Global acres —acres that have been adjusted according to world average biomass productivity to be compared across regions— are used to generate our ecological footprint on the planet. The're determined and compared after computing our ecological footprint in relation to the world's biocapacity. Each global acre corresponds to one acre of biologically productive space with world average productivity. 

To determine the world's biocapacity, the amount of water, food, fiber, timer, and carbon sequestration provided by the Earth in a single year is measured and converted to a land area in global acres. To determine our ecological footprint, how much water, food, fiber, and timber we consume plus how much carbon we emit is measured and compared to the first number. These results are then converted to a land area in global acres. When the two are compared, our ecological footprint emerges. 

According to the most recent 2009 estimates, our total world ecological footprint is 40% higher than the world's biocapacity. This is not an encouraging statistic. 

Unfortunately, this number means we are consuming resources faster than they are being regenerated, and are now depleting the earth's natural capital. If we continue at this pace, we will eventually destroy the only assets we have without the option of regeneration. Well known examples of this destruction include the disappearing forests, falling water tables, and eroding soils. A key factor in the disappearance of many things is climate change, also affected by our ecological footprint. 

We've all been paying attention to the warnings associated with the depletion of our resources, yet the statistics of consumption, particularly in America, continue to skyrocket. WWF's Living Planet Report puts the United States as the world's worst culprit per-capita after the United Arab Emirates. To put it into a greater perspective, North America's ecological footprint is the largest of any continent in the world, almost doubling the ecological footprint of Europe.  

However, while the United States has been a major contributor to this rising issue, we have also taken many initiatives to develop innovative technology hoping to reverse this trend. Yet the battle has just begun.  

The best way to reduce our ecological footprint is to improve the efficiency with which goods and services are provided, reduce per capita consumption of goods and services, and increase overall biocapacity by conserving and restoring ecosystems before all of our resources are permanently destroyed.

Until next time,

—Emily