Example climate project
Clean water · Uganda
New wells reduce the need to boil water, which protects the forest and cuts emissions.
Ecological footprint - What is the ecological footprint definition?
Your ecological footprint shows how much of the planet's limited resources it takes to support your lifestyle. As defined by the Global Footprint Network, it measures the biologically productive land and water needed to produce everything you consume and to absorb the waste you generate, such as CO₂ emissions. That area covers cropland, grazing land, forest (for timber and for absorbing CO₂), fishing grounds and built-up land, and is measured in global hectares.
Ecological footprint: how to calculate your ecological footprint
With ClimateHero's ecological footprint calculator, you find out how large the climate part of your footprint is: how much greenhouse gas you cause in a year, in tonnes of CO₂e. The quiz takes about 5 minutes and asks simple questions about your everyday life, such as flying, driving, eating meat and using energy. You then get feedback on what you already do well and ideas for shrinking your footprint. The calculator works for the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, the Philippines, India and many other countries.
If you'd like to focus on your emissions only, try our carbon calculator.
The changes that shrink your ecological footprint the most
According to the Global Footprint Network, the carbon footprint is the largest part of humanity's ecological footprint. So the changes with the most effect are usually the ones that cut your emissions: fewer flights you could avoid, more trips on foot, by bike or by public transport, and renewable energy at home.
Food is the second big lever, because it takes a lot of cropland and grazing land: eating less beef and more plant-based food, and not wasting food, also shrinks your ecological footprint. Buying less and choosing second-hand or longer-lasting things helps too.
Want to go further? With a monthly subscription, you fund Gold Standard certified climate projects that cut emissions equal to twice what you can't avoid yet. On the results page you can include everyone in your household.