Chapter 2
The Ecological Footprint
Abstract Ecological Footprint and biocapacity accounting is approached in this
brief from a systems perspective. Natural capital is seen as the foundation for all
socioeconomic potential and action. Without nature, we are unable to capitalise on
resources that are necessary to provide services and without which humanity would
suffer. Using the Ecological Footprint, measured in in global hectares, it has been
estimated that roughly 12 billion global hectares exist to support all life on Earth and
human activities. If this is treated as Earth’s carrying capacity, then it sets an upper
boundary to resource exploitation. The two main threats to this life support system
are human population size and consumption behaviour beyond basic life needs.
Lavish lifestyles based on excessive consumption on a mass scale can cause problems of dwindling resources that need safeguarding. In this chapter, the literature that
supports this framework is delineated to set the stage for the Ecological Footprint as
a consumption-based composite indicator. The chapter conveys the evolution of this
sustainability metric from a theoretical perspective that is grounded in the
socioenvironmental as well as ecological economics in order to encapsulate an
integrated approach from a systems perspective.
Keywords Natural capital · Ecological economics · Consumption · Systems theory ·
Ecological overshoot · Sustainability metrics · Composite indicator
Ecological Footprint and biocapacity accounting is approached in this brief from a
systems perspective. Natural capital is seen as the foundation for all socioeconomic
potential and action. Without nature, we are unable to capitalise on resources that are
necessary to provide services, without which humanity would suffer. Using the
Ecological Footprint measured in global hectares, it has been estimated that roughly
12 billion global hectares exist as highly productive land (Wackernagel 2014) to
support all life on Earth and human activities. If this is treated as Earth’s carrying
capacity, then it sets an upper boundary for resource exploitation. The two main
threats to this life support system are human population size and consumption
behaviour beyond basic life needs. Lavish lifestyles based on excessive consumption
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. J. Thornbush, The Ecological Footprint as a Sustainability Metric,
SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62666-2_2
31
The Ecological Footprint
Abstract Ecological Footprint and biocapacity accounting is approached in this
brief from a systems perspective. Natural capital is seen as the foundation for all
socioeconomic potential and action. Without nature, we are unable to capitalise on
resources that are necessary to provide services and without which humanity would
suffer. Using the Ecological Footprint, measured in in global hectares, it has been
estimated that roughly 12 billion global hectares exist to support all life on Earth and
human activities. If this is treated as Earth’s carrying capacity, then it sets an upper
boundary to resource exploitation. The two main threats to this life support system
are human population size and consumption behaviour beyond basic life needs.
Lavish lifestyles based on excessive consumption on a mass scale can cause problems of dwindling resources that need safeguarding. In this chapter, the literature that
supports this framework is delineated to set the stage for the Ecological Footprint as
a consumption-based composite indicator. The chapter conveys the evolution of this
sustainability metric from a theoretical perspective that is grounded in the
socioenvironmental as well as ecological economics in order to encapsulate an
integrated approach from a systems perspective.
Keywords Natural capital · Ecological economics · Consumption · Systems theory ·
Ecological overshoot · Sustainability metrics · Composite indicator
Ecological Footprint and biocapacity accounting is approached in this brief from a
systems perspective. Natural capital is seen as the foundation for all socioeconomic
potential and action. Without nature, we are unable to capitalise on resources that are
necessary to provide services, without which humanity would suffer. Using the
Ecological Footprint measured in global hectares, it has been estimated that roughly
12 billion global hectares exist as highly productive land (Wackernagel 2014) to
support all life on Earth and human activities. If this is treated as Earth’s carrying
capacity, then it sets an upper boundary for resource exploitation. The two main
threats to this life support system are human population size and consumption
behaviour beyond basic life needs. Lavish lifestyles based on excessive consumption
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. J. Thornbush, The Ecological Footprint as a Sustainability Metric,
SpringerBriefs in Environmental Science,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62666-2_2
31