Humanity's ecological footprint is over 23% larger than what the planet can regenerate. It now takes over a year and two months for the Earth to regenerate what humanity uses in a single year, demonstrating ecological overshoot where resource demands exceed what nature can supply. The effects of overshoot include collapsing fisheries, climate change, species extinction, deforestation, and groundwater loss. Americans consume 40% more energy per person than the global average, with 68% of U.S. energy coming from fossil fuels that produce carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas causing global warming.

1. People Affect the Environment
Human Environment
Interaction

2. Ecological Footprint
● how much land and water area a human
population needs to make the resources it
consumes and to absorb its wastes under
prevailing technology
● That is, it measures the extent to which
humanity is using nature's resources faster
than they can regenerate

3. Current Levels
● humanity's Ecological Footprint is over 23%
larger than what the planet can regenerate
● It now takes more than one year and two
months for the Earth to regenerate what we
use in a single year

4. Ecological Overshoot
● resource demands > what nature can supply
= ecological overshoot
● The effects: collapsing fisheries,
carbon-induced climate change, species
extinction, deforestation, and the loss of
groundwater

6. List the various ways you depend on
energy in a typical day.

7. American Energy Consumption
● Americans consume
40% more energy per
person compared to
the world average.
World
5.0 TOE/person
United States
8.35 TOE/person
Total primary energy supply TOE (tons of oil equivalent) per person (2000).
lEA, Energy Balances of OECD Countries 1999-2000 (lEA, Paris, 2001).

8. Where does our energy come from?

9. Where does our energy come from?
● Fossil fuels (Natural Gas, Oil, Coal) 68%
● Nuclear Power 19%
● Hydropower 7%
● Wind Power 3.56%
● Solar Power .11%
● Other Renewables 2.33%
Renewable Energy
Statistics taken from the following site:
"Frequently Asked Questions." U.S. Energy Information Administration. N.p., 9 May 2013.
Web. 3 Apr. 2014.

10. What is the connection between
Energy and Carbon Dioxide?

11. What is the connection between
Energy and Carbon Dioxide?
=
Energy Use
CO2
makes up approximately
85 percent of total greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions.

12. What is the connection between
Carbon Dioxide and Global Warming?
http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/page.cfm?tagID=273

13. What human activity produces the
most greenhouse gases (CO2
)?

14. What human activity produces the
most greenhouse gases (CO2
)?
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2004, EPA.
1. Electricity Generation
2. Transportation
3. Industry
4. Agricultural
5. Commercial
6. Residential

15. The average person generates 94 lbs.
of CO2
per day.

16. Carbon Footprint
The amount of Carbon Dioxide and other
carbon products that are emitted because of
the use of fossil fuels by a person, family,
business, etc

17. Activity 1:
What is your Carbon Footprint?
● Go to EPA’s Carbon Footprint Calculator
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html

18. Sustainability
rates of renewable resource harvest,
pollution creation, and non-renewable
resource depletion that can be
continued indefinitely.

19. Three Parts of Sustainability
Healthy Environment
Healthy Economy
Healthy Society
From: http://www.sustainablemeasures.com

20. Sustainability
● Reducing CO2
emissions benefits:
• The environment
• The economy
• Society
● Practices that benefit all three of these
are said to be sustainable.

21. Sustainable Development
● “Development that meets the
needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own
needs.”
– Our Common Future

22. Dr. Seuss's
The Lorax can be
used to help
students discover
the concept of
sustainability.