5. Conclusion

By comparing land efficiency and consumption patterns, the environmental footprint measures and evaluates the sustainability of lifestyles in an area. It is an effective tool for showing that all types of human activity in a territory require a certain amount of land (biologically productive land). All these demands are in competition for space and ecological resources. The environmental footprint will thus enable us to develop and validate local strategies for reducing the impact of our lifestyles.

The environmental footprint can be seen as a tool for environmental diagnosis and local decision-making, which can complement other tools such as ADEME's territorial Bilan Carbone®. In the course of previous studies carried out by Fondaterra, it was found that the environmental footprint recommendations echoed those of the Bilan Carbone® for the "energy" and "waste"...