Complementary indicators: ecological & water footprint

Here some applications of this synergistic pair of indicators are provided - and hopefully a discussion will emerge on how to make better use of the valuable information that those indicators provide. Also, what may be the advantages knowledge-wise to add other data such as the nitrogen footprint?

----Example----

USEPA's California Footprint Sustainability Indicators for Decision Support

An effort "California Footprint Sustainability Indicators for Decision Support" led by
the USEPA is underway. The two major components of this effort are the development of
ecological and water footprints. The Global Footprint Network leads the ecological footprint
analysis, while DWR and UC Davis, in partnership with USEPA, lead the development of the
water footprint analysis.

From a presentation by Hodge and Fong on the subject:
Indicators of California's Sustainability
Why Footprints?
• Summarize and convey large body of information
• Use an accessible metaphor
Why Two Footprints?
• Complementary, more comprehensive
- Ecological Footprint addresses terrestrial resources (and fisheries) in units of area
- Water Footprint addresses water resources in units of volume


More information:
http://www.epa.gov/region9/science/seminars/2012/don-hodge_environmental-indicators.pdf

----Example---

The California Water Sustainability Indicators Framework
as of February 5, 2012

From the project report:
How Are Indicators Connected to Ecological and Water Footprints?
The basic idea of the ecological footprint is that our activities and physical infrastructure
measurably affect an area or other portion of ecosystems (the "ecological footprint"). For
example, the land‐area required to supply an average US resident with food is ~2.4 acres. The
irrigation and other water requirements for providing food and other needs can be measured
as a volume of water, (the "water footprint"). In the US, the per capita water footprint is 2,480
m3/yr, the largest in the world (Hoekstra, 2009). These approaches for measuring our effect on
different attributes of natural systems rely on a combination of understanding how human
endeavors occur in ecological domains and how much of an ecological attribute may be
affected. Indicators are a way to measure these endeavors and ecological attributes. This
provides a connection between the more traditional world of condition indicators and a
comprehensive way of measuring and describing our effects on natural systems.
In Phase II of the Water Sustainability Indicators project, we will include the water footprint as
an important index of human impacts to water systems. It will not replace other indicators, but
will serve as a composite index of multiple indicators of human uses of water and impact on
natural systems.


Detailed information:
http://www.waterplan.water.ca.gov/docs/cwpu2013/ae/sustainability-framework.pdf

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3 Answers

1. A recent publication that explores the potential for a combination of ecological, energy, carbon and water footprints: Fang, K., Heijungs, R. and De Snoo, G.R. (2014) Theoretical exploration for the combination of the ecological, energy, carbon, and water footprints: Overview of a footprint family, Ecological Indicators, 36: 508-518. Abstract: Over the past two decades, a continuously expanding list of footprint-style indicators has been introduced to the scientific community with the aim of raising public awareness of how humanity exerts pressures on the environment. A deeper understanding of the connections and interactions between different foot- prints is required in an attempt to support policy makers in the measurement and choice of environmental impact mitigation strategies. Combining a selection of footprints that address different aspects of environmental issues into an integrated system is, therefore, a natural step. This paper starts with the idea of developing a footprint family from which most important footprints can be compared and integrated. On the basis of literature review in related fields, the ecological, energy, carbon, and water footprints are employed as selected indicators to define a footprint family. A brief survey is presented to provide background information on each of the footprints with an emphasis on their main characteristics in a comparative sense; that is, the footprints differ in many aspects more than just the impacts they are addressed. This allows the four footprints to be complementarily used in assessing environmental impacts associated with natural resource use and waste discharge. We evaluate the performance of the footprint family in terms of data availability, coverage complementarity, methodological consistency, and policy relevance and propose solutions and suggestions for further improvement. The key conclusions are that the footprint family, which captures a broad spectrum of sustainability issues, is able to offer a more complete picture of environmental complexity for policy makers and, in particular, in national-level studies. The research provides new insights into the distinction between environmental impact assessment and sustainability evaluation, properly serving as a reference for multidisciplinary efforts in estimating planetary boundaries for global sustainability. link to pdf version of the paper: http://www.waterfootprint.org/Reports/Fang-et-al-2014.pdf

2. * Indeed an interesting article to read Markus *

3. An interesting read related to the subject (though a bit dated, when considering the speed at which concepts have developed and been applied in practice): Hoekstra, A.Y. (2007) 'Human appropriation of natural capital: Comparing ecological footprint and water footprint analysis', Value of Water Research Report Series No.23, UNESCO-IHE. available at: http://www.waterfootprint.org/Reports/Report23-Hoekstra-2007.pdf