Ecological Footprint

(Retrieved July 18, 2011 from http://iisakeco.glogster.com/what-is-your-ecological-footprint/)

Definition - Wackernagel and Rees refer to the Ecological Footprint as a tool that is used to measure the ‘load’ imposed by a given population on nature. It represents the land area necessary to sustain current levels of resource consumption and waste discharge by that population. Simply put, it is the amount of land required from nature to support a typical individual’s present consumption. It is represented by both the area of (carbon sink) land required to absorb the carbon dioxide released by per capita fossil fuel consumption, and the amount of agricultural land that is required to produce food for the average individual. 

The annotated bibliography for this topic will include the following sources:

• Best Foot Forward. (1997). Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://www.bestfootforward.com
• Dockside Green (2007).  Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://docksidegreen.com
• Gowdy, J.M., & McDaniel, C.N. (1999). The Physical Destruction of Nauru: An example of weak sustainability. Land Economics, 75(2), 333-338.
• Rees, M. W. (1996). Our Ecological Footprint. Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society.
• Rees, M. W. (1992). Ecological footprints and appropriated carrying capacity: what urban economics leaves out. Environment and Urbanization, 4(2), 121-130.
• Ross, A. (2009). Modern interpretations of sustainable development. Journal of Law and Society, 36(1), 32-54.
• Salinas, H. S. & Vaughan-Lee, E. (2009). What Would it Look Like? Global oneness Project.
• The Global Footprint Network. (2003). Retrieved June 28, 2010, from  http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/
• World Wide Fund Canada. (1986) Retrieved June 28, 2010, from http://wwf.ca/
• Wackernagel et al. (2002). Tracking the ecological overshoot of the human economy. PNAS, 99(14), 9266-9271.