What is Ecological Footprint?

Ecological footprint is a measure of the demand we place on our planet to satisfy our lifestyle. It has to be compared with the planet’s capacity to regenerate its ecosystem (“Biocapacity”). Measured in global hectares (gha), it accounts for resource consumption and waste generation from human activities on the earth. A sustainable situation exists when a person, a community, or a country’s ecological footprint is within the earth’s biocapacity. Unfortunately, our global average is 2.5 gha per person. This means that to sustain humanity, keeping status quo, we need 2 Earths 🌍 🌎.

How is the Ecological footprint trending?

The mid-20th century post World War II was marked by rapid industrialization, technological advancements and population explosion all resulting in resource exploitation. Human lifestyle and consumption patterns increased the demand on goods and services which resulted in excess waste generation with no good strategy on managing waste. As our demand increases to support our lifestyle, the negative impact on our planet increases at an alarming rate because its capacity to renew resources and absorb waste decreases. The 1970s was when we saw a cross over – our Ecological footprint and emissions overtook the earth’s Biocapacity.

In 2023, Earth Overshoot Day was on August 2nd. Between January 1st and August 2nd, we had already consumed the planet’s entire annual regeneration capacity!

Agriculture to feed the population, our demand on land to raise livestock, our demand on forests for wood and fuel, housing & infrastructure, transport, aquaculture, and emissions from burning fuel are all contributors to the Ecological footprint. Here is an overview of these contributors as per the WWF’s Living Planet Report:

What is my Ecological Footprint?

When the ecological footprint exceeds its biocapacity, that population has an ecological deficit. Here is a comparative analysis of Ecological footprint and Biocapacity, per capita (as of Jan 2024). I have selected a small set of countries spread across geographies with varying populations, diversity and economies:

(Data source: WorldPopulationReview)

Ultimately, the trend between Ecological footprint vs. Biocapacity needs to flip in order to fix the imbalance and to sustain humanity on this planet. We can influence this by reviewing our personal consumption patterns, waste management, and voting responsibly. Only individual choices and national policies will shape the final outcome.

When do you think Earth Overshoot Day will be this year? Drop in your estimate of the date, in the comments below!