Final answer:
The statement is false; wealthy, developed nations typically have a larger per capita ecological footprint due to higher levels of consumption and waste, in contrast to less-developed nations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that generally speaking, wealthy, developed nations have a smaller human ecological footprint than poorer, less developed nations is false. People in more-developed nations use resources at a much higher rate than those in less-developed nations. While more-developed nations such as Canada, Japan, and Australia do indeed have higher wealth and may have stricter environmental standards, their consumption levels are significantly higher. In wealthy countries, the ecological footprint per capita is much larger due to higher levels of consumption and waste.
On the other hand, less-developed countries, despite having larger populations and less wealth, have a smaller ecological footprint per capita. The global environmental impact is thus significantly influenced by the consumption patterns of the developed world, and not just by the population size of developing nations. If less-developed countries were to reach the standard of living and resource consumption of the industrialized nations, it would lead to ecological devastation.