The Future We Need
Letter from the Editor: The Future We Need
As the world’s leading resource accountant, Global Footprint Network measures trends. Too often, our data reveals worrisome trends. The Ecological Footprint accounting tool, the gold standard for measuring how much biocapacity we have and how much we use, shows most countries—and the entire world—going further into ecological overshoot. It was a message we delivered repeatedly at the Rio+20 Earth Summit last month.
We see other trends, too—trends that give hope, trends that make us believe that we can still reverse the tide. Sometimes, they are hard to recognize. Amid the gloom of recent weeks, for example, anyone would have been hard-pressed to remain optimistic. Consider, first, the headlines.
Honors for Ecological Footprint work
Our Ecological Footprint work was honored with two significant prizes last month in Rio de Janeiro. On June 17, Japan’s Asahi Glass Foundation awarded the prestigious Blue Planet Prize to Mathis Wackernagel, Global Footprint Network’s president, and Bill Rees, Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia, in recognition of their work in developing the Ecological Footprint accounting system. Thomas Lovejoy, Professor at George Mason University, shared the award for his pioneering work in biodiversity conservation, especially in his research on how human-caused habitat fragmentation causes biodiversity loss.
The Ecological Footprint at Rio+20
As people move on from the suspense, excitement, and sometimes disappointment that was Rio+20, at least one thing is clear to us—the Ecological Footprint is more important than ever in a world where international cooperation on sustainable development has not delivered everything the world hoped it would.
Global Footprint Network Science Coordinator Kyle Gracey
(far right) at the Eye on Earth Panel
What happens when an infinite-growth economy runs into a
finite planet?
Debt boils over. Energy trumps safety. Biodiversity is for sale. And more.
Resource consumption trends put us on an ecological collision course, risking economic and social stability as we bump up against natural limits. Working within nature’s budget builds the foundation for securing our future. Read our 2011 Annual Report to learn more.
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