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What is the ecological footprint?
The Ecological Footprint: Measuring Humanity’s Impact on the Planet
In the economic context, there has long been a globally accepted and widely used indicator: the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
However, given the new challenges we face today, we must complement the information provided by GDP in order to design balanced policies that reflect our commitment to the environment and social well-being.
This biophysical sustainability indicator integrates the set of impacts that a human community exerts on its environment, considering both the resources required and the waste generated to sustain the community’s consumption model.
The ecological footprint is defined as the total amount of ecologically productive land and water area required to produce the resources consumed by an average citizen of a given community, as well as the area needed to absorb the waste generated—regardless of where these surfaces are located.
According to the creators of the concept, William Rees and Mathis Wackernagel, the ecological footprint corresponds to the area of ecologically productive land (cropland, pasture, forest, or aquatic ecosystem) required to produce the resources used and to assimilate the waste produced by a defined population with a specific standard of living indefinitely, wherever that area may be found.
It is easy to recognize our responsibility in polluting the planet and in the continuous and progressive depletion of natural resources. The purpose of this indicator, therefore, is to evaluate the impact of a given lifestyle or consumption model on the Earth, and consequently, its degree of sustainability.
The Philosophy Behind the Ecological Footprint
The methodology for calculating the ecological footprint is based on the following principles:
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To produce any good or service—regardless of the technology used—a flow of materials and energy is required, ultimately derived from ecological systems or the direct flow of solar energy in its various forms.
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Ecological systems are needed to absorb the waste generated during production and the use of final products.
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Space is also occupied by infrastructure, housing, and equipment, thereby reducing the surface area of productive ecosystems.
Although this indicator integrates multiple impacts, there are several aspects that underestimate the real environmental impact, including:
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Certain qualitative impacts are not accounted for, such as soil, water, and air pollution (except for CO₂), erosion, loss of biodiversity, or landscape degradation.
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It assumes that agricultural, livestock, and forestry practices are sustainable, meaning that soil productivity does not decline over time.
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It does not consider the impact associated with water use, except for the direct occupation of land by reservoirs or hydraulic infrastructure and the energy used for water management.
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As a general rule, factors with uncertain data quality are excluded, and the most conservative approach is chosen to ensure reliable results.
The Ecological Footprint Is Most Evident in Large Western Cities
As a reference, it can be noted that 20% of the world’s population living in wealthy urban areas consumes more than 60% of global GDP.
This highlights that the unsustainable lifestyle of developed countries cannot be extended to the entire planet—there are simply not enough resources for everyone. The path toward a sustainable global economy requires reducing consumption levels and promoting responsible consumption practices in many nations.
Biocapacity and Ecological Deficit
A complementary concept is the biocapacity of a territory, defined as the biologically productive area—croplands, pastures, productive seas, or forests—that is available.
The difference between ecological footprint (resource demand) and biocapacity (resource availability) is known as the ecological deficit.
The methodology for calculating the ecological footprint
How the Ecological Footprint Is Calculated
When discussing the concept of the ecological footprint, we left pending a more detailed explanation of how it is calculated.
The calculation methodology is based on estimating the productive land area required to satisfy consumption related to food, forest products, energy use, and direct land occupation.
To calculate these areas, two main steps are followed:
1. Quantify consumption in physical units
For each category, consumption is measured in physical units.
When no direct consumption data is available, apparent consumption for each product is estimated using the following formula:
APPARENT CONSUMPTION = PRODUCTION – EXPORTS + IMPORTS
2. Convert consumption into biologically productive area through productivity indices
This step determines the area required to satisfy the average per capita consumption of a given product.
To do this, productivity values are used according to the following formula:
ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT = CONSUMPTION / PRODUCTIVITY
Productivity Values and Global Factors
Productivity values can be calculated on a global scale or specific to a given territory, taking into account the technology applied and land performance.
In the standard methodology, global productivity factors are used to allow for comparison of ecological footprint values across different regions and to ensure standardization of the indicator.
Energy Consumption and the Ecological Footprint
For energy consumption, the ecological footprint is calculated differently depending on the energy source.
For fossil fuels, which make up the main source of consumed energy, the ecological footprint measures the land area required to absorb the CO₂ emissions.
This is obtained from the total energy consumption—both direct and that associated with the production and distribution of goods and services—divided by the CO₂ absorption capacity of forested land.
Productive Areas and Equivalence Factors
Once consumption values are recorded and productivity indices are applied, the result is a set of different productive areas considered (croplands, pastures, forests, marine areas, or built-up surfaces).
Each category has different biological productivity levels (for example, one hectare of cropland is more productive than one hectare of ocean).
Before summing them, a process called normalization must be applied.
To do this, each area is weighted by equivalence factors, which express the relationship between the biological productivity of each land-use category and the average productivity of the planet’s total productive surface.
For instance, the fact that the equivalence factor for forests is 1.37 means that one hectare of forest has, on average, 37% more productivity than the global average of productive land.
Obtaining the Total Ecological Footprint
After applying the equivalence factors to each calculated surface category, the ecological footprint is expressed in global hectares (gha).
Once all categories are summed, we obtain the total ecological footprint.