ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the footprint concept as a tool for assessing the global environmental consequences related to consumption and discusses the role of footprints in analyses of the resource nexus. It explains the basic concept of footprints and describes which types of footprint indicators can be calculated. However, footprint indicators also have clear limitations with regard to nexus-related assessments. The chapter focuses on the various methodological approaches that have been developed to calculate footprint-type indicators. It illustrates the role of resource footprints in assessments of the resource nexus referring to examples from the literature. The chapter discusses the future prospects of footprint-type indicators in the context of the global resource nexus. Moreover, the increased use of biomass for energetic purposes, illustrated by a growing biomass footprint, will have impacts on other resource footprints, in particular on water and land.
