Indicators of the impacts of development on environment: A comparison of Africa and Europe

We calculate and present quantitative data over the impact on the environment for a group of Western European countries and a group of Western African countries. Six major issues are considered: (1) land use, (2) modification of atmospheric composition, (3) diminution of water resources, (4) alteration of nitrogen cycle, (5) loss of biodiversity, and (6) threat of fisheries. We show the high sensibility of the results to the choice of indicators. Then we show that the impacts in African countries are relatively higher than in European countries, in comparison with their respective economic levels. We conclude with several interpretations of these results pleading for an increased consideration of sustainable development objectives in Africa.