An idea with pedagogical value…

“Ecological impact” is a concept that tries to translate the impact of human activity on the planet’s ecosystems in an easily understandable way. It is a means of quantifying, for an individual or a population, the area necessary to produce the main resources consumed and absorb their waste. Ecological impact can also be used as a measure of the impact of activities such as cattle breeding, gold mining, or the production of a car, computer, or mobile phone. Sometimes the methods used to calculate ecological impact are criticized, but the concept is used more and more often.

It is these kind of calculations that tell us, for example, that if everyone consumed like the average European, we’d need two extra planets – and another three on top of that, if we all consumed like the Americans. The calculations used to ascertain one’s ecological impact do not only measure CO2 emissions, but also consumption of drinking water and other finite resources. And then the world’s population also has to be taken into account – its growth reduces the theoretical area available per person. There are several ways of calculating your “ecological impact.” Some company websites feature a (very) long questionnaire, and the answers you provide then give you an estimate of your own use. If we take the example of public transport, we can compare the ecological impact of the underground to that of the car, or that of the train to that of the aeroplane.