4. Results and recommendations

Differences in environmental footprints observed in different areas can typically be attributed to differences in consumption patterns and/or differences in populations (higher or lower) and/or differences in land efficiency (some land is more productive than others). For example, with one hectare, an agricultural activity will produce a certain economic value (linked, for example, to the production of wheat) whereas an industrial activity located on one hectare will produce a much higher economic value (linked, for example, to the production of automobiles).

The ecological deficit is a key element of the environmental footprint results, representing the gap between the environmental footprint and the biocapacity of a territory. The higher the ecological deficit, the less sustainable are the lifestyles in that territory. When the ecological deficit is positive,...