BIO 101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 24: Ecological Footprint, Geothermal Heating, Sulfur Dioxide
4 Oct 2016
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Sustainability: use of e"s resources in a way that will not permanently destroy/deplete them; living within limits of e"s bio capacity, it"s ability to provide current & future generations w/ natural resources and to absorb our wastes. Natural resources that can"t be easily replaces (exp. fossil fuels) Bio capacity: amount of e"s biologically productive area (cropland, pasture, forest, & fisheries) that"s available to provide resources & absorb wastes to support life. Global hectare (gha): unit of measurement representing biological productivity (both resource- providing & waste-absorbing capacity) of an avg. hectare of e. Ecologists measure human demand on e"s resources using ecological footprint analysis: quantifies the amount of biologically productive land & water needed to support our lifestyles. Ecological footprint: measure of how much land & water area: required to supply resources an individual/pop. consumes & to absorb the wastes it produces. Greater than e"s bio capacity: means we are living unsustainably. Largest component of our footprint: energy.
