Ecological Footprint and Ecological Burden: The Weight and Area Concept of Sustainable Development

Author: Tao Zaipu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-11-01
Features: In this book, Professor Tao starts by critiquing the statistical flaws of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in China, exploring the issue of social metabolism—the metabolic theory that combines material and ecology. Economy and culture determine human social metabolism; the results of social metabolism alter the environment, which in turn changes society. The second part of the book introduces the ecological footprint, which refers to the various types of land areas covered by ecological productivity, including energy land, cropland, forest land, built-up land, nearshore marine ecosystems, and grassland. The book presents various methods for calculating the ecological footprint, such as national and urban ecological footprints, university and household ecological footprints, as well as those for airplanes and automobiles. It also explains and clarifies the debates surrounding the calculation methods of the ecological footprint.