Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Total consumption
(gha/inh. equivalent)
DEMAND
Adjusted production
(gha/inh. equivalent)
SUPPLY
Biological carrying
capacity
Ecological footprint
CO
2
emission
6.51
Built-up land
0.10
Built-up land
0.10
Cropland
1.38
Cropland
2.30
Grazing land
0.30
Grazing land
0.29
Forest land
1.02
Forest land
1.78
Fishing grounds
0.10
Fishing grounds
0.55
Global footprint
9.42
Total carrying capacity
5.02
Table 10.3.
Simplified accounting for the ecological
footprint of the United States in 2005 [EWI 08]
American overconsumption of environmental resources is not simply a result of
wealth (see Table 10.3), but more significantly, a product of the United States'
specific geography. Approximately 69% of the environmental footprint of the
United States is attributable to the consumption of fossil fuels, compared to an
average of 52% worldwide. America is a high consumer of energy: for an equivalent
level of development, Americans consumed 358,400 Kilo-Joules per capita in 2005
against an average of 152,700 Kilo-Joules per capita for the 27 member countries of
the European Union. However, to this over-consumption of energy, one must add an
additional amount arising from urban sprawl and oversized infrastructures
[MLE 08].
We have already discussed these issues in our topic. Part of the American
overconsumption of energy is due no doubt to geographic factors including the harsh
climate (see Chapter 1), the need to harness the productive capacity of the
geographical spaces (see Chapter 2) and the necessity of integrating an immense
physical space (see Chapters 5 and 6). The dependence of the United States on fossil
fuels, particularly oil, is mainly due to insatiable demand in the transportation sector.
The extent of the transportation infrastructure is in turn related to traffic intensity
(see Chapter 7). This dependency is a source of geopolitical, economic and
environmental vulnerability. Its geography alone leads us to conclude that
American consumption will prove extremely difficult to reduce. Fossil fuel reliance
for up to 86% of total energy needs puts the United States behind Europe in the
development of renewable energies and the diversification of energy resources. In
view of the impending exhaustion of domestic oil reserves and a geopolitical context
which appears increasingly negative, the United States now have their back against a
