Andrew Tamis
Ecological Footprint: Switzerland
Switzerland has been attempting to tackle and reduce its ecological footprint for many years, being the first country to officially work with the Global Footprint Network in 2006 (Global Footprint Network). One of the main issues that the Swiss government is attempting to tackle is the country’s use of fossil fuels. As of 2016, almost three quarters of Switzerland’s ecological footprint was directly resulting from the use of fossil fuels (Switzerland Federal Statistical Office). They plan to transition away from fossil fuels and towards more renewable energies in the coming years.
The graph above, shows Switzerland’s per Capita sustainable production of natural resources (biocapacity), the consumption of those resources (ecological footprint), as well as the deficit between those numbers. Since working with the Global Footprint Network in 2016, they have reduced this deficit from nearly -5 global hectares to -3 global hectares per capita (Global Footprint Network). While this reduction is admirable, it still places them at a very sizable deficit, and if everyone in the world lived like Switzerland, the resources of 3 Earths would be required (Switzerland Federal Statistical Office). However, while their current per capita footprint puts them in line with their use in 1960, factoring in the growth of both Switzerland’s and the world’s population is causing a larger and larger global deficit.
I believe that this illustrates that in many places where action to reduce the ecological footprint is being taken, progress is happening slower than it needs to. Switzerland’s current goal is live within the means of one planet by 2050 (Global Footprint Network), and I believe that everyone should strive to meet and exceed that goal. We should not be discouraged by efforts to reduce ecological footprints not having dramatic effects, we should be encouraged to try harder.
Global Footprint Network. (2017, January 10). Switzerland. Global Footprint Network. Retrieved January 28,2021, from https://www.footprintnetwork.org/2017/01/10/switzerland/.
Switzerland Federal Statistical Office. (n.d.). Switzerland’s ecological footprint. Retrieved January 28, 2021, from https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/en/home/statistics/sustainable-development/more-sustainable-development-indicators/ecological-footprint.html