Biocapacity vs Ecological Footprint of world regions: A geopolitical interpretation

Countries vary greatly in both their demand for and supply of natural resources over time. Footprint and Biocapacity dynamics are driven by many different factors, making each profile unique and complex to explain. The aim of this paper was to observe the temporal trends for most of the world's nations between 1961 and 2007, in order to appraise the different development paths of Biocapacity and Footprint. The analysis identified four main dynamic typologies: parallel, scissor, wedge and descent. The main features of each type are explained on the basis of population trends and jointly with other indicators (i.e. environmental performance index, EPI, environmental sustainability index, ESI and human development index, HDI). In this analysis the Ecological Footprint is the leading biophysical accounting tool for comparing present aggregate human demand on the biosphere with the ecological capacity to sustain life. The other indicators address different environmental issues, such as the reduction of environmental impacts, and economy vulnerability, the institutional capacity to provide effective policies and the quantification of environmental "global stewardship" (through agreements, international collaboration, etc.). Time series analysis then enables a geopolitical interpretation of nations to be made, based on the availability and constraints of Biocapacity. Biocapacity may be regarded as a new type of ecological wealth; it will be of strategic importance in geopolitics, playing a fundamental role in competitiveness and relationships between nations, as well as in the quality of life of their communities. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.