Indicator assessment
CONDITION
TREND
DATA QUALITY
The ACT’s ecological footprint is over 9 times the size of the land area of the ACT showing that current resource use is unsustainable. Despite this, the ACT has reduced its total ecological footprint by 11% since 2009–10, and the carbon footprint by 41%. Per capita reductions have been higher still with a 30% decrease in the ecological footprint since 2009–10 and a 54% decrease in the carbon footprint.
Households are responsible for 67% of the ACT’s footprint. Decreases in community resource consumption are key to further reducing both the ecological and carbon footprints for the ACT.
CONDITION
Environmental condition is healthy across the ACT, OR pressure likely to have negligible impact on environmental condition/human health.
Environmental condition is neither positive or negative and may be variable across the ACT, OR pressure likely to have limited impact on environmental condition/human health.
Environmental condition is under significant stress, OR pressure likely to have significant impact on environmental condition/ human health.
Data is insufficient to make an assessment of status and trends.
TREND
DATA QUALITY
Adequate high-quality evidence and high level of consensus.
Limited evidence or limited consensus.
Evidence and consensus too low to make an assessment.
Assessments of status, trends and data quality are not appropriate for the indicator.
Ecological footprint
For information on the ecological footprint assessment used for this report see Background: Human Settlements.
In 2021–22, the total ecological footprint for the ACT was around 2.21 million hectares, over nine times the size of the ACT (Figure 2). This means that at current consumption levels, we need an area nine times the size of the ACT to provide the resources, goods and services we use, as well as to regulate our pollution. It is clear that our current resource use is unsustainable, placing enormous stress on the earth’s natural ecosystems. It is also evident that the ACT’s ecological footprint has consequences for areas of Australia and overseas that provide the wide range of resources, goods and services consumed by the ACT community.
Figure 2: ACT total ecological footprint (disturbance), 2003–04 to 2021–22.
Source: Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment.
The ACT’s total ecological footprint peaked in 2009–10 at just under 2.5 million hectares. Since then, the footprint has decreased by nearly 11% to around 2.2 million hectares despite population growth of over 26% over the same period. However, the ACT’s total ecological footprint has been increasing since 2017–18, growing by 3% in 2021–22.
There has been a significant decrease in the ACT’s per capita ecological footprint which has fallen by nearly 30% from 6.9 hectares per person in 2009–10 to 4.9 hectares in 2021–22 (Figure 3). Unlike the total ACT ecological footprint, the ACT’s per capita footprint has been falling since 2009–10, although recent decreases have been small. For example, between 2019–20 to 2021–22 the per capita ecological footprint reduced by just over 1%. The ACT’s per capita footprint has also been below that for Australia since 2017–18, with 2021–22 having the largest reduction on national levels at nearly 6% lower.
Figure 3: ACT and Australian per capita ecological footprint (disturbance), 2003–04 to 2021–22.
Source: Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment
Carbon footprint
The total carbon footprint of the ACT population was approximately 4.65 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) in 2021–22 (Figure 4). This is a decrease of over 41% from a peak of 7.93 million tonnes CO2-e in 2009–10 and has occurred despite the population growth in the ACT. The ACT’s total carbon footprint has been falling since 2009–10, although recent decreases have been smaller. The reduction in the ACT’s total carbon footprint is mainly due to the uptake of renewable electricity generation.
Figure 4: ACT total carbon footprint (disturbance), 2003–04 to 2021–22.
Source: Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment.
The per capita carbon footprint for the ACT fell from 22.1 tonnes CO2-e in 2009–10 to 10.2 in 2021–22, a reduction of around 54% (Figure 5). This large decrease has seen the ACT’s 2021–22 per capita carbon footprint fall to 21% below that of Australia after being 9% higher in 2009–10. As with the reduction in the ACT’s total carbon footprint, per capita decreases are mainly due to the uptake of renewable electricity generation.
Figure 5: ACT and Australian per capita carbon footprint (disturbance), 2003–04 to 2021–22.
Source: Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment.
Footprint by components
Household final consumption (goods and services households buy directly to support their day-to-day lives) was responsible for 67% of the ACT’s ecological footprint in 2021–22 (Figure 6). This shows the importance of changing community behaviour to minimise resource consumption and waste. Education and awareness raising on sustainable consumption is imperative to reduce components of both the ecological and carbon footprints for the ACT.
Figure 6: Household and other contributions to the ACT ecological footprint (disturbance), 2003–04 to 2021–22.
Source: Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment.
Notes: Household final consumption consists of goods and services households buy directly to support their day-to-day lives; Other final demand comprises private (business and industry) and government final consumption. Does not include greenhouse gas net sequestration from land use.
ACT’s ecological footprint is dominated by land disturbance as a result of the large land area required for pasture to produce products such as meat, milk and fibre (Figure 7). The pasture required to meet the ACT’s demand for such products accounted for around 74% of the per capita ecological footprint in 2021–22. However, land disturbance from pasture requirements has decreased by around 24% from 4.8 hectares per capita in 2009-10 to 3.6 hectares in 2021–22.
Figure 7: ACT ecological footprint (disturbance) components per capita, 2021–22.
Source: Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment.
Note: Emissions land is the calculated area of disturbed land based on total greenhouse gas emissions.
The next highest component of the ACT’s footprint was land disturbance from emissions which was responsible for around 14% of the per capita ecological footprint in 2021–22. This has also significantly declined in the ACT, from 1.5 hectares per capita in 2009–10 to 0.7 hectares in 2021–22, a decrease of around 54%. The falling contribution from emissions land reflects the ACT’s move to renewable electricity supply.
Other components have a relatively small contribution to the ACT’s ecological footprint and show little change over time. These include disturbances from dry cropland (around 6% of the per capita footprint in 2021–22), forestry (around 2%) and the built environment (around 1%). Results for the built environment (land disturbance from urban and other built areas) reflects just how little of the ACT’s per capita ecological footprint is contained within the ACT.
Footprint by expenditure
Ecological footprint
Ecological footprint calculations can also be considered by expenditure per consumption category. This can help guide community action and government policy aimed at reducing the ACT’s footprint. The main consumption categories are food, shelter, energy use, mobility, goods and services. All flow-on impacts are included within each category. For example, the land required to grow wheat and the energy used to harvest the wheat is all included within the food category. The services category covers a large number of services, including telecommunications, finance, medicine, entertainment and government.
The provision of food dominates most ecological footprints due to the extensive land required for the average diet. Food expenditure accounted for around 53% of the ACT’s total footprint in 2021–22 (Figure 8). Selecting more locally-produced and alternative sources of protein with lower footprints could substantially reduce the overall footprint of the ACT.
Figure 8: ACT total environmental footprint by expenditure, 2021–22.
Source: Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment.
Note: Does not include greenhouse gas net sequestration from land use.
Services was the next highest contributor to the ecological footprint at around 20% for 2021–22, with goods contributing 8%, and housing and transport each contributing 5%.
In terms of footprint area, the contributions of some expenditure groups have been increasing since 2015–16, including food (around 7% increase), services (8%), goods (around 6%) and housing (over 11%). However, this has had little effect on the proportional contributions of these expenditure groups over time.
In contrast, the footprint area for energy use decreased by nearly 70% between 2015–16 and 2021–22, reflecting the ACT’s move to a renewable electricity supply. This reduced the proportional contribution of energy from 5% to 2% over the same period. The footprint area for transport also decreased by around 20% between 2015–16 and 2021–22, with reductions in 2019–20 and 2021–22 likely in response to COVID-19 travel restrictions (including vehicle and air travel) and reduced levels of commuting due to the increase in work from home arrangements.
Carbon footprint
For carbon footprints, the expenditure groups have a much more even contribution with services (26%), transport (18%) and food (19%) all making substantial contributions to the ACT’s carbon footprint in 2021–22 (Figure 9).
Figure 9: ACT total carbon footprint by expenditure, 2021–22.
Source: Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment.
Note: Does not include greenhouse gas net sequestration from land use.
In terms of carbon footprint area, the contribution of housing increased by around 8% between 2009–10 and 2021–22, increasing the proportional contribution of housing from 5% to 8% over this period.
The carbon footprint area for energy use decreased by nearly 85% between 2009–10 and 2021–22, reflecting the ACT’s move to a renewable electricity supply — reducing the proportional contribution of energy from 21% to 4% over this period. The carbon footprint area for transport also decreased by around 25% between 2015–16 and 2021–22, with reductions in 2019–20 and 2021–22 likely in response to COVID-19 travel restrictions (including vehicle and air travel) and reduced levels of commuting due to the increase in work from home arrangements. Despite this, the proportional contribution of transport to the carbon footprint has changed very little over time, mainly due to a decreasing energy footprint.
Drivers of change
The main drivers for changes in the ACT ecological footprint include:
- slower increase in household expenditures since 2010, and likely overall falls during the COVID-19 years
- increased food and fibre production requiring substantial land areas in Australia
- switch to renewable electricity
- decrease in the emissions intensity of some Australian industries
- falling emissions intensity of the national electricity grid
- population increases contributing to economic growth
- increased expenditure on services, and
- reduced travel (car and flights) due to COVID-19 restrictions and increased uptake of working from opportunities.
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