sustainability prospects. High-income countries, such as Canada and the United
States, have their Overshoot Days in the first half of the year. For example, in
2019, Canada’s Overshoot Day was March 18, 2019 relative to the most recent
global Earth Overshoot Day of July 29, 2019 (https://www.overshootday.org/). The
Earth Overshoot Day was delayed by 3 weeks because of the coronavirus (COVID19) in 2020 (https://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/country-overshoot-days/).
By comparison, less developed (low- to medium-income) countries appear later in
the year, as for instance Costa Rica had an Overshoot Day on August 10, 2020
(https://www.overshootday.org/). Whether a country is in a position of ‘weak’ or
‘strong’ sustainability could be quantified using the month that Overshoot Day
occurs; this can also be conveyed at the global scale. Such an approach also fosters
a sense of sustainability in the measure because of the way that it is used. More
specifically, by using time as an indicator of resource availability versus depletion, it
is possible to stimulate longer term thinking and planning. Perhaps such an increased
awareness since 2010 has been impacting the human expenditure of resources and
augmented conservation efforts.
An essential way that the Ecological Footprint has emerged has been as part of
sustainability. ‘Weak’ sustainability is measured when deficits are evident (Galli
et al. 2018; Pearce and Atkinson 1993; Wackernagel et al. 2006), for instance,
whereas ‘strong’ sustainability can be achieved when reserves exist and are
maintained to put off going into a situation of ecological overshoot, especially at
the global scale. Nationally, at least, it is still possible to exchange resources through
traded commodities. However, when humanity reaches a situation of global overshoot, competition for resources is augmented and even resource exchange could not
overcome issues of resource depletion in circumstances of weak sustainability. Trade
has, therefore, become increasingly subject in the work produced by the Global
Footprint Network. Part of this address has been because of criticisms of an
‘antitrade sentiment’ inherent in the methodology (e.g., McManus and Haughton
2006; van den Bergh and Grazi 2014; van den Bergh and Verbruggen 1999 –
Chap. 6 addresses such criticisms in more detail).
To tackle this, a systems approach is increasingly recognised, where inputs from
foreign trade into countries counterweigh outgoing resources traded out of countries.
It is important to realise that importing from other nations is not an ideal situation for
nations. The reason for this is that it weakens economies that are dependent on other
countries and subject to prices in the global market. This consideration has led to
comparisons between countries regarding their current and projected positions
globally. Nations that are self-sufficient and not reliant on others (or dependent)
for traded inputs are in stronger positions to sustain their economies because their
resources can support their populations (cf. Wackernagel and Beyers 2019). Such
nations, including Canada, have abundant resources – either because of their greater
natural inheritance of biocapacity or because their populations are not depleting their
resource base (Wackernagel and Beyers 2019) at a fast rate, so that the land can
continue to regenerate and support the population. By contrast, island nations that
have a small landmass – as for example Japan, the United Kingdom, and so on – are
more limited by their natural capital and reliance on trade.
34
2 The Ecological Footprint
States, have their Overshoot Days in the first half of the year. For example, in
2019, Canada’s Overshoot Day was March 18, 2019 relative to the most recent
global Earth Overshoot Day of July 29, 2019 (https://www.overshootday.org/). The
Earth Overshoot Day was delayed by 3 weeks because of the coronavirus (COVID19) in 2020 (https://www.overshootday.org/newsroom/country-overshoot-days/).
By comparison, less developed (low- to medium-income) countries appear later in
the year, as for instance Costa Rica had an Overshoot Day on August 10, 2020
(https://www.overshootday.org/). Whether a country is in a position of ‘weak’ or
‘strong’ sustainability could be quantified using the month that Overshoot Day
occurs; this can also be conveyed at the global scale. Such an approach also fosters
a sense of sustainability in the measure because of the way that it is used. More
specifically, by using time as an indicator of resource availability versus depletion, it
is possible to stimulate longer term thinking and planning. Perhaps such an increased
awareness since 2010 has been impacting the human expenditure of resources and
augmented conservation efforts.
An essential way that the Ecological Footprint has emerged has been as part of
sustainability. ‘Weak’ sustainability is measured when deficits are evident (Galli
et al. 2018; Pearce and Atkinson 1993; Wackernagel et al. 2006), for instance,
whereas ‘strong’ sustainability can be achieved when reserves exist and are
maintained to put off going into a situation of ecological overshoot, especially at
the global scale. Nationally, at least, it is still possible to exchange resources through
traded commodities. However, when humanity reaches a situation of global overshoot, competition for resources is augmented and even resource exchange could not
overcome issues of resource depletion in circumstances of weak sustainability. Trade
has, therefore, become increasingly subject in the work produced by the Global
Footprint Network. Part of this address has been because of criticisms of an
‘antitrade sentiment’ inherent in the methodology (e.g., McManus and Haughton
2006; van den Bergh and Grazi 2014; van den Bergh and Verbruggen 1999 –
Chap. 6 addresses such criticisms in more detail).
To tackle this, a systems approach is increasingly recognised, where inputs from
foreign trade into countries counterweigh outgoing resources traded out of countries.
It is important to realise that importing from other nations is not an ideal situation for
nations. The reason for this is that it weakens economies that are dependent on other
countries and subject to prices in the global market. This consideration has led to
comparisons between countries regarding their current and projected positions
globally. Nations that are self-sufficient and not reliant on others (or dependent)
for traded inputs are in stronger positions to sustain their economies because their
resources can support their populations (cf. Wackernagel and Beyers 2019). Such
nations, including Canada, have abundant resources – either because of their greater
natural inheritance of biocapacity or because their populations are not depleting their
resource base (Wackernagel and Beyers 2019) at a fast rate, so that the land can
continue to regenerate and support the population. By contrast, island nations that
have a small landmass – as for example Japan, the United Kingdom, and so on – are
more limited by their natural capital and reliance on trade.
34
2 The Ecological Footprint