List_of_countries_by_ecological_footprint
This is a list of countries by ecological footprint. The table is based on data spanning from 1961 to 2013 from the Global Footprint Network's National Footprint Accounts published in 2016. Numbers are given in global hectares per capita. The world-average ecological footprint in 2016 was 2.75 global hectares per person (22.6 billion in total). With a world-average biocapacity of 1.63 global hectares (gha) per person (12.2 billion in total), this leads to a global ecological deficit of 1.1 global hectares per person (10.4 billion in total).[1]
x ≤ −9
−9 < x ≤ −8
−8 < x ≤ −7
−7 < x ≤ −6 −6 < x ≤ −5 |
−5 < x ≤ −4
−4 < x ≤ −3
−3 < x ≤ −2
−2 < x ≤ −1 −1 < x < 0 |
0 ≤ x < 2
2 ≤ x < 4
4 ≤ x < 6
6 ≤ x < 8
8 ≤ x Data unavailable |
For humanity, having a footprint smaller than the planet's biocapacity is a necessary condition for sustainability. After all, ecological overuse is only possible temporarily. A country that consumes more than 1.73 gha per person has a resource demand that is not sustainable world-wide if every country were to exceed that consumption level simultaneously. Countries with a footprint below 1.73 gha per person might not be sustainable: the quality of the footprint may still lead to net long-term ecological destruction. If a country does not have enough ecological resources within its own territory to cover its population's footprint, then it runs an ecological deficit and the country is termed an ecological debtor. Otherwise, it has an ecological reserve and it is called a creditor.[1] To a significant degree, biocapacity correlates with access to water resources.