In wealthy countries like Australia, the ecological footprint is much larger than in poorer countries like Chad. The global average footprint is 2.77 hectares, meaning we need 1.63 Earths to support everyone. In Australia, the average is 6.84 hectares (4.02 Earths). To enjoy a sustainable way of life, the population needs to stay within the Earth’s carrying capacity (meaning the maximum number of individuals the environment can support). To live sustainably, the footprint should be no more than 1.7 hectares. FIGURE3 shows countries like Luxembourg, Qatar and the United States far exceed this. In Australia, we use resources and generate waste 4.0 times faster than the Earth can replace and absorb them. As more countries develop, we need smart solutions for a better quality of life.
FIGURE3 Top 10 countries with the biggest and smallest ecological footprints (hectares per capita) per person, 2024
14.72
12.79
8.95
8.66
8.23
8.08
8.05
8.04
7.93
6.84
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
United States
Luxembourg
Canada
Bahrain
Mongolia
Belgium
Australia
Trinidad and Tobago
1.00
0.80
0.82
0.59
0.64
0.68
0.72
0.76
0.67
0.79
Madagascar
Bangladesh
Afghanistan
Timor-Leste
Burundi
Malawi
Mozambique
Eritrea
Haiti
Nepal
SkillBuilder discussion Communiciating 1. Discuss what an ecological footprint measures and how it is expressed. 2. Compare the average ecological footprint of an Australian to the global average. 3. Describe how government policy and individual actions can inþuence the ecological footprint.
Government policies affect the ecological footprint, and the wider quality of the environment, through policies on regulating power generation, transport, water, industry, waste collection and building standards. Individuals inþuence it through their choices in food, water, power use, recycling, composting, building and travel.
10.12 SkillBuilder activity CONCLUDING AND DECISION MAKING 1. Conduct research and ýnd two images:
• One showing living conditions in a country with an ecological footprint over six hectares per capita. • One showing living conditions in a country with an ecological footprint under one hectare per capita. Refer to FIGURE3 for examples of countries with large and small ecological footprints.
TOPIC10 Place and liveability 411
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