The Need For Environmental Indicators Coverage. The Ecological Footprint

• Author: Florian Nuta
• Pages: 377-379

Modeling Growth – between Public Policy and Entrepreneurship

377

Modeling Growth – between Public Policy and

Entrepreneurship

The Need for Environmental Indicators Coverage.

The Ecological Footprint

Florian Nuta1

Abstract: Our paper's aim is to review some of the most relevant indicators describing the environmental

damage and to affirm the need of better understanding and evaluating it. As a result we discuss the ecological

footprint as an improvement in this field and as a more comprehensive and reliable descriptor for environmental

interests.

Keywords: environmental indicators; CO2; ecological footprint; environmental damage

Introduction

It is widely recognized the need of better understanding the complexity and amplitude of

environmental damage (Agostinho, Pereira, 2013). Even if we are talking about greenhouse gases

(CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons), PFCs (perfluorocarbons), SF6 (sulfur

hexafluoride)), deforestation or inappropriate water usage there is still an important amount of damage

insufficiently assessed. This is important because the contingency measures cannot be taken if the

risks are not fully evaluated. The ecological footprint is one of these new indicators developed as a

response to this acute need of knowledge regarding the scale of the environmental damage

(Wacckernagel et al., 2005).

Environmental Indicators - a Review

The variety of environmental indicators show the great interest of academics and decision makers to

understand and acknowledge the critical sustainability issues of our time.

Nevertheless it is hard to choose one single indicator or a category of ecological variables for

assessing the environmental issues. The complexity of environmental issues itself is the first big

impediment for it. The human activity affects the quality of air, water, damages the ozone layer,

contribute to natural resources depletion and so on. That is why a single complex index is hard to

establish and use to describe all the damage we provoke to the environment.

Below is a selection of such indicators for different categories of environmental harm and coverage.

1 Associate Professor, PhD, Department of Economics, Danubius University of Galati, Romania, Address: 3 Galati Blvd.,

Galati 800654, Romania, Tel.: +40372361102, Corresponding author: floriann@univ-danubius.ro.