Calculating Puerto Rico’s Ecological Footprint (1970–2010) Using Freely Available Data
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. EFA Overview
1.2. Puerto Rico Case Study
The strategy for the sustainable development of Puerto Rico must acknowledge the need for a new vision that gives greater relevance to the environment and natural resources upon which the same is based; particularly with respect to the use of land and water resources, transportation, the production of energy, the management of solid waste and liquids, and the management of our coastal zone. We must support the continuation of our economic development, but in a sustainable manner, to ensure ourselves of the fact that the cost of such development is neither the excessive degradation and destruction of the environment and the natural resources nor social injustice.
2. Methods
2.1. Data, Variables, and Sources
2.1.1. Biocapacity
2.1.2. Consumption
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Biocapacity (Supply)
3.2. Ecological Footprint (Demand)
3.3. Examination of Sustainability
Variable | Purpose/Notes | Source | URL |
---|---|---|---|
United States data | |||
Consumption of Animal Products (lbs./capita) | Includes bovine, buffalo, sheep, goat, non-bovine, milk, cheese, butter, eggs, and fish categories; Last updated 25 January 2013 | USDA Economic Research Service | http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-availability-(per-capita)-data-system.aspx |
Cereal Consumption (lbs./capita) | Includes cereals, wheat, and maize categories | USDA Economic Research Service | http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-availability-(per-capita)-data-system.aspx |
Fruit & Vegetable Consumption (lbs./capita) | Includes vegetables, fruit, animal feed, roots, tubers, and pulses consumption | USDA Economic Research Service | http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-availability-(per-capita)-data-system.aspx |
Puerto Rico data | |||
Fossil Fuel (Gj/year) | Includes coal, natural gas, and petroleum; assume all produced was consumed; coal interpolated using 1983–2002 data (did not include post-2002 due to large increase) consumption | Energy Information Administration | http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm |
Nuclear Electric Consumption (million kWh) | None reported | Energy Information Administration | http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm |
Hydro-electric Consumption (million kWh) | Energy Information Administration | http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm | |
Wood and waste Consumption (trillion BTU) | None reported | Energy Information Administration | http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm |
Municipio data | |||
Population (persons) | Interdecadal values from PR Planning Board | US Census Bureau, Puerto Rico Census of Population; and Puerto Rico Planning Board, Economic and Social Planning Program, Office of the Census | http://www.census.gov/popest/data/intercensal/puerto_rico/pr2010.html |
Land Area (ha) | Treated as a constant | US Census Bureau | http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc-1-53-ENG.pdf |
Built land (ha) | 1991—Pares-Ramos et al. 2008, 10.5%; 2000—Pares-Ramos et al. 2008; 11% census bureau, census designated place says 111709 ha or 431.31 mi2; 2003—Martinuzzi et al. 2007; 2006—calculated from GAP layer (urban and barren), but GAP metadata indicate 101844 ha “urban and barren”; 2010—US Census Bureau, Census Designated Places; missing values linearly interpolated | [49,50]; GAP Analysis; US Census Bureau | |
Forest (ha) | 1969, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1991, 2003; linearly interpolate missing years | [31,32,33] | |
Arable land (ha) | Census of Agriculture (1974, 1978, 1982, 1987, 1998, 2002, 2007; Pares-Ramos 2008; agricultural land increased from 6% in 1940 to 40% in 2000. Arable land < 2002 is “cropland harvested” > 2001 is “harvested cropland” | USDA Agricultural Statistics | http://www.agcensus.usda.gov |
Pasture (ha) | Census of Agriculture (1974, 1978, 1982, 1987, 1998, 2002, 2007; pasture < 2002 “cropland in cultivated and improved pasture” > 2001 “cropland used only for pasture or grazing” | USDA Agricultural Statistics | |
Sea (ha) | Treated as a constant—1899.94 mi2 × 258.999 ha/mi2 = ha; 2000 census places.xlsx; phc-3-53-eng2000.pdf; Water area is the sum of the surfaces of all inland water bodies, such as lakes, reservoirs, or rivers, as delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines | US Census Bureau | http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc-1-53-ENG.pdf |
Calculated values | |||
Energy land (ha) | Based on CO2 production and subtracted from forest land. Thus, biocapacity is zero. | ||
Non-productive land (ha) | Total land area minus the sum of EF land area |
4. Conclusions
Supplementary Files
Supplementary File 1Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Hopton, M.E.; Berland, A. Calculating Puerto Rico’s Ecological Footprint (1970–2010) Using Freely Available Data. Sustainability 2015, 7, 9326-9343. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7079326
Hopton ME, Berland A. Calculating Puerto Rico’s Ecological Footprint (1970–2010) Using Freely Available Data. Sustainability. 2015; 7(7):9326-9343. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7079326
Chicago/Turabian StyleHopton, Matthew E., and Adam Berland. 2015. "Calculating Puerto Rico’s Ecological Footprint (1970–2010) Using Freely Available Data" Sustainability 7, no. 7: 9326-9343. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7079326