100points asap - in 2012, the total ecological footprint of china was only just below that of the european union. but the ecological footprint of the european was nearly 3 times greater then that of the chinese. explain how this is possible

The Ecological Footprint measures the amount of biologically productive land and sea area an individual, a region, all of humanity, or a human activity that compete for biologically productive space. This includes producing renewable resources, accommodating urban infrastructure and roads, and breaking down or absorbing waste products, particularly carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel. The Footprint then can be compared to how much land and sea area is available.

Biologically productive land and sea includes cropland, forest and fishing grounds, and do not include deserts, glaciers and the open ocean.

Current Ecological Footprint Accounts use global hectares as a measurement unit, which makes data and results globally comparable. Calculation methods are standardized so results of various assessments can be compared.