Ecological Footprint

The Ecological Footprint is a metric used to quantify the demand placed on Earth's ecosystems by human activities. It represents the amount of biologically productive land and water area required to produce the resources that an individual, population, or activity consumes, and to absorb the waste they generate, given prevailing technology and resource management practices. Essentially, it is a measure of the environmental impact of human consumption.

This footprint can be expressed in global hectares (gha) that allows comparison of the environmental impact across different countries, regions, or even individual lifestyles. By calculating the Ecological Footprint, it becomes possible to determine whether we are living within the regenerative capacity of the planet or exceeding it, indicating unsustainable consumption patterns.

Understanding the Ecological Footprint is crucial for developing strategies aimed at achieving sustainability. It highlights the need for efficient resource use and underscores the importance of transitioning to a more sustainable and balanced coexistence with nature.