TY - JOUR
T1 - Ecological Footprint Policy? Land Use as an Environmental Indicator
AU - van den Bergh, Jeroen C.J.M.
AU - Grazi, Fabio
PY - 2014/1/1
Y1 - 2014/1/1
N2 - Summary: This article argues that policies aimed at sustainability need to address the spatial dimensions of environmental problems and their solutions. In particular, spatial configurations of economic activities deserve attention, which means addressing land use, infrastructure, trade, and transport. Unfortunately, good theory and indicators to support the analysis and design of spatial-environmental policies are not fully developed. One approach that has become very popular in the last decade is the ecological footprint (EF). It is both an environmental accounting tool and aggregate indicator, which is used by scientists, environmental organizations, and popular media. Despite criticisms of the EF method in the past, its popularity has only increased. In fact, an increasing number of publications with an application of the EF appear in scientific journals. We review the EF approach from indicator-methodology and welfare angles and assess its policy relevance. Our conclusion is that it does not offer any meaningful information for public policy. © 2013 by Yale University.
AB - Summary: This article argues that policies aimed at sustainability need to address the spatial dimensions of environmental problems and their solutions. In particular, spatial configurations of economic activities deserve attention, which means addressing land use, infrastructure, trade, and transport. Unfortunately, good theory and indicators to support the analysis and design of spatial-environmental policies are not fully developed. One approach that has become very popular in the last decade is the ecological footprint (EF). It is both an environmental accounting tool and aggregate indicator, which is used by scientists, environmental organizations, and popular media. Despite criticisms of the EF method in the past, its popularity has only increased. In fact, an increasing number of publications with an application of the EF appear in scientific journals. We review the EF approach from indicator-methodology and welfare angles and assess its policy relevance. Our conclusion is that it does not offer any meaningful information for public policy. © 2013 by Yale University.
KW - Industrial ecology
KW - Biocapacity
KW - Environmental policy
KW - Sustainability
KW - Overshoot
KW - Spatial economics
UR - https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=4596331
U2 - 10.1111/jiec.12045
DO - 10.1111/jiec.12045
M3 - Article
SN - 1088-1980
VL - 18
SP - 10
EP - 19
JO - Journal of Industrial Ecology
JF - Journal of Industrial Ecology
ER -