Ruqayyah Snyder
Australia's ecological footprint is growing due to a variety of factors, including carbon emissions, the amount of land required for crops and grazing, and the impact of bushfires. Australia has long been considered a biocapacity giant due to its enormous landmass and relatively small population. However, the devastating fires of the Black Summer of 2019-2020 turned Australia’s biocapacity reserve into a deficit, according to the Global Footprint Network. This, combined with Australia's high per-capita ecological footprint, has led to concerns about the country's sustainability and the loss of biodiversity.
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What You'll Learn
The 2019-2020 wildfires
The 2019-2020 wildfire season in Australia, also known as the Black Summer, was unprecedented and had a devastating impact on the country's ecosystems and biodiversity. The fires began even before the official arrival of spring in June 2019 and were exacerbated by increasing temperatures, drought, and high winds. The fire situation worsened in November 2019, with a scorching heatwave spreading across the country. The average maximum temperature was 105.6 degrees Fahrenheit (40.9 degrees Celsius), making it the driest spring on record for Australia.
The wildfires had severe consequences for Australia's biocapacity, which is the amount of living matter that the country's ecosystems can regenerate annually. Due to the catastrophic loss of living matter, Australia experienced a biocapacity deficit for the first time since record-keeping began in 1961. The usual biocapacity of 296 million global hectares (gha) was reduced to just 153 million gha due to fire-induced losses. This deficit had far-reaching ecological implications.
The Blue Mountain World Heritage Site, for example, lost 80% of its forest cover, and it may be challenging for the area to regenerate its native species. The fires also had a significant impact on Australia's fishing and tourism industries, with early estimates suggesting that the overall economic impact would exceed the infamous Black Saturday fires, costing A$4.4 billion (US$2.9 billion). The wildfires destroyed approximately 12.6 million hectares of forest and bushland, and an estimated 1.25 billion animals perished.
The bushfires continued to rage until March 2020, and the full extent of their damage may never be truly calculable. The crisis highlighted the importance of addressing global warming and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the increasing number of extremely warm days and reduce the risk of such catastrophic wildfires in the future.
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High carbon emissions
Australia has some of the highest carbon emissions per capita in the world, with annual per-person emissions five times greater than the global average. The energy sector accounts for 69% of the country's emissions, with coal being responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. Coal is the most polluting of all fossil fuels and is a significant contributor to Australia's emissions, with the country being the world's largest exporter of coal and liquefied natural gas. The country's high levels of automobile and aeroplane use, as well as continued deforestation, also contribute to its carbon emissions.
The Australian government has made some efforts to reduce carbon emissions, such as introducing a carbon price in 2012, which required large businesses to pay for emissions permits. However, this was scrapped in 2014. Australia has also pledged to stop financing fossil fuel projects abroad and has set a target of reducing emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by 2030. However, the government continues to support the fossil fuel industry, with the approval of new coal mine projects and the reaffirmation of support for the production and export of fossil gas.
To truly address its high carbon emissions, Australia needs to stop supporting the fossil fuel industry and accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuel power generation. This includes increasing transparency regarding land sector modelling and revision and exploiting its vast renewable energy potential and mineral resources. Australia should also address emissions from the agriculture, waste, and stationary energy sectors, with targeted policies that guarantee a fair and just transition to a low-carbon economy.
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Large land requirements for crops and grazing
Australia's ecological footprint has been growing due to various factors, one of which is the large land requirements for crops and grazing. Agriculture is a major contributor to Australia's land use, accounting for over half of the country's land area. This extensive land use for agricultural purposes, particularly grazing and cropping, has significant implications for the country's ecological footprint.
Grazing land covers vast areas of Australia, with Queensland being the largest contributor. In the 2016-17 financial year, grazing land spanned approximately 341 million hectares, constituting 87% of the total agricultural land. This vast expanse of grazing land is a significant contributor to Australia's ecological footprint, as it represents a substantial proportion of the country's land area.
Crop production also requires significant land areas. During the 2016-17 financial year, agricultural businesses cultivated roughly 23 million hectares of land for crops and/or pasture, with Western Australia and New South Wales being the leading crop-producing states. The demand for land for cropping is influenced by factors such as favourable weather conditions, market proximity, and soil type.
The mix of Australian agricultural activities, including grazing and cropping, is dictated by various factors such as climate, water availability, and soil type. Livestock grazing, in particular, is widespread across most areas of Australia. The extensive land requirements for grazing contribute significantly to the country's ecological footprint.
To promote sustainability and minimise the ecological footprint, Australian farmers have adopted sustainable land management practices. These practices include stubble retention, minimised tillage, and optimised use of pesticides and fertilisers. Additionally, most livestock farms employ various grazing management systems, such as cell, strip, or rotational grazing, to efficiently utilise grazing land. These sustainable practices help balance the large land requirements for crops and grazing, mitigating their impact on Australia's ecological footprint.
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Unsustainable consumption of energy and animal products
Australia has long been considered a biocapacity giant due to its enormous landmass and relatively small population. However, the devastating fires of the Black Summer of 2019-2020 turned Australia's biocapacity reserve into a deficit, with a loss of biodiversity due to the destruction of mature ecosystems. This event highlighted the unsustainable nature of Australia's consumption patterns, particularly in energy use and animal products.
The ecological footprint of the average Australian is approximately 6 hectares per capita, more than four times the globally available 'fair share'. This places Australia among the top five consuming nations in the world. The country's high energy consumption contributes to its ecological footprint, with opportunities to transition to renewable energy sources to reduce climate pollution.
Australia's consumption of animal products, particularly meat and dairy, also significantly contributes to its ecological footprint. With an annual meat consumption of 110 kg per capita, Australia is one of the top meat-consuming countries globally. The production of animal products, especially beef and lamb, contributes to large amounts of climate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. For example, grass-fed beef has been found to produce much higher emissions than plant-based food, and dairy milk generates three times more climate pollution than plant-based milk.
The link between high meat consumption and adverse impacts on ecological systems has been established, yet many Australians continue to adhere to meat-rich diets. This is partly due to a lack of awareness about the negative implications of high meat consumption for the environment and human wellbeing. By reducing meat and dairy consumption, Australians can significantly lower their environmental impact, improve their health, and contribute to mitigating climate change.
Additionally, Australia's agricultural sector, which accounts for around 18% of the country's total climate pollution, has opportunities to adopt more sustainable practices. Agroforestry, reducing fertiliser use, and regenerative agriculture are some ways farmers can boost profits and cut climate pollution. Embracing protein alternatives to animal meat is another way to reduce methane pollution and provide diverse food choices. Overall, addressing unsustainable consumption of energy and animal products is crucial for Australia to reduce its ecological footprint and contribute to global sustainability efforts.
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Inequities between Western and developing countries
Australia's ecological footprint has been consistently estimated to be two to three times the size of its biocapacity since record-keeping began in 1961. The ecological footprint of the average Australian is approximately 6 hectares per capita, which is more than four times the globally available 'fair share'. This highlights the unsustainable nature of the Australian lifestyle, particularly in terms of energy consumption and animal product consumption.
The inequities between Western and developing countries' ecological footprints are evident when comparing countries such as the United States and Australia with developing countries like the Congo. Developed nations tend to have very high ecological footprints per person due to factors such as increased wealth, which enables greater travel, contributing to a higher carbon footprint. In contrast, individuals in developing nations often have limited mobility due to lower economic prosperity.
Economic development plays a significant role in this disparity. As wealth increases, resource consumption and carbon emissions tend to rise. Developed countries also have greater access to sustainable technology, such as solar panels, which can help reduce their ecological footprint. However, developing countries often lack the financial resources to implement such large-scale projects.
The correlation between higher GDP per capita and ecological footprint is complex. While some developed countries have successfully decoupled economic growth from environmental degradation through sustainable practices, others continue to struggle to achieve sustainable development. Additionally, the pollution haven hypothesis suggests that financial growth facilitates the transfer of pollution from developed to developing countries during production and consumption.
The transition towards reducing ecological footprints is challenging as countries prioritise economic growth over mitigation actions. The demand for natural resources has dramatically increased due to policies favouring economic growth and cheaper, more optimised energy sources. As a result, humanity's global ecological footprint has doubled since 1961, and we are consuming renewable resources faster than the planet can renew them.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia's ecological footprint is large because it requires a lot of land and resources to sustain the lifestyle of the average Australian.
An ecological footprint is the area of land needed to produce the natural resources consumed by a population and to absorb the waste it produces.
In 2014, Australia was ranked 13th in the world for its ecological footprint per person, mostly due to carbon emissions and the amount of land required for crops and grazing.
Australia's ecological footprint has improved in recent years, but it still remains one of the top five consuming nations in the world. In 2012, Australia was ranked 7th in the world for its ecological footprint.
Australia's large ecological footprint has contributed to deforestation, overfishing, and the release of more carbon into the atmosphere than can be absorbed by forests and oceans. It has also led to a loss of biodiversity and the destruction of mature ecosystems, such as the Blue Mountain World Heritage Site, which was lost to fires.
