Ecological Footprint

The ecological footprint is a measure of the total environmental impact of human activities, expressed as the amount of productive land and water resources, such as cropland, grazing areas, and fishing grounds, needed to produce the goods we consume and absorb the waste we generate. It is distinct from the carbon footprint and provides us with a way to compare the demand for natural resources with the planet's capacity to regenerate them, thus helping us to identify unsustainable consumption patterns and to inform policies for reducing environmental pressures.