Ecological footprint analysis of the port of Thessaloniki as a tool for an environmental management system

Ports exert complex and highly significant impacts in the air, sea and land environmental components, including pollution, habitat degradation, biodiversity loss, and impacts on human health. The Ecological Footprint (EF) methodology is a tool of growing popularity that assesses the CO 2 emissions-related environmental impact. Within a broader Environmental Management System, the EF can provide a simple index to inform policy decisions. However, only a few studies have applied the EF methodology at ports. In this study the EF methodology was employed in order to assess the CO 2 emissions-related EF of the port of Thessaloniki (THPA), a mid-sized cargo and passenger port in Northern Greece, for two consecutive years, 2008 and 2009. The activities of the port were divided into six components: built-up land, population (port staff), electricity consumption, fuel consumption, solid waste producti on and wastewater production. THPA’s total EF was higher compared to the ports of other studies, mainly due to the higher electricity and fuel consumption and the fact that the Greek electricity sector has a higher CO 2 emission factor. The limitations of the EF when applied at ports are discussed and alternative tools, methodologies and frameworks are suggested for environmental management at ports.