简要地介绍了生态占用的基本概念及利用此指标衡量可持续性的理论与方法 ,分析了生态占用与资源承载力的异同点 ;基于《国家的生态占用》估算结果 ,分析了生态占用方法在全球、国家、区域和城市3个层面上的应用效果 ,探讨了生态占用作为可持续发展指标的政策含义以及运用于青藏高原研究的可能性

This article briefly introduced the basic concept,theories of ecological footprint and its approaches to measure sustainable development.Based on the results of the report Ecological Footprints of Nations,global,national and regional ecological footprint were compared and analyzed It argued that the ecological footprints of individuals, region/cities, and nations unveil the sources of global ecological crisis and environmental problems,and now the global ecological footprint has severely exceeded the carrying capacity of the earth To achieve a sustainable future,the potential choices are (a)controlling population growth to decrease the ecological footprint of the growing population,(b)rebuilding environmental friendly lifestyle and consumption,(c)recurring to recycling and energy saving technology to improve the efficiency of resource development and utilization,and (d)protecting natural resources and improving their biological productivity.The possibilities and significance of the application of the ecological footprints in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau were also pointed out.