Ecological Footprint: Measuring Human Demand on Nature

Ecological Footprint: Measuring Human Demand on Nature

The ecological footprint quantifies the biologically productive land and water area required to:

• Produce consumed resources (food, timber, fiber, fossil fuel energy).
• Absorb generated wastes (especially CO₂).

Expressed in global hectares (gha). It reveals whether humanity lives within Earth's regenerative capacity (currently: ~1.7 Earths needed).