The environmental footprint applied to territories

Human economic activities consume natural resources and release waste into the environment. This pattern of operation has a finite dimension, linked to the biocapacity of territories. In order to maintain and enhance environmental quality while enabling the economy and the population to prosper, it is becoming urgent to represent, in a legible way, both the pressure man exerts on the planet's natural resources and the sustainability of his lifestyles.

Against this backdrop, this article sets out to present a methodology for measuring the sustainability of lifestyles in territories, in order to guide and validate local strategies. The environmental footprint, which determines the surface area of land required to support human activities in a given territory, proves to be an appropriate tool for addressing this issue. It will encourage discussion of issues directly linked to sustainable development, such as the finite dimensions of human activities, ecological resources and key ecosystem functions for sustainable development.

This article begins by defining the environmental footprint, its origins and the different calculation methods available. The methodology, based on input-output analysis, will then be explained, along with its limitations. Applications in New Zealand and France will be presented to show that the environmental footprint can be considered as a tool for environmental diagnosis and local decision-making on existing and future developments. Finally, the results and recommendations for reducing the environmental footprint and contributing to regional sustainability will be presented.