What’s a Footprint Calculator?
As the environmental movement has continued to grow in popularity each year, the use of ecological calculators has become more and more common. We use them for business, schooling, and as individuals to guide us in measuring our impact on the environment and its resources. Ecological Calculators are everywhere and there are hundreds of different approaches that creators are taking to try and further the movement. Oddly enough though, even for an avid user like myself, it can be hard to decipher results and next steps after taking one. Here is a deep dive into the world of Footprint, Ecological, and Carbon Calculators, so you will have a better sense of their purpose and function.
What is an Ecological Calculator?
Ecological calculators measure natural resource use, land use, emissions and assess the environmental impacts. An ecological footprint calculator attempts to measure resource use and compare that to the resources available. Other ecological impact calculators look at specific amounts of resources used and the total impact generated and gives a direct measurement. An example of an ecological footprint calculator would be one that shows someone how many earths we would need in order for everyone to live like they do. An example of an ecological impact calculator would be a carbon calculator, which typically calculates the amount of carbon a person is responsible for emitting over a certain amount of time. It’s important to note that both generally measure life choices and give some score or measurement to the group or individual in question. Additionally, ecological calculators in general usually account for carbon emissions across the board, since emissions are such an important indicator for global warming and climate change.
What is a Calculator’s Purpose?
Why do they exist? This is a relatively straightforward answer. These calculators are meant to help people and organizations understand the impact of their lifestyle or lifecycle. With this general purpose though there are assumptions that come with it. One assumption made by the creators of ecological calculators is that by making visible the impacts of a user’s choices, they will take action to change their behavior and lower their impact. With this in mind, the true purpose behind the creation of ecological calculators is to show people the negative impact of their choices and translate this new visibility into better, more sustainable behavior.
What are the Benefits?
Now that we know what an ecological calculator is, and why it was made, it is important to look at what the industry has been doing well and where there are opportunities for growth. There are obviously many benefits to using ecological impact calculators:
Ecological calculators make our consumption and its many environmental impacts visible
They reveal the hidden negative effects of complex extraction and production processes
Ecological calculators encourage investigation and discussion on the processes and impacts that shape our world
They also, over time, will give us valuable snapshots of environmental history from generations of measuring millions of people
Additionally, as measurements are taken over time, we will have a clearer sense of how humanity has shaped the natural world and vice versa
Lastly, when calculations are viewed from a communal, societal, or world perspective we will begin to contextualize and measure the inequality that exists between different individuals, groups, and nations.
Overall, ecological calculators and the data they collect will provide a basis for wide-ranging discussions on our lifestyle impacts, the true cost of our systems on the environment, and inequality. Having this type of perspective and data will help the world choose a better future direction for both the environment and social equality and equity.
What are the Limitations?
Now to be clear, though there are many benefits, nothing is perfect and there is still debate and room for improvement when it comes to standardizing ecological calculators. Some important limitations to note are below.
There are many goods and services that don’t fit into the current measurement system
There may be too much of a focus on averaging and this could limit the accuracy of results
The standardized system for ecological measurement requires an oversimplification of complex systems and issues
New systems and technology develop so quickly now that it might be hard for large standardized systems to update often enough to take these changes into account
In general, many argue that calculators struggle in the areas of transparency, input potential, and context
The limited input potential comes from the one size fits all model of measurement that asks everyone the same questions with heavy averaging as the main determinant of the impact
Another common drawback to ecological measurement tools is that they tend to be very negative in language and structure which can dishearten users
But remember, even though there are some issues, it’s important to state that there is still a ton of value that comes from these calculators. I personally have changed my own diet and transportation habits because of information I learned from different calculators and quizzes. For anyone reading this post, hopefully, this article helps you see the value and potential for growth in the ecological calculator industry, and pushes you to try measuring your own lifestyle choices.