions?

I tried to use strategy cards that didn’t use too much of other resources while still reducing emissions. It did reduce emissions, but not for a long time because those options were generally unpopular. When I played it several times, generally, I found that I would lose the election when I tried reducing emissions too much and lasted longest when I followed what the people wanted despite the resource levels.

What did you think of how the strategy cards represented resources? Do you think some of the strategies/policies would have different impacts than the ones shown in the game?

I think the strategy cards pretty accurately represented the effect of some policies. The impacts the strategy cards had seemed pretty accurate to me, but I think the approval rating of some of them were a bit off.

How did you approach international negotiations? Was it better to lead by example, or attempt to encourage other nations by investing in their green economies?

I tried to approach international negotiations with a mix of giving them money and leading by example. But every time there was a negotiation, there were always countries that said I wasn’t doing enough. I tried to invest in those countries’ green economies, but at least one country always ended up saying no.

3. Water Footprint Calculator

Where you surprised by how much water you consumed?

I was surprised by how much water I consume per year because I wrote a paper on water use in my area but didn’t realize how I was a part of that.

How did your footprint compare to your country’s and the world's average? (You will need to research this.)

My footprint is 924 cubic meters per year, while the world’s average is 1243 cubic meters and the U.S. average is 2842 cubic meters, so I am doing better than most people, but still have a long way to go.

What parts of your footprint do you feel is possible to reduce? What parts don’t?

I think I can reduce my footprint by eating less meat, and saving water in general at home, but I think I should keep eating vegetables because it is an important part of my diet.

Do some research on a water-based conflict in your country. Which communities have access to water, which ones don’t, and who controls resource use?

Some urban communities throughout the United States have difficulty getting easy access to clean water. When they do, it is generally quite expensive and not convenient. Wealthier communities like California have access to clean water, and can easily get it in their homes. The water is generally controlled by the government and local water companies. 

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