Accounting for demand and supply of the Biosphere’s regenerative capacity: the National Footprint Accounts’ underlying methodology and framework Michael Borucke1, David Moore2, Gemma Cranston2, Kyle Gracey1, Katsunori Iha1, Joy Larson1, Elias Lazarus1, Juan Carlos Morales1, Mathis Wackernagel1, Alessandro Galli2, * 1 Global Footprint Network, 312 Clay Street, Oakland, CA, 94607-3510 USA 2 Global Footprint Network, International Environment House 2, 7-9 Chemin de Balexert, 1219 Geneva - Switzerland *Corresponding author: Alessandro Galli, Ph.D. Global Footprint Network, International Environment House 2, 7-9 Chemin de Balexert, 1219 Geneva - Switzerland Tel: +41 22 797 41 10 Mobile: +39 346 6760884 e-mail:
[email protected] 1 DRAFT Final version was published as: Michael Borucke, David Moore, Gemma Cranston, Kyle Gracey, Katsunori Iha, Joy Larson, Elias Lazarus, Juan Carlos Morales, Mathis Wackernagel, Alessandro Galli, Accounting for demand and supply of the biosphere's regenerative capacity: The National Footprint Accounts’ underlying methodology and framework, Ecological Indicators, Volume 24, January 2013, Pages 518-533, ISSN 1470-160X, 10.1016/j.ecolind.2012.08.005. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X12002968) ABSTRACT Human demand on ecosystem services continues to increase, and evidence suggests that this demand is outpacing the regenerative and absorptive capacity of the biosphere. As a result, the productivity of natural capital may increasingly become a limiting factor for the human endeavor. Therefore, metrics tracking human demand on, and availability of, regenerative and waste absorptive capacity within the biosphere are needed. Ecological Footprint analysis is such a metric; it measures human appropriation (Ecological Footprint) and the biosphere’s supply (biocapacity) of ecosystem products and services in terms of the amount of bioproductive land and sea area (ecological assets) needed to supply these products and services.