Our ecological footprint
Our ecological footprint is a measure of the impact each of us has on the environment. It includes the amount of land needed each year to provide food, water, energy and services per person. Our ecological footprint is measured in global hectares per person (gha). We have enough on earth for 2.1 gha each. If this amount increases, our lifestyles will become unsustainable.
The more energy we consume, the more travelling we do, and the more natural sites we visit, the larger our ecological footprint. The diagram shows the five components of our ecological footprint:
Our ecological footprint