Why is this National Indicator important?
This indicator most closely relates to the Government's purpose target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the short and longer term and also our aim to significantly reduce the impact of our consumption and production. Seeking to place our own house in order in terms of harmful emissions or overuse of resources will have a positive influence well beyond our shores. We want Scotland to be a leading nation in sustainable living, reducing the impact we have on both our local and global environment. Our current consumption patterns are unsustainable, with growing demands on the world's resources and its impact on our environment. The ecological footprint gives us an overall measure of the global impact of our everyday choices and offers an estimate of the land and sea area needed to provide all the energy, water, transport, food and materials that we consume.
What will influence this National Indicator?
Many factors influence this indicator; to reduce our ecological footprint we must reduce our waste, energy and transport use and consume more sustainable food and other materials. The crucial first step is a change in our behaviour.
What is the Government's role?
Government needs to work to make sustainable choices in our daily lives easier and to raise public awareness of the impacts of our current consumption patterns. We aim to do a lot more - through taking a lead in sustainable procurement, by reducing waste and increasing recycling and composting of that waste that is created, increasing energy from renewable sources and taking a range of actions to tackle climate change.
How is Scotland performing?
The Scottish Government has established a National Indicator to reduce the overall ecological footprint. In 2001 Scotland's ecological footprint was calculated as 5.35 global hectares per person, this is in comparison to a world-wide availability of 1.8 global hectares per person. A research contract to update Scotland's ecological footprint will be let by the Scottish Government later this year and the result will be published either in late 2008 or early 2009. Given the complex nature of the calculation of this indicator, there is a substantial lag in providing estimates; the next year for which data will be available is 2004.
Methodology
For more information see 2007 Spending Review Technical Note
For information on general methodological approach, please click here.
Who are our partners?
A wide range of public sector bodies are key to delivering a reduced footprint across public services particularly around reducing waste, offering more sustainable energy and transport, and making more sustainable choices easier.
Related Strategic Objectives
Safer and Stronger
Greener