(125b) The Ecological Footprint: Communicating Impact and Influencing Actions

The Ecological Footprint is a sustainability metric that measures how much biologically productive land and water area an individual, population or activity requires to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb the waste it generates using prevailing technology and resource management practices. Because area is a familiar concept, the Ecological Footprint serves as is a powerful analytical and communications tool that allows individuals and organizations to directly compare their consumption with nature's capacity to provide goods and services. Furthermore, since the Ecological Footprint extends LCA and E-IO results and helps relate them to ecological limits, it provides a more comprehensive and intuitive assessment of environmental impact.

The case studies presented here illustrate how the Ecological Footprint is used by governments, corporations, communities and educational institutions to understand and communicate our demand on nature, and to encourage the actions required if we are to live within the planet's ecological means.