IMPLICATIONS OF ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT VALUES FOR SELECTED EU MEMBERS

We analyse the state of the environment for 24 EU member states, using the concept of ecological footprint. Findings suggest that 20 of the 24 analysed states are pushing their environment past its yearly regenerative limits. Of these, 10 have surpassed this value by at least two-fold. A few outliers have gone well beyond even this mark. Four member states have yet to reach the regenerative limit of their lands, and could thusly be viewed as faring better, in terms of the health of their environment. The mechanism that allows overtly ecologicaly unsustainable countries to thrive is discussed.