The concept of 'ecological footprint' has gained prominence as a metric for assessing human impact on the environment. It measures the amount of biologically productive land and water area required to produce the resources an individual, population, or activity consumes, and to absorb the waste it generates, given prevailing technology and resource management. This metric highlights disparities in resource consumption: for instance, if all people lived like the average American, we would need over five planets to sustain current global consumption levels. However, critics argue that the footprint fails to account for technological innovations that can increase resource efficiency or for the substitution of resources, potentially overstating long-term unsustainability. Despite these limitations, the ecological footprint remains a powerful tool for raising awareness about overconsumption and for prompting policy discussions on sustainable development.
❓ この文章で言及されているエコロジカル・フットプリントに対する主な批判は何ですか？
A. A) それは、人間活動によって生じる廃棄物の吸収を考慮していない。
B. B) それは、技術の進歩や資源代替が環境への影響を軽減する可能性を無視している。
C. C) それは、地球上で利用可能な生物学的に生産可能な土地の量を過大評価している。
D. D) それは、異なる国々の間での資源消費を比較することに失敗している。
✅ 正确答案
B) It ignores the potential of technological advances and resource substitution to reduce environmental impact.
IELTS Reading Tips
Skim the questions first, underline keywords, then locate in the passage
Watch for paraphrasing; correct answers are often reworded
Be wary of absolute statements (all, always, never) — usually wrong
Pay attention to content after transition words (however, but, yet)
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