Ympäristötekoon

Ympäristötekoon refers to the ecological footprint or ecological efficiency of a country or region. It is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. The concept was popularized by William Rees and Mathis Wackernagel in their 1996 book "Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth."

The ecological footprint is calculated by comparing the resources a population consumes (such as food, timber, and fiber) with the planet's capacity to regenerate those resources. It is typically expressed in global hectares (gha), which is the amount of land and sea area required to produce the resources a population consumes and to absorb its waste, given the current technology and resource management practices.

A country's ecological footprint can be divided into two main components: the productive area, which is the land required to produce the resources it consumes, and the absorptive area, which is the land required to absorb its waste, such as carbon dioxide emissions.

If a country's ecological footprint exceeds its biocapacity (the amount of productive land and sea area available within its borders), it is said to be in ecological overshoot. This can lead to environmental degradation, resource depletion, and other ecological problems.

Ympäristötekoon is an important concept for understanding the sustainability of a country's development and for informing policy decisions related to environmental management and conservation. It is used by governments, businesses, and non-governmental organizations to assess their environmental impact and to develop strategies for sustainable development.