What types of land and sea are counted in an ecological footprint?

The footprint counts cropland, grazing land, fishing grounds and forest for timber. The footprint also counts built-up land and the forest needed to absorb carbon dioxide.

What is meant by ecological overshoot?

Ecological overshoot occurs when a population's footprint exceeds its biocapacity, the area's capacity to regenerate resources and absorb waste. The shortfall is met by running down natural stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide.

How far is humanity currently in ecological overshoot?

The Global Footprint Network estimated in 2025 that humanity uses nature as fast as 1.8 Earths could regenerate it. Earth Overshoot Day fell on 24 July in 2025 and on 30 July in 2026.

How is a nation's ecological footprint calculated?

A nation's consumption footprint equals its production footprint plus imports minus exports. The total is often divided by population to give global hectares per person.

CCEA A-Level Environmental Technology 3930

Fossil Fuels

Topic overview Coal, oil and gas in modern society Reserves, lifespan and accessibility Fossil fuel combustion and the IPCC evidence Carbon trading schemes Fossil fuel demand, emerging economies and fuel security Environmental impacts of fossil fuel use

Global Action on Energy Conservation and Climate Change

Topic overview Sustainable development and climate agreements Emissions and energy efficiency targets for 2020 Renewable energy and demand reduction in policy Nuclear power as an alternative

Macrogeneration

Topic overview Conservation of energy and the simple generator Thermal power stations and steam turbines Direct and indirect renewable electricity Electricity transmission through the National Grid Smart grids and interconnectors Combined heat and power

Microgeneration

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Energy From Wind

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Energy From the Sun

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Topic overview Defining biomass and its main categories Energy crops grown for biomass Advantages and disadvantages of biomass fuel Combustion, woodchip and fuel quality Gasification and syngas Biogas and commercial anaerobic digesters

Energy Storage

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Plastics for the Future

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Renewable Energy Investigations

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Sustainable Development

Topic overview Population growth and demand for resources The I = PAT equation and the role of technology Ecological footprints, carbon footprints and One Planet Living

Waste Management

Topic overview Landfill dependence and the landfill tax Waste types, priority waste streams and EU directives The waste management hierarchy Recycling at a Materials Recovery Facility Landfill decomposition, methane and leachate Engineered landfill: dry tomb and bioreactor designs

Waste to Energy Technologies

Topic overview Embodied energy Incineration with energy recovery Digester design: solids content, residence time and staging Stages of anaerobic digestion and biogas CHP Composting and catering waste

Land Contamination and Remediation

Topic overview Contaminated land, risk and traditional remediation Bioremediation principles and bioreactor systems Micro-organisms that degrade named pollutants Bioremediation benefits and genetically engineered microbes Phytoremediation of metals and other elements Phytoextraction with Indian mustard and alpine pennycress Biohydrometallurgy and phytomining of ores

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Topic overview Hydrogen as a fuel: properties and storage Hydrogen production: steam reforming, electrolysis and photocatalysis How a fuel cell works and the PEM cell Alkaline, phosphoric acid, molten carbonate and solid oxide fuel cells Fuel cell applications and the challenges of hydrogen

Transport System Challenges

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Energy Performance of Buildings

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Emerging Technologies

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Sustainable Urban and Rural Communities

Topic overview Energy and buildings in sustainable urban developments Transport, waste and brownfield sites Water, drainage and urban green space Energy, water and waste for isolated rural dwellings Local food and communication technology in rural areas

The Code for Sustainable Homes

Topic overview Purpose, levels and assessment of the Code Energy, carbon dioxide and water categories Materials, surface water run-off and waste categories Pollution, health and wellbeing, management and ecology categories Measuring the performance of an existing building Performance profiles, improvements and evaluation

Sustainable Development

Ecological footprints, carbon footprints and One Planet Living

3 things to know
A2 1

Overview

Ecological footprints in global hectares, biocapacity and overshoot, a footprint calculation, carbon footprints and CO₂e, the carbon share of the footprint, and One Planet Living's ten principles for a housing development.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What is a carbon footprint, what unit is it given in, and how does it relate to the ecological footprint?

Key term

Define the term ecological footprint.

Key term

In what unit is an ecological footprint measured?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
Define the term ecological footprint.
Model answer
An ecological footprint is the productive land and water area needed to supply what a person or population consumes. The footprint also includes the area needed to absorb their wastes, especially carbon dioxide.
2
In what unit is an ecological footprint measured?
Model answer
An ecological footprint is measured in global hectares (gha). A global hectare is a hectare with the world's average biological productivity.
3
What types of land and sea are counted in an ecological footprint?
Model answer
The footprint counts cropland, grazing land, fishing grounds and forest for timber. The footprint also counts built-up land and the forest needed to absorb carbon dioxide.
4
What is meant by ecological overshoot?
Model answer
Ecological overshoot occurs when a population's footprint exceeds its biocapacity, the area's capacity to regenerate resources and absorb waste. The shortfall is met by running down natural stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide.
5
How far is humanity currently in ecological overshoot?
Model answer
The Global Footprint Network estimated in 2025 that humanity uses nature as fast as 1.8 Earths could regenerate it. Earth Overshoot Day fell on 24 July in 2025 and on 30 July in 2026.
6
How is a nation's ecological footprint calculated?
Model answer
A nation's consumption footprint equals its production footprint plus imports minus exports. The total is often divided by population to give global hectares per person.

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Fossil Fuels

Global Action on Energy Conservation and Climate Change

Macrogeneration

Microgeneration

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