Our ecological footprint

Creating popular awareness is the goal of this pioneering book, which offers us a planning tool for measuring the true impact of human activity on Earth. The authors have given this impact the name "ecological footprint," a concept that has become known worldwide since the book's first publication in 1996. This tool helps us address the most important challenge of our time: finding a way to provide adequate and equitable living for all human beings, regardless of where on Earth they live.
Well-defined concepts, clearly explained calculation methods, a host of practical applications, this is what everyone will find in the new revised and expanded edition of this work to inform their choices and learn to live well while reducing their own footprint.
Whether we like it or not, the issue of resource overstretch will be the predominant challenge of the 21st century. […] The ecological footprint can help build consensus on what needs to be done to maintain human well-being. The footprint is not an article of faith. On the contrary. It is a scientific approach that aims to understand the planet's regenerative capacity and how we use it. It is an essential management tool for preserving our most fundamental asset: our ecological capital.