Ecological footprint of European countries
Indicator Assessment
Prod-ID:
IND-161-en
Also known as:
SEBI 023
Created 11 Jun 2019
Published 16 Jul 2019
Last modified 26 Mar 2020
12
min read
Topics:
Biodiversity — Ecosystems
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The total ecological footprint of the EU-28 countries increased rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s, and has remained relatively constant since the 1980s. However, total biocapacity — the capacity of ecosystems to produce useful biological materials and absorb waste materials generated by humans, using current management schemes and extraction technologies — has changed very little since 1961. The picture is similar for the EEA-39 countries and the wider pan-European region.
The constantly increasing ecological footprint has resulted in an ever larger biocapacity deficit which may have negative consequences for the environment both within and outside Europe.
Key messages
The total ecological footprint of the EU-28 countries increased rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s, and has remained relatively constant since the 1980s. However, total biocapacity — the capacity of ecosystems to produce useful biological materials and absorb waste materials generated by humans, using current management schemes and extraction technologies — has changed very little since 1961. The picture is similar for the EEA-39 countries and the wider pan-European region.
The constantly increasing ecological footprint has resulted in an ever larger biocapacity deficit which may have negative consequences for the environment both within and outside Europe.