Community targets
Our diverse community has a coherent sense of its special place and the capabilities to ensure the wise use and enjoyment of our natural systems in perpetuity
1. Ecological footprint
Ecological footprint is one way of expressing the integrated impact of human consumption and waste production on the Earth’s capacity to sustain human life. The average Canberra ecological footprint is very high by world standards and not sustainable. The ACT NRM Council is collaborating with the Department of Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water to examine individual decision making towards sustainable living – particularly at ways to improve community-based social marketing to achieve better outcomes.
The measurable target
The ACT’s current per capita ecological footprint is 8.5 gha (2003/04 data). The target is to reduce this by 30% by 2030. A target of 30% reflects the need to firmly establish a trajectory towards global sustainability. The rate of change is likely to be slow initially, but introduction of carbon trading and other market instruments will introduce strong incentives for behavioural changes resulting in an increase in the rate of change. If the ACT’s population continues to grow at 1% per annum, a 30% decrease in per capita footprint will only result in an actual 10% decrease in the total impact of the ACT population or 260 000 gha.
| OUTCOMES | OUTPUTS | ACTIONS |
|---|---|---|
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Intermediate Agreed ecological footprint measures established (2008) and progress reported publicly in the ACT State of Environment (SoE) report (from 2008) Achievement of a 15% reduction in the 2008 per capita footprint (2015) Long-term Achievement of a 30% reduction in the 2008 per capita footprint (2030) |
SoE report in 2011 that includes ecological footprint measures A community in which 75% of individuals understand their ecological footprints Implementation of local actions that reduce the footprint (e.g. more local sustainable food production) |
Foundation Agree on ecological footprint measures and headline sustainability indicators for ACT (SoE) Survey to establish baseline community understanding Assess local actions to provide the most leverage on reducing the footprint On-ground Collaboration, alliances, partnerships, liaison across all sectors to address issues Promotion of the ecological footprint and options for how it can be reduced Build on current sustainable schools initiatives (e.g. AuSSI) |
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