footprint of nations

Overshoot: World's Ecological Footprint Exceeds Biocapacity by Nearly 40%

The Ecological Footprint is a measure of the amount of nature it takes to sustain a given population over the course of a year. According to the new 2005 Footprint of Nations report (pdf), humanity’s footprint is 57 acres per person while the Earth’s biological capacity is just 41 acres per person. By comparing a population’s footprint with its biological capacity, Ecological Footprint analysis suggests whether or not that population is living within its ecological means. If a population’s footprint exceeds its biological capacity, that population is said to be engaging in unsustainable ecological overshoot.

The new Footprint 2.0 is a great educational tool created by Redefining Progress to measure how much of the Earth's carrying capacity it takes to sustain humanity's consumption of goods and services. Go to www.ecologicalfootprint.org for the full scoop.