Ecological Footprint and Sustainable Practices

Ecological Footprint and its Impact

The impact of a species or population on the environment depends on the number of individuals it is composed of and the environmental impact of each individual. The ecological footprint is an indicator that measures the soil surface in hectares needed to produce resources consumed by a citizen or a population, as well as to absorb and detoxify the waste generated. These areas are located where they are needed.

The average ecological footprint is calculated by dividing the existing productive land on Earth by 6 billion. The average consumption per inhabitant per year is 2.8 hectares. Three consequences we can extract are:

• Slow population growth
• Cannot be extended to all
• Reducing consumption

Renewable Energy Sources

Solar energy, whose use does not produce additional heat in the atmosphere, unlike fossil fuels that do produce heat. Hydropower uses the energy released in waterfalls to generate electricity at hydroelectric plants. Tidal energy's application to produce electricity is based on the same principle as hydropower. Wind energy uses the force of the wind to move the blades of the mill generators and transform it into electricity. Biomass refers to the amount of organic material of an organism or an ecosystem, expressed as dry weight per unit area.

Water Use and Abuse

The uses and abuses that humans make of water resources, including pollution and water consumption through excessive agricultural development, threaten the livelihoods of many living beings. The climatic changes that produce a hydrological alteration have results that are difficult to predict with precision. Emissions from agriculture and livestock, industrial and urban, are the main pollutants of freshwater.

Biological Magnification

Non-biodegradable waste, or waste that is only partially removed, accumulates in organisms, not being degraded by decomposers. Therefore, as we ascend in the food chain, its concentration increases.

Soil: The Substrate for Life

The soil is a layer of variable thickness located on the surface of the Earth's crust. It is formed from bedrock by the action of living beings and climate. It comprises mineral particles, decomposing organic matter, water, air, and living organisms such as fungi and mites. The process of soil formation begins with the colonization of the bedrock by a few bodies with simple nutritional needs, such as incipient lichens.

The soil layer can be installed on plants such as mosses that weather the rock. With plant debris and humic acids produced by plants, a thicker layer of soil is progressively formed: mature soil.