AP Environmental Science Flashcards: Ecological Footprints
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
If an individual starts consuming more goods and traveling more frequently, how will this affect their personal ecological footprint?
This behavior will increase their personal resource demands and waste production, resulting in a larger ecological footprint.
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If an individual starts consuming more goods and traveling more frequently, how will this affect their personal ecological footprint?
This behavior will increase their personal resource demands and waste production, resulting in a larger ecological footprint.
What are the two primary components that an ecological footprint measures?
An ecological footprint measures and compares resource demands and waste production.
What are the variables measured in an ecological footprint?
The variables measured are the total resource demands and the total waste production for a given individual or society.
Define 'waste production' as a variable in the ecological footprint.
Waste production refers to the amount of biologically productive area needed to absorb the waste generated by an individual or society.
What fundamental comparison is at the core of the ecological footprint concept?
The ecological footprint fundamentally compares the demands of a human population with the environment's capacity to meet those demands and absorb its waste.
A society transitions from a fossil-fuel-based economy to one based on renewable energy. How would this change its ecological footprint?
This transition would likely lower the society's waste production (e.g., CO2 emissions), thereby reducing its overall ecological footprint.
Define 'resource demands' as a variable in the ecological footprint.
Resource demands refer to the amount of biologically productive area required to produce the resources (like food, fiber, and energy) for an individual or society.
What is an ecological footprint?
An ecological footprint is a measure that compares the resource demands and waste production required to support an individual or a society.
At what two scales can an ecological footprint be applied?
The ecological footprint can be used to measure the impact of both an individual and an entire society.
What does a large ecological footprint for a society indicate?
A large ecological footprint indicates that a society has high resource demands and generates a large amount of waste.