Bangladesh’s Ecological Footprint
By Luke Juran, University of Iowa

(Metcalfe, 2003)

Ecological footprints measure the average area of land necessary to sustain an individual in a particular country. The footprint gauges human demand on the environment by calculating the consumption of natural resources vis a vis the earth’s ability to regenerate those same resources. A large footprint denotes a country/population that emits heavy environmental stress whereas a small footprint denotes a country/population that harms the environment to a lesser extent to sustain itself.

The footprint is figured by totaling the amount of gasoline, electricity, meat, processed food, public transportation, and other environment related indicators that an average person consumes on a daily basis. Based on these determinants, the USA produces the world’s largest ecological footprint (9.8 hectares or 24.2 acres), while Bangladesh produces the world’s smallest footprint (.5 hectare or 1.2 acres). Evidence of Bangladesh’s small footprint is strikingly visible when one considers that they are able to sustain the lives of 150 million people (half the population of America) in the size of one of America’s states (Iowa) with little natural resource endowment.

 

Source:

Metcalfe, Ian. Environmental Concerns for Bangladesh. South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies. Vol. 2, No. 3, 423-438. December 2003.