In 1996, wackernagel and rees published our ecological footprint reducing human impact on earth. They define ecological footprint analysis as an accounting tool that enables us to estimate the resource consumption and waste. Nov 20, 20 the idea first came to prominence in a 1996 book called our ecological footprint by william rees, an ecologist at the university of british columbia, and his student mathis wackernagel. Why cities cannot be sustainableand why they are a key to sustainability william rees and mathis wackernagel keywords. Reducing human impact on the earth new catalyst bioregional series paperback williams e. Wackernagel and rees 1996 lessening the footprint of built. We call our map of human influence the human footprint, conscious of its similarity to the ecological footprint, a set of techniques for estimating the amount of land or sea necessary to support the consumption habits of one individual, population, product, activity, or service wackernagel and rees 1996. Evaluating the use of natural capitalwith ecological footprint. An ecological footprint can be defined as the total area of bio productive land and water necessary. He is currently president of global footprint network, an international sustainability think tank with offices in oakland, california. Reducing human impact on the earth was published 3. Canadian ecologist william rees created the ef concept, which swiss urban planner mathis wackernagel further developed in his dissertation under reess supervision. The ecological footprint is defined as the total area of biologically productive land and water required by an entity to sustain.
What wackernagel and rees proposed was a method capable of making. Rees new society publishers, 1996 nature 160 pages. The ecological footprint makes the sustainability challenge more transparentdecision makers have a physical criterion for ranking policy, project or technological options according to their ecological impacts. Mathis wackernagel is currently the executive director of global footprint network, and william rees is the chair of the school of urban planning and. Ecological footprint analysis is widely used around the earth in support of sustainability assessments.
Human footprint and the last of the wild bioscience. Wackernagel and rees 1996 then published the book our ecological footprint. Ecological footprint an overview sciencedirect topics. Reducing human impact on the earth mathis wackernagel, william e. Compared to the environmental space and mass balance approaches, ecological footprint analysis is a comprehensive indicator of the biologically productive land and water. Professor of geography and the environment wackernagel and rees 1996 like an ecosystem, the planet has a finite carrying capacity. The ecological footprint analysis efa concept was developed by mathis wackernagel and william e.
Wackernagel and rees brought this concept to a larger audience in 1996 when our ecological footprint. Reducing human impact on the earth, gabriola island, british columbia. Wackernagel and rees note that at 11 acres per person, the u. Ecological footprint analysis background and rationale. This paper examines the ecological footprint as one contribution to the. The state of the art in ecological footprint theory and applications. That is, indicators of status and progress are required. Wackernagel m rees w 1996 our ecological footprint reducing.
Questioning the ecological footprint andrea saltelli. These claims are substantiated by the formulation of an indicator expressing the ecological im. Mathis wackernagel is cocreator of the ecological footprint and president of global footprint network. Read full text articles or submit your research for publishing.
This impediment can be surpassed by the application of relevant accepted methodologies such as the ecological footprint methodology wackernagel and rees, 1996, the functional units suggested. Wackernagel m rees w 1996 our ecological footprint reducing human impact on the from regionales 001 at national pedagogical university. Ecological footprint page 4 of 4 best foot forward 2004 material health. By tracking and adding up human demands competing for biologically productive space, ecological footprint accounts incorporate both of dalys. Mathis wackernagel author of our ecological footprint. Lessening the footprint of built urban environments presentation by dr. A framework of sustainable development and human security. Ecological footprint modern wiki fandom powered by wikia. To achieve regional sustainability, one must first assess the current situation. Perceptual and structural barriers to investing in natural capital. The ecological footprint is one attempt at developing a biophysicallybased ecological economics, which approximates reality better than many economic expansionist models. Carbon dioxide click here for pdf l ii stuart pimm, a scientist audits the earth handout on request l iii york, rosa, dietz, the ecological footprint intensity of national economies, j. Ecological footprint analysis compares human demands on nature with the biospheres ability to regenerate resources and provide services.
The idea first came to prominence in a 1996 book called our ecological footprint by william rees, an ecologist at the university of british columbia, and his student mathis wackernagel. In current national footprint accounts nfa, direct tracking of waste. The ecological footprint is an areabased indicator which quantifies the intensity of human resource use and waste discharge. Building on human carrying capacity debate 15 in the early 1990s, mathis wackernagel and william rees introduced a new environmental accounting method, the ecological footprint 6, 7, to. Science and education publishing, publisher of open access journals in the scientific, technical and medical fields.
Assessment of the ecological footprint of an average. Ecological footprint wikidwelling fandom powered by wikia. To make the idea more accessible, rees came up with the term ecological footprint, inspired by a computer technician who praised his new computers small footprint on the desk. Simply stated, we are living beyond our biophysical means. The ecological footprint is one attempt at devel oping a. Together, wackernagel and rees wrote our ecological footprint 1996, which describes the concept.
Presents a comprehensive analysis of the ecological resources. Request pdf on dec 31, 2008, mathis wackernagel and others published. Chambers, nicky, simmons, craig and wackernagel, mathis. Economics from an ecological footprint perspective. Wackernagel and rees 1996 lessening the footprint of.
Reducing human impact on the earth the new catalyst bioregional series by wackernagel, rees isbn. Conceived in 1990 by mathis wackernagel and william rees at the university of british columbia, the ecological footprint launched the broader footprint movement, including the carbon footprint, and is now widely used by scientists, businesses, governments, individuals, and institutions working to monitor ecological resource use and advance. The concept of the ecological footprint ef first appeared in the works of rees and wackernagel rees, 1992, wackernagel and rees, 1996. Reducing human impact on the earth with illustrations by phil testemale. The ecological footprint concept is a good way to conceptualize ones consumption of the earths resources, but somehow it. It enables people to measure and manage the use of resources throughout the economy and explore the sustainability of individual lifestyles, goods and services, organizations, industry sectors, neighborhoods, cities, regions and nations. Ecological footprints as an indicator of sustainability. Calculating the ecological footprint is a way of measuring our impact on the worlds resources. Today, the concept of ecological footprint is firmly established in the language of modern western literature not only in ecology, but. Reducing human impact on the earth new catalyst bioregional series paperback. An ecological footprint of the national health services of england and wales the largest organisation in europe. Wackernagel and rees 1996 define an ecological footprint as an accounting tool used to measure the resource consumption and waste assimilation requirements of a defined human population or economy in terms of a. Our ecological footprint provides a graphically compelling and quantitatively rigorous way for.
Mathis wackernagel is a swissborn sustainability advocate. The ones marked may be different from the article in the profile. Still, despite more than 20 years of efforts to implement sustainability and sd policies the human ecological footprint wackernagel and rees 1996 continues to exceed the carrying capacity of our. In early 1996, wackernagel and rees published the book our ecological footprint. Feb 24, 2012 evaluating the use of natural capitalwith ecological footprint. Ecological footprint and carbon footprint as an environmental. We define regional sustainability as the continuous support of human quality of life within a regions ecological carrying capacity. Pdf an overview on ecological footprint and sustainable.