While examining different countries on the Global Footprint Network’s Open Data Platform, I noticed that recently the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had decreased their ecological footprint per person by a fair amount. The following image shows that the UAE’s ecological footprint per person in 2008 was 12.3 gha (Open Data Platform).

The newest data from 2017 shows that the UAE dropped their ecological footprint per person to 8.9 gha (Open Data Platform), which corresponds with a per person reduction of 3.4 gha.

This sharp drop is likely correlated with the UAE government becoming interested in the country’s ecological footprint. As stated in the case study titled United Arab Emirates, the UAE had the largest ecological footprint per person out of all countries in the world back in 2006 (United Arab Emirates, 2015). Working alongside the Global Footprint Network, the UAE launched a program in 2007 to better understand what was contributing to their ecological footprint. Through this program, the UAE learned that the household sector contributed the most to their ecological footprint. This lead to the development of the Heroes of the UAE campaign, which educated the public on ways to reduce their ecological footprints (United Arab Emirates, 2015).

The UAE shows that through government support and public education, it is possible for developed nations to reduce their ecological footprint by a substantial amount. Other developed nations that have a large ecological footprint should learn from and follow in the footsteps of the UAE.

References:

(n.d.). Open Data Platform. Retrieved from https://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/

(2015, November 15). United Arab Emirates. Global Footprint Network. Retrieved from https://www.footprintnetwork.org/2015/11/18/united-arab-emirates/