what is an ecological footprint

Question

I am in need of your help fast!

Answer 1

To research a general term, google it with the word "define " in front of it.   

 

For example, 

 

google "define ecological footprint"

 

If the term is in general use, then the top entry will be a quick definition.

 

For example - 

 

ec·o·log·i·cal foot·print

noun
the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources.

 

 

The second or third entry is usual wikipedia, which is always good for a basic overview of a general subject.

 

That would be this entry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_footprint

 

If you have a specific thing you are confused about, after reading the basic references, then you can ask a more specific question here,

Answer 2

Ecological footprint is a measure of the ecological resources (such as land) that a population or person needs to produce the natural resources that it uses or consumes, as well as those resources needed to absorb the waste produced by the population or person.

In the universal measure of global hectares it keeps track of the uses of various types of land (cropland, grazing land, fishing grounds, built-up land, forest area, and carbon demand on any type of land). These lands are affected by consumption of plant based foods, fiber products, fish, timber and other forrest products, space for building urban environments, and livestock.

Ecological footprint isn't the only consideration in measuring a population's environmental impact, biocapacity also matters. it represents the productivity and ecological services provided by a nation's assets. For example, if a nation has extensive rainforest that provides that service of sucking up co2 and neutralizing some of its co2 emissions. Ecological footprint and biocapacity can be compared to determine net impact. It is possible for someone or some group to have a net positive impact, though this is certainly very rare among 'developed nations'.

Ecological footprint can be quite tricky to calculate accurately because there are many factors that go into it.

Carbon footprint is a type of ecological footprint that focuses in on carbon emissions specifically.

https://www.footprintnetwork.org/our-work/ecological-footprint/ check out this website for more details