Ecological Footprints

picture-11Religious Studies 35

As long as the earth endures, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. (Genesis 8:22)

All across the world, in every kind of environment and region known to man, increasingly dangerous weather patterns and devastating storms are abruptly putting an end to the long-running debate over whether or not climate change is real. Not only is it real, it’s here, and its effects are giving rise to a frighteningly new global phenomenon: the man-made natural disaster. BARACK OBAMA, speech, Apr. 3, 2006

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday that Canada “must act” to curb global warming after a newly released report that warns humans are “very likely” the cause of the problem.

“The problem is enormous. It’s large, it’s long-term and there are no quick fixes to this,” Harper told reporters in Ottawa.  Feb. 2 2007, CTV.ca News (full article)

Global climate change needs global action now.  The alarm bells ought to be ringing in every capital of the world.

John Gummer, British Environmental Secretary, quoted by Roy Greenslade, The Observer, 21 Jul 96

Climate change is no longer a doomsday prophecy, it’s a reality.

Astrid Heiberg, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, quoted in Gist Magazine, 23 Jul 99

The following are links to websites with ecological footprints.  Go to one or two of the links and calculate your footprint.  For the footprint to mean anything, you MUST answer honestly.  Then write a paragraph whereby you indicate your footprint(s) and explain what effect your footprint says you have on the biological ecology.  You also MUST react to one of the quotes in your paragraph.  You may disagree with a quote, but clearly indicate why you disagree with it and provide something concrete to support your point of view. The rubic used to grade this paragraph is on the page titled ecological rubric (right side ).  Once completed, print your paragraph and hand in.

I would recommend the following two links

Royal Saskatchewan Museum (short and easy to use)

University of BC (also short and easy to use)

Global Ecological Footprint (very short, probably too short and not as accurate)

Earth Day Network (This is a fun site.  It measures in numbers of earths.  You just slide the bar to indicate your answer.  You can also select basic or more detailed answers.  It will, however, take longer to do.)

Best foot forward footprint (short and easy to use)