26
2 A Conceptual Framework for Constituting a Footprint Family
2.4 Discussion
The proposed footprint family allows for a broader assessment of significant environmental impacts. In order to better understand its role in tracking human pressure
on the planet, an evaluation of the footprint family will be conducted by testing the
performance in crucial respects, and key priorities for further development will be
suggested as well.
2.4.1 Evaluation of the Footprint Family
2.4.1.1 Data Availability
In the case of cross-national databases, the ecological footprint accounts for over
150 nations during 1961–2008 have been consistently released by the GFN with a
separate column for the energy footprint (e.g., Borucke et al. 2013; Ewing et al. 2010;
GFN 2009). A database of the carbon footprint for 73 nations is available as well
(Hertwich and Peters 2009). There is also an average of the data of the water footprint
for 140 nations between 1996 and 2005 (Hoekstra and Mekonnen 2012). Recently,
the advanced online database, EUREAPA (2011), has been constructed based on the
support of the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) version 7, in which detailed
datasets on the ecological, carbon, and water footprints of 27 EU member states and
additional 18 nations or regions with 57 sectors are all available for the base year of
2004.
In contrast to the well-documented data at the national level, data for the microscale products and the meso-scale organizations are quite limited. For instance, the
access to the database of a company which comprises detailed statistics of resources
used and wastes discharged within the defined boundary, in many cases, is not available. Data availability has become a limiting factor in the extension at the sub-national
level. A consequence is that potential applications of the footprint family would be
restricted to the national level. Nevertheless, this is constrained by a lack of available
dedicated personnel and financial resources rather than a lack of understanding or
willingness to promote data collection and quality (Kitzes et al. 2009).
2.4.1.2 Coverage Complementarity
Each of the four environmental footprints is designed for addressing environmental
issues with different emphases and, hence, is a complement to and not a substitute
for others. The carbon and water footprints have been found to be able to benefit the
ecological footprint by providing core information on natural capital use in relation
to human consumption of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, respectively (Galli et al.
2012). For instance, the fishing component of the ecological footprint denotes the
2 A Conceptual Framework for Constituting a Footprint Family
2.4 Discussion
The proposed footprint family allows for a broader assessment of significant environmental impacts. In order to better understand its role in tracking human pressure
on the planet, an evaluation of the footprint family will be conducted by testing the
performance in crucial respects, and key priorities for further development will be
suggested as well.
2.4.1 Evaluation of the Footprint Family
2.4.1.1 Data Availability
In the case of cross-national databases, the ecological footprint accounts for over
150 nations during 1961–2008 have been consistently released by the GFN with a
separate column for the energy footprint (e.g., Borucke et al. 2013; Ewing et al. 2010;
GFN 2009). A database of the carbon footprint for 73 nations is available as well
(Hertwich and Peters 2009). There is also an average of the data of the water footprint
for 140 nations between 1996 and 2005 (Hoekstra and Mekonnen 2012). Recently,
the advanced online database, EUREAPA (2011), has been constructed based on the
support of the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) version 7, in which detailed
datasets on the ecological, carbon, and water footprints of 27 EU member states and
additional 18 nations or regions with 57 sectors are all available for the base year of
2004.
In contrast to the well-documented data at the national level, data for the microscale products and the meso-scale organizations are quite limited. For instance, the
access to the database of a company which comprises detailed statistics of resources
used and wastes discharged within the defined boundary, in many cases, is not available. Data availability has become a limiting factor in the extension at the sub-national
level. A consequence is that potential applications of the footprint family would be
restricted to the national level. Nevertheless, this is constrained by a lack of available
dedicated personnel and financial resources rather than a lack of understanding or
willingness to promote data collection and quality (Kitzes et al. 2009).
2.4.1.2 Coverage Complementarity
Each of the four environmental footprints is designed for addressing environmental
issues with different emphases and, hence, is a complement to and not a substitute
for others. The carbon and water footprints have been found to be able to benefit the
ecological footprint by providing core information on natural capital use in relation
to human consumption of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, respectively (Galli et al.
2012). For instance, the fishing component of the ecological footprint denotes the