The goal of the article is to measure if humans are living within the natural limits of the environment in Hubei Province. Using a method called the ecological footprint, the researchers found that in 2004, each person in Hubei had an ecological deficit of 1.26982 hectares. This means that people in the province were using more of the ecosystem's resources than it could naturally provide. The study shows that human activities in Hubei were putting a lot of pressure on the local environment.