Research on the sustainable development capacity based on ecological footprint model in the Northeast of China from 1999∼2008

Taking the Northeast as the example, this paper put forward a model for evaluating regional sustainable development capacity which was based on ecological footprint method. The result was shown that ecological footprint per capita, ecological carrying capacity per capita and ecological deficit per capita were still rising up, it indicated that the Northeast was in unsustainable development. But GDP footprint indicated that the resource utilization efficiency was increasing, the Northeast had strong sustainable development potential. Carrying pressure index reflected that the more challenges the Northeast had, the more desirability was to achieve sustainable development. In conclusion, this paper took for adjusting industrial structure, changing production and consumption pattern even improving land productivity to build up the sustainable development capacity.