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The Africa Ecological Footprint Report, a recent joint publication by WWF and the African Development Bank, draws our attention to the fact that Africa is walking the tightrope of living within the continent’s (and by extension the planet’s) means and continuing with business as usual (unsustainable consumption and production), risking exceeding the continents carrying capacity. Although the average per capita footprint for the continent in 2008 was 1.4 global hectares (gha) , the report estimates that the ecological footprint of all African countries increased by 240 % between 1961 and 2008 (Figure.1); and projects that Africa could be in bio-capacity deficit as early as 2015 as the average available per capita bio-capacity in Africa is estimated at 1.5 gha.
Figure.1: Trends in Africa’s Ecological footprint
(1961-2008) (Global Footprint Network, 2011)
The key driving forces underlying the fast increasing footprint have been identified to include a growing population and increased per capita consumption in a minority of countries. According to the report, Mauritius has the highest per capita footprint at 4.6 global hectares (gha) and, together with Libya, Mauritania and Botswana, these four countries have average per capita ecological footprints greater than the global average; while Eritrea has the lowest per capita footprint at 0.7gha.
Every human activity consumes resources from the planet and produces waste that the planet must then deal with. As ecosystems become degraded, we lose their services (supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural) and increase our vulnerability to economic and environmental shocks and stifle development, thereby compromising human well- being.
Today, deforestation and forest degradation, land degradation, water pollution, air pollution and other externalities are daily challenges across the continent; and on the other side of the coin, hunger and starvation, poverty, outbreaks of preventable diseases, unemployment, poor housing, poor water supply and sanitation etc … are also daily realities.
African countries aspire to be developed and many are a long way off from achieving their own industrial revolutions, which they so desperately aspire to. However, increased expansion of industry and manufacturing will undoubtedly result in more water and airborne pollutants among other externalities.
The question is: How can Africa achieve this industrial revolution and develop sustainably within the means of the continent?
If Africa is serious about developing cleanly and sustainably, there is no way around this question. The choices made today in infrastructure, energy and food production will shape Africa’s opportunities and options in the future. Africa is at a crossroad in terms of its development options, where are we at and what lies ahead?
The purpose of this blog is to provide a platform to debate the challenges, and opportunities for transformational change on the continent.
