Mie Kyla Pedrosa BSED VAL ED 2-G

Activity 11.1

Questions:

1.  What is your ecological footprint?

3.5 is my Ecological Footprint (global hectares or gha)

2.  How many planets does your ‘footprint’ need? Why did you get
such results?

2.1 Earths

I admit my ways of living has been not environmentally and earth

friendly which is why I was able to get the result of 2.1 planets to equate my
ecological footprint. I get such result because I travel a lot, mostly by vehicle;
when I go shopping, I use a lot of plastics; I throw food away; I eat a lot of
meat; I use a lot of paper in educational tasks; I boil water with electricity; I
spend most of my time in front of a screen (TV, mobile, computer); and I do
online shopping. My Lifestyle does not promote a sustainable lifestyle at all,
especially with the emergence of 21st century which is the era of technological
advancements, I cannot evade the use of these gadgets and spend most my
time here.

 
3.  The earth’s biocapacity or total available resources is only about 1.8
hectares per person. How does your footprint compare with this?

My ecological footprint exceeds the standard available resources per

person, which is 1.8 hectares, compared to mine, which is 3.6 hectares,
demonstrating that my way of life has a greater impact on the environment,
because my lifestyle consume resources and generate waste compared to
how fast nature can absorb our waste and generate resources, and my
consumption leaves more than what the earth can sustain and the use of
natural resources that the earth can provide.

4.   How many are you in your house? Multiply that by 1.8 hectares to get the
total biocapacity for the persons living with you.

Number of persons: 4

Biocapacity for family: 7.2

5.  Get the total ecological foot print of your family. [each member of the
family will be encouraged to answer the ecological footprint quiz]. How does
this compare with the total biocapacity for your family?

Mother- 2.2
Father- 3.2
Sister- 3.1
Mine-3.5
Total =12

My family's overall biocapacity is 7.2, which, when compared to my

family's total ecological footprint of 12, indicates that my family has been
using natural resources at a pace that exceeds the capacity of ecosystems to
replenish what humans need from those surfaces.

6.  If your family’s total footprint is greater than the earth’s biocapacity for
your family, what do you think would be the possible consequences of this
fact to our planet?

If my family’s total footprint is greater than the earth’s biocapacity for

my family then my family’s total footprint would be a huge contributor of the
earth’s “overshooting.” These contribution of my household even if it doesn’t
equate with those bigger corporations whose consumption are bigger than
ours still it could contribute in the degration of supply of resources available
to support human life on a sustainable basis. Our ecological footprints can
cause that the earth will not be able to support the life in it. These would lead
to depletion of resources and eventually extinction of many organisms. My
family’s total ecological footprint can contribute to the worsening of societal
and environmental problems like carbon emissions, lack of fresh air, increased
desertification, global warming and increased environmental pollution would
be reduced.

7.   What did you feel upon realizing the possible effects on our planet of the
fact that your family’ total footprint is greater than what the earth can
provide?

After learning about the detrimental impacts on our planet's health if

my family's total ecological footprint exceeds what the earth can provide for
everyone, I realized that if everyone were just observant and cautious of his
or her ecological footprint, there would be fewer environmental problems
today. We lack knowledge and education on these issues, and if people were
informed about the environmental consequences of their affluent lifestyle,
they would be more cautious of the things they do. I also recognize that I
must live a green and environmentally friendly lifestyle and encourage my
family to do the same. By driving less, using less air conditioning, eating less
meat and sticking to fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans, reducing food
waste, using reusable cups, plates, utensils, bottles, and containers, turning
off lights and unplugging appliances when not in use, recycling effectively,
buying only what I need, bringing a reusable bag, talking to family and
friends about climate change issues and carbon footprints, supporting and
purchasing from companies that are environmentally friendly, I can reduce
my ecological footprint and convince those people close to me to do the
same.

 8.  Suggest ways on how to reduce your carbon footprint in a drawing

Conclusion
 The Ecological Footprint calculates the amount of biologically
productive land required to create the resources required by the human
population and absorb the carbon dioxide emissions produced by humans. As
our ecological footprints expand, we are depleting and harming more of the
Earth's natural capital. This is known as environmental or natural capital
degradation. Human activities have destroyed almost 60% of the Earth's
natural services, with the majority of this destruction taking place in the
previous 50 years. Reduced carbon footprints aid in mitigating the effects of
global climate change, promoting public health, strengthening the global
economy, and conserving biodiversity. Reduced carbon emissions help to
ensure cleaner air, water, and food for our generation and future generations.
These consequences would spread and escalate if left unchecked, resulting in
further animal extinction and biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and displaced
communities.