In 2004, researchers calculated Shandong Province's ecological footprint, a way to measure human impact on the environment, and found that each person used 1.9698 hectares of land, which is more than what the area can naturally support (0.5075 hectares). This means there was an ecological deficit of 1.4623 hectares per person, showing that the region was using resources faster than they could renew. The findings suggest that Shandong's development wasn't sustainable because they were using up more resources than they had. To address this issue, suggestions were made to help balance human needs with nature for a more sustainable future.