The resources demand of the food sector of Mediterranean countries and the potential economic risks associated with ecological deficits analysed by the Global Footprint Network

The publication “The Ecological Footprint of Mediterranean Diets” (published by the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies - Ciheam) analyse the Ecological Footprint and biocapacity of 15 Mediterranean countries and examine how the food sector contributes to the overall demand these countries place on our planet’s natural capital.

One of the main findings is that efficiency improvement in agricultural innovation, the reduction of food waste and healthier and less resource-intensive diets are the main mechanisms for providing food security in the future.

"It appears that the long-held pattern of resource consumption in the Mediterranean is untenable". This is one of the main conclusions to come out of the paper published by Elsevier “Physical limits to resource access and utilisation and their economic implications in Mediterranean economies”.

This paper applies Ecological Footprint accounting to Mediterranean countries to track ecological asset balances and investigate the long-term feasibility of fulfilling natural resource and service needs. Authors concluded that "decision makers in the region need to recognise the interconnection between ecological assets and economic performance, seek to measure and understand it and identify the main drivers of resource dependence and opportunities to reduce it". And to do so "the issue of sustainable consumption levels may need to be addressed".