Ecological footprint and the wealth of people from socioecological point of view

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY KERAIA VINCE MATEO GERONIMO ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT AND THE NATURAL WEALTH OF PEOPLE FROM PALEMBANG, INDONESIA FROM SOCIOECOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW BACHELOR THESIS Study Mode : Full- time Major : Bachelor in Environmental Science and Management Faculty : International Program Office Batch : 2012-2016 Thai Nguyen, 2017 i Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry Degree Program Bachelor in Environmental Science and Management Student Name Keraia Vince Mateo Geronimo Student ID DTN1353110556 Thesis Title ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT AND THE WEALTH OF PEOPLE FROM SOCIOECOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW Supervisors Arinafril Naalim, P.hD Duong Van Thao, P.hD Abstract The depletion of earth’s natural resources and the demand of the increasing population is certainly one of the biggest problems that humans are facing nowadays Humans are using 1.6 planets for all the resources used and absorbing waste which means it take one year and six months for the earth to regenerate the resources consumed in a year But the good news is that humans are gifted with the potential for self-awareness and intelligent choice, and knowing our circumstances in an invitation to change Thus, to achieve sustainability, a special tool can be used This tool is designed to calculate the ecological footprint of an individual or a certain place However, this study focused on the ecological footprint of the people from Palembang, Indonesia An ecological footprint test was conducted and the scores were analyzed to find out if educational attainment is significant on how people behave towards the nature Furthermore, the results have shown that the use of natural resources is not in line with educational level of the respondents This explained that educational attainment did not affect the ii ecological footprint of an individual Number of pages Ecological Footprint, Ecological Footprint Analysis, Sustainability, Education Forty-three (43) pages Date of Submission April, 2017 Keywords: iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I declare my highest praise and my deepest gratitude to our FATHER GOD for the overwhelming love; for making me as strong as I can be; for all the blessing and for guiding me to be a better person To my parents, Roumel and Maribel Geronimo, and my siblings, Kim and Keanah, for the unconditional love; for the help and support; and for being my strength and inspiration To my grandmother, my most precious Lola During, for all the prayers, for the endless love and care; and for being one of my greatest inspiration My sincerest thanks to my adviser, Dr Arinafril Naalim and the University of Sriwijaya for the warm welcome and accommodation during our stay in Palembang, Indonesia Also to Mr Muhammad Abduh for helping me in collecting my data And to all my lovely Indonesian friends especially Rotua, Naufal and Umiya for being nice and for all the help To the Advanced Education Program, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry and the University of California, Davis together with Dr Duong Van Thao and the staffs for the great opportunity that was given to us To my classmates, K44 AEP, for the awesome moments that we spent inside and outside the class And to our seniors from K42 and K43 for being a good role model to all of us iv To all the international and Filipino students that serves as my second family in Vietnam especially Ate Jimlea, Jose, Ye, Colleene, Alex, Joshua, and Kuya Ezekiel for being such a great friend and for the endless motivation And lastly, to all my friends back home for always giving me smiles; for motivating and inspiring me; for making me happy and keeping in touch I am so blessed to have you all with me in this wonderful journey My sincerest and deepest thanks The Researcher, Keraia Vince M Geronimo v Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv Table of Contents vi List of Figures viii List of Tables ix Part I Introduction 1.1 Research Rationale 1.2 Research’s Objectives 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 Significance of the Study 1.5 Hypothesis 1.5.1 Null Hypothesis 1.5.2 Alternative Hypothesis 1.6 Scope and Limitation 1.7 Definition of Terms 1.8 Assumption of the Study PART II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Ecological Footprint 2.2 Ecological Footprint Analysis 11 2.3 Global Ecological Footprint Problems .14 vi 2.4 Importance of Educational Level for Humanity 16 PART III METHODS 19 3.1 Research Location .19 3.2 Materials .19 3.3 Research Design 19 3.4 Sampling Technique 19 3.5 Data Collection 20 3.6 Data Analysis .20 3.6.1 Ecological Footprint Test Scoring 21 PART IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 23 PART V CONCLUSION 28 REFERENCES 31 vii List of Figures Figure Components of Ecological Footprint Figure Per-person Ecological Footprint and biocapacity of world regions in 2002 Figure Growing Global Footprint 15 Figure Ecological Footprint Comparison 25 Figure Correspondence Analysis 26 viii List of Tables Table Distribution of Respondents Across Ranges of Ecological Footprint Score 24 Table Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity of Indonesia in 2007 ix Part I Introduction 1.1 Research Rationale As of now the world is facing environmental issues particularly affecting our ecosystem which would not be ignored It is a fact that as the population increases; the consumption of the natural wealth also increases with it The world’s economy ultimately relied on goods and services derived from the natural resources The natural wealth provides human’s essential needs to support our living requirements (e.g food, water, shelter, etc.) By consuming these goods and services, people have a huge impact on earth, particularly in our day to day living But since nature has the ability to regenerate and resupply our needs, it can support human demand as long as the demand stays within the regenerative capacity of the biosphere This relationship between human beings and the ecosystem makes humans to be responsible of the sudden changes In many parts of the world, increased human ecological burden poses a problem with our natural resources Yet not everyone is aware of the problem that comes with the over-consumption of the natural resources The question is how can we determine if we are consuming too much or if our supply is enough for sustaining our needs? Rees and Wackernagel (Columbia, 1992) invented a special tool to measure the human’s impact on earth and to provide evidence of the impacts of consumption The footprint demonstrates how much “nature” is available for certain populations and the size of the footprint depends on the natural resources consumed by the population based on their choice of lifestyle, income and technology The income and occupation (Albuquerque and Alvez, 2016) People with higher income tend to get higher education than people with lower income Thus, people with higher income tend to have a higher standard of living than people with lower income They have easier access to the natural resources and the activities that needed natural resources This is mainly why the academicians got the higher ecological footprint score than the students and ordinary people because they have higher income that leads them to have a higher standard of living However, other than that regardless of the standard of living, educational attainment or social status, some people acts according to their knowledge and beliefs and according to the demand at work Thus, culture also affects how people act just like the majority of this research’s respondents In terms of the way they dress and the food they take The concept of ecological footprint offers a powerful way for humans as residents of the community, and citizens of the nation to engage in a conversation using the same language It could be a warning for humanity to act wisely and to take good care of our only planet, Earth Yet it is strongly recommended to pay attention on our ecological footprint regardless of our educational attainment or living condition Ecological footprint accounts can help policy planners assess a population’s ecological impact and compare this impact to nature’s capacity to regenerate In other words, footprints contrast human load with nature’s carrying capacity These analyses give us a benchmark for today’s ecological performance, identify the 29 challenges for lightening people’s ecological load, and allow us, as members of society and managers of the public and private sectors, to document gains as a country, region, city or company moves toward sustainability In this way, the ecological footprint becomes a tool for weighing the merits of potential policies and developing effective strategies and scenarios for a sustainable future To contribute to the sustainable future which we all would like to see, we must work on reducing our ecological footprint on the earth An ecological footprint is “A measure of human pressures on the natural environment from the consumption of renewable resources and the production of pollution (Knox & Marston, 2004)” This means trying to conserve as many of the natural resources we have for future generations to come The idea of sustainable development is “A vision of development that seeks a balance among considerations of economic growth, environmental impacts, and social equity (Knox & Marston, 2004)” This should be a model for all nations and organizations alike; to create a future in which a balance exists between the physical and human worlds However, based on the researcher’s understanding of ecological footprint, it relates with a lot of things, such as farming, food production, energy consumption, building construction, etc Almost everything is related to the ecological footprint and that is why everyone should calculate his/her own ecological footprint and make changes due to the results So we can approach a sustainable living and slow down the speed how we use our resources and decrease the damage we the environment 30 REFERENCES Bazan G., (1997) Center for Sustainability, Pennsylvania State University; Review: Our Ecological Footprint: reducing human impact on the Earth By Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees Cortese, A D (2003) The Critical Role of Higher Education in Creating a Sustainable Future Planning for Higher Education, March-May, 15–22 Faculty, E (2012) The role of education in the societal development, (November), 38–41 Fallis, A (2013) Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 53(9), 1689– 1699 http://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004 Gough, A, & Sharpley, B (2005) Educating for a sustainable future: A national environmental education statement for Australian schools Retrieved January, 38 http://doi.org/10.1007/s13398-014-0173-7.2 Hary Srinivas, (n.d.) What is an Ecological Footprint? Retrieved from ://www.gdrc.org/uem/footprints/what-is-ef.html J Fien & D Tilbury, (1998) Education for Sustainability: Some Questions for Reflections (http://www.bgci.org/education/article/0294/) Kitzes, J., Wackernagel, M., Loh, J., Peller, A., Goldfinger, S., Cheng, D., & Tea, K (2008) Shrink and share: humanity’s present and future Ecological Footprint Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological Sciences, 363(1491), 467–475 31 http://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2007.2164 NI, T (2012) Living planet report 2012 Dspace.Ist.Utl.Pt Retrieved from https://dspace.ist.utl.pt/bitstream/2295/1417331/1/living_planet_report_2012.p df Ecological Footprint “How Big is Your Environmental Footprint?” Retrieved from http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ Puno R.S., (2003) Philippine Environmental Law Practices and the Role of the Court of Justice Venetoulis, J., & Talberth, J (2008) Refining the ecological footprint Environment, Development and Sustainability, 10(4), 441–469 http://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-006-9074-z Wackernagel M & Rees W.E., (1996), Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Impact on the Earth (https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=WVNEAQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontco ver#v=onepage&q&f=false, Accessed last 04/19/2015) 32 APPENDIX Research Questionnaire in Bahasa Seberapa sering Anda makan daging atau produk hewan lainnya seperti susu, keju, dan telur? a) Tidak Pernah Saya seorang vegetarian b) Saya tidak makan daging atau telur sama sekali tapi saya makan beberapa produk susu c) Saya tidak makan daging, tapi saya makan telur dan produk susu d) Saya makan daging dan produk hewani lainnya beberapa kali seminggu e) Saya makan daging dan produk hewani lainnya setiap hari Seberapa sering Anda makan makanan cepat saji? a) b) c) d) e) a) b) c) d) e) Tak pernah Jarang (beberapa kali sebulan) Kadang (sekali atau dua kali seminggu) Sering (beberapa kali seminggu) Hampir setiap hari atau setiap hari Seberapa sering Anda mencoba untuk membeli makanan yang Anda tahu diproduksi atau tumbuh secara lokal? a) Tak pernah b) Jarang (beberapa kali sebulan) c) Kadang (sekali atau dua kali seminggu) d) Sering (beberapa kali seminggu) e) Hampir setiap hari atau setiap hari Seberapa sering Anda minum air kemasan? a) b) c) d) e) a) b) c) d) e) Tak pernah Jarang (beberapa kali sebulan) Kadang (sekali atau dua kali seminggu) Sering (beberapa kali seminggu) Hampir setiap hari atau setiap hari Seberapa sering Anda makan makanan olahan seperti makanan beku atau makanan yang dikemas? Tidak pernah Saya minum air isi ulang Jarang (beberapa kali sebulan) Kadang (sekali atau dua kali seminggu) Sering (hampir setiap hari) Saya minum lebih dari satu botol sehari Saya mematikan lampu ketika aku meninggalkan ruangan Seberapa sering Anda memisah sampah anda dengan sampah yang dapat di daur ulang a) Saya tidak pernah membuang barang daur ulang di kotak sampah b) Jarang (beberapa kali sebulan) c) Kadang (sekali atau dua kali seminggu) d) Sering (beberapa kali seminggu) e) Saya tidak mendaur ulang Biasanya, berapa menit Anda mandi ? a) b) c) d) e) Selalu Biasanya Kadang-kadang Hampir tidak pernah Tak pernah Kurang dari menit 6-10 menit 11-15 menit 16-20 menit 21 menit atau lebih Ketika menggosok gigi, apakah Anda membiarkan air mengalir dari kran? a) Tidak b) Iya 10 Pernyataan Yang paling menggambarkan Anda? a) Ketika itu terlalu panas, saya menyesuaikan pakaian yang saya pakai atau pindah ke tempat yang lebih sejuk b) Ketika itu terlalu panas, saya hidupkan kipas angina atau AC 33 11 12 13 14 15 16 Kendaraan apa yang biasa digunakan ketika bepergian, saat bekerja atau sekolah? a) Berjalan b) Sepeda c) Angkot atau bis d) Ikut teman e) Bawa kendaraan sendiri Jika menggunakan mobil, tolong gambarkan kendaraan yang sering digunakan dalam rumah tangga Anda? a) Kami tidak memiliki kendaraan b) Mobil hybrid atau mobil kompak seperti Avansa dan Xenia c) Mobil besar atau mobil sedang d) Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) seperti Kijang e) Van Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) besar seperti Fortuner atau Pajero Ketika Anda pergi keluar dengan teman-teman, bagaimana Anda BIASANYA mencapai tujuan Anda? a) Kami berjalan kaki b) Menggunakan sepeda c) Menggunakan transportasi umum d) Mendapat tumpangan dari teman e) Keluarga mendorong saya menyetir sendiri Berapa banyak mobil yang dimiliki oleh keluarga Anda? a) Tidak punya b) Satu c) Dua d) Tiga e) Empat atau Dalam setahun, berapa kali anda bepergian dengan pesawat? a) Sekali b) Dua kali c) Tiga d) Empat e) Lima kali atau lebih Apakah Anda membeli pakaian, sepatu atau barang-barang lainnya hanya karena Anda menginginkan bukan karena memerlukannya? a) Tidak b) Iya 17 Kebiasaan menggunakan baterai: a) Saya tidak memakai baterai b) Isi ulang c) Sekali pakai 18 Kebiasaan Anda ketika membuang baterai yang sudah tidak digunakan: a) Saya tidak menggunakan baterai b) Ya, saya pastikan batrai dibuang pada tempat yang aman c) Dibuang ke tempat sampai biasa 19 Bagaimana kebiasaan Anda ketika membeli pakaian baru? a) Membeli pakai bekas atau BJ b) Kadang beli BJ, kadang beli baru c) Selalu membeli yang baru 20 Ketika salah satu barang elektronik Anda rusak, apa yang biasanya Anda lakukan? a) Memperbaikinya b) Membeli bagian yang rusak saja c) Membeli yang baru Nama: Jenis kelamin: Umur: Pendidikan: (Jika pelajar sebutkan kelas dan smtr) Alamat Rumah: Terima kasih 34 APPENDIX Research Questionnaire in English How often you eat meat or other animal products (i.e milk, cheese, eggs)? f) Never I’m vegan g) I don’t eat meat or eggs at all but I eat some dairy products h) I don’t eat meat, but I eat eggs and dairy products i) I eat meat and other animal products several times a week j) I eat meat and other animal products every day I shut off the lights when I leave a room a) always b) usually c) sometimes (about half and half) d) almost never e) never How often you eat fast food or eat out (this includes the school cafeteria)? How often you separate your garbage from recyclables? a) b) c) d) e) How often you eat processed foods (i.e frozen foods or prepackaged foods)? f) g) h) i) j) 11 I never put recyclable items in the garbage b) I rarely put recyclable items in the garbage (no more than once a week) c) I occasionally put recyclable items in the garbage (a few times a week) d) I frequently put recyclable items in the garbage (every day or almost every day) e) I don’t recycle at all less than minutes to minutes 10 to 15 minutes 15 to 20 minutes 20 minutes or longer When you shower you turn off the water while shaving, washing your hair, etc? c) yes d) no 10 Which statement best describes you? When it’s too hot or cold in the house, I change my clothing rather than turn the heat or air conditioning up b) When it’s too hot or cold in the house, I turn up the heat or the air conditioning rather than change my clothing Never, I use a refillable water bottle Rarely (a couple of times a month) Occasionally (once or twice a week) Often (almost every day) I drink more than one bottle a day Which method of transportation best describes How long you usually shower for? a) b) c) d) e) Never Rarely (a couple of times a month) Occasionally (once or twice a week) Often (a few times a week) Almost every day or every day How often you drink bottled water? a) b) c) d) e) a) Never Rarely (a couple of times a month) Occasionally (once or twice a week) Often (a few times a week) Almost every day or every day How often you try to buy food that you know was produced or grown locally? a) b) c) d) e) Never Rarely (a couple of times a month) Occasionally (once or twice a week) Often (a few times a week) Almost every day or every day a) 17 Do you use rechargeable or disposable 35 12 13 14 15 16 how you USUALLY get to school or work? batteries in your electronics? b) I walk c) I ride my bike d) I take public transportation (bus, subway, etc.) or a school bus e) I get a ride with one or more of my friends f) My parents drive me or I drive myself Which would best describe the most frequently used vehicle in your household? b) We don’t have a vehicle c) Hybrid vehicle or compact car d) large or mid-size car e) small Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) or van f) large Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) or van When you go out with friends, how you USUALLY get to your destination? b) I walk c) I ride my bike d) I take public transportation (bus, subway, etc.) e) I get a ride with one or more of my friends f) My parents drive me or I drive myself How many cars members of your household have? b) none c) one d) two e) three f) four or more How many times a year you fly in a plane? b) I don’t use batteries c) rechargeable d) disposable a) once b) twice c) three d) four e) five or more times Do you buy clothes, shoes or other items just because you want them, even if you don’t really need them? c) No d) Yes 18 19 20 Do you dispose of your used batteries appropriately? a) I don’t use batteries b) Yes, I make sure they go to the proper hazardous waste transfer station c) No, I just throw them in the regular garbage When you shop for new clothes you buy new or “previously owned” (i.e used)? d) Membeli pakai bekas atau BJ e) Kadang beli BJ, kadang beli baru f) Selalu membeli yang baru When one of your electronic items breaks what you usually do? a) get it fixed b) throw it away and go out and buy a used one c) throw it away and go out and buy a new one Name: Gender: Age: Education: Address: Thank You 36 APPENDIX Interview with the respondents (Palembang, Indonesia) 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 ... FOOTPRINT AND THE WEALTH OF PEOPLE FROM SOCIOECOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW Supervisors Arinafril Naalim, P.hD Duong Van Thao, P.hD Abstract The depletion of earth’s natural resources and the demand of the. .. of the research  What is the ecological footprint of the people from Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia?  Does the condition of the people affect their ecological footprint?  How can ecological. .. Scope and Limitations The scope of this study focused on the ecological footprint and wealth of the people from Palembang However, there is a limited communication with the respondents Not all the