Household Level Consumption and Ecological Stress in an Urban Area

Md Khan,Muhammad Uddin

doi:10.3390/urbansci2030056

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and human consumption are continuously threatening the balances of natural environmental systems. This study investigated the increasing stress on the natural environment from household consumption at the neighborhood level. We collected and analyzed household-level data of Ward 24 of the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) area to quantify and represent household consumption and entrenching stresses on the natural environment. We followed the component and direct method to determine the ecological footprint (demand). We also derived the biocapacity (supply) from the available bioproductive lands of the study area. Thus, the gap between demand and supply was identified and represented as a stress area through a Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping technique. We found that the per capita ecological footprint accounts for Ward 24 were about 0.7161 gha/capita for the year 2015. Moreover, the biocapacity for the same year was determined as 0.0144 gha/capita for Ward 24. The ecological demand for the household-based consumption of Ward 24 exceeded its ecological capacity by 49.73 times. We found that Ward 24 would require an area that was 162 times larger in order to support the present level of resource demand and waste sequestration. These study findings can play an essential role in policy formulation, ensuring the practices of environmental justice at the local scale.

Highlights

Human beings have an enormous impact on the natural environment, and affect one another in their everyday choices of consumption habits and living style [1]
This study has developed the scenario of household consumption from an ecological footprint
This study has developed the scenario of household consumption from an ecological footprint perspective by demonstrating the relevant facts and figures at a local level

Summary

Introduction

Human beings have an enormous impact on the natural environment, and affect one another in their everyday choices of consumption habits and living style [1]. The global search for renewable and non-renewable resources is increasing, and global efforts to extract benefits from distant locations are accelerating environmental degradation In this broad context, cities and towns are perceived as the core sources of economic wealth and sociocultural activities [5,6]. The consumption pattern at the city level is a matter of investigation to explain the competitive interaction between human beings and the natural environment. This competitive situation is alarming, as more than 50% of the world’s population live in urban regions [8], and in developed countries, urbanization levels exceed 75%. The world has become a dangerous place to live with less biodiversity, forest area, fresh water, and soil, but with more people, poverty, consumption, and wastes

Methods

Results

Conclusion