American Ecological Footprint

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The Economic Lens of the Effects of America Industry on the American Ecological Footprint
What is the Ecological Footprint?
An Ecological footprint is not something that can be seen, like someone leaving footprints walking down the beach but rather the Ecological Footprint is “the amount of land area that would be required to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb the waste it generates” (York). According to TIME magazine, the United States emits the second most carbon emissions over any other country in the world, the first being China. The average United States citizen adds 10,959 pounds of carbon a year to the ecosystem when he or she drives a car. He or she will add 3,578 pounds of carbon a year by eating meat, and 2,000 pounds …show more content…
The Greenhouse Effect is “the trapping of heat by certain gases in the atmosphere” which causes the temperature on the surface to rise. The gases that absorb the radiation and heat of the plant are known as greenhouse gases (Funk and Wagnalls). This is also a factor that contributes to climate change. According to the BBC, if seven billion people lived like the average American, then it would take 4.1 Earths to sustain those people. The average American uses 6.8 global hectares, while the global average is 2.7 (McDonald). Global hectares are the degree of measurement that the Ecological Footprint is measured by (Amin). Although this sounds bad, the United States is not the most detrimental to the environment of all countries. The United States is 5th when compared to countries with a population of one million people or more. The countries higher in the rankings than America are Kuwait (5.1 earths), Australia (4.8 earths), The United Arab Emirates (4.7 earths), and Qatar (4.0 earths). Other countries in the top 10 ranks are Canada, Sweden, Bahrain, Trinidad, and Tobago, and Singapore (McDonald). Samir Amin argues that the reason that the United States, along with Europe and Japan, are producing four times the global average is due to the growing practice of capitalism, which is where a country’s economy is controlled by the public rather than being regulated by the government …show more content…
Cattle emits large amounts of methane gases, which is “20 times” more detrimental to the environment than carbon dioxide. When producing 1,000 calories of food, the production of beef will produce approximately “five times as much greenhouse gas as dairy, poultry, pork, or eggs” (Jacobson). The production of beef also “requires 28 times more land” compared to other animal meat production such as pork or chicken, and “11 times more water.” Agriculture contributes 15% of all emissions and “half of those emissions are from livestock.” A lot of land is being used to grow crops for cattle feed rather than for human consumption
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