KEY POINTS:
GENEVA - China is now consuming more than twice as much as its ecosystems can supply sustainably, having doubled its needs since the 1960s, says a WWF report.
China now uses 15 per cent of the world's total biological capacity, said the report, published by the World Wildlife Fund and the China Council for International Co-operation on Environment and Development.
The report found the Chinese had an average ecological footprint of 1.6ha in 2003, the most recent year for which figures are available.
This means that each person needs 1.6ha of biologically productive land to support their lifestyle demands.
This is still lower than the world average of 2.2 global hectares per person, the report said, but it "nonetheless presents challenges, considering China's large population and the robust economic development".
- NZPA
