Mathis Wackernagel
Encyclopedia
Mathis Wackernagel is a Swiss
-born sustainability
advocate. He is currently President of Global Footprint Network
, an international sustainability think tank
with a presence in Oakland, California; Brussels, Belgium, and Zurich, Switzerland. The think-tank is a non-profit that focuses on developing and promoting metrics
for sustainability.
After earning a degree in mechanical engineering
from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
, he completed his Ph.D. in community and regional planning
at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada in 1994. There, as his doctoral dissertation with Professor William Rees, he supported Professor Rees in creating the ecological footprint
concept.ETH Zurich|
He has worked on sustainability issues for organizations in Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia and Australia. Wackernagel previously served as the director of the Sustainability Program at Redefining Progress in Oakland, California (1999 - 2003), and directed the Centre for Sustainability Studies / Centro de Estudios para la Sustentabilidad in Mexico (1995-2001). In 2004, he was also an adjunct faculty at SAGE of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
. In 2010, he was appointed Frank H. T. Rhodes Class of 1956 Visiting Professor at Cornell University (1 July 2011 – 30 June 2013).
Wackernagel has said that "Overshoot
will ultimately liquidate the planet's ecological assets."
Award for Conservation Merit, and the 2005 Herman Daly
Award of the US Society for Ecological Economics. As part Global Footprint Network, he received the International Prize Calouste Gulbenkian
2008 (Lisbon, Portugal) “dedicated to the respect for biodiversity and defense of the environment in man’s relationship with nature.” Wackernagel also received the 2011 Zayed International Prize for Environment in the category "action leading to positive change in society." The Zayed prize recognized Wackernagel’s contribution to “translate[ing] the complexity of humanity's impact on the environment and natural resources into a more understandable and actionable form. The concept of ‘ecological limits' and relating the demands of human beings to the planet's available ecological resources, has attracted and is catalyzing action among governments, business and civil society."
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
-born sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
advocate. He is currently President of Global Footprint Network
Global Footprint Network
Global Footprint Network, founded in 2003, is an independent think tank based in the United States, Belgium and Switzerland. Global Footprint Network works on tools for advancing sustainability.-Work:...
, an international sustainability think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
with a presence in Oakland, California; Brussels, Belgium, and Zurich, Switzerland. The think-tank is a non-profit that focuses on developing and promoting metrics
Metric (mathematics)
In mathematics, a metric or distance function is a function which defines a distance between elements of a set. A set with a metric is called a metric space. A metric induces a topology on a set but not all topologies can be generated by a metric...
for sustainability.
After earning a degree in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
, he completed his Ph.D. in community and regional planning
Regional planning
Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land use activities, infrastructure, and settlement growth across a larger area of land than an individual city or town. The related field of urban planning deals with the specific issues of city planning...
at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada in 1994. There, as his doctoral dissertation with Professor William Rees, he supported Professor Rees in creating the ecological footprint
Ecological footprint
The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. It is a standardized measure of demand for natural capital that may be contrasted with the planet's ecological capacity to regenerate. It represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area necessary to...
concept.ETH Zurich|
He has worked on sustainability issues for organizations in Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia and Australia. Wackernagel previously served as the director of the Sustainability Program at Redefining Progress in Oakland, California (1999 - 2003), and directed the Centre for Sustainability Studies / Centro de Estudios para la Sustentabilidad in Mexico (1995-2001). In 2004, he was also an adjunct faculty at SAGE of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. In 2010, he was appointed Frank H. T. Rhodes Class of 1956 Visiting Professor at Cornell University (1 July 2011 – 30 June 2013).
Wackernagel has said that "Overshoot
Overshoot (ecology)
In ecology, overshoot occurs when a population exceeds the long term carrying capacity of its environment. The consequence of overshoot is called a crash or die-off. An attempt to apply this concept to human experience is Overshoot: The Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change, by William R....
will ultimately liquidate the planet's ecological assets."
Awards and honors
Wackernagel, along with Susan Burns, received the Skoll Award for Social Enterpreneurship from the Skoll Foundation in 2007. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bern in 2007, a 2006 World Wide Fund for NatureWorld Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
Award for Conservation Merit, and the 2005 Herman Daly
Herman Daly
Herman Daly is an American ecological economist and professor at the School of Public Policy of University of Maryland, College Park in the United States....
Award of the US Society for Ecological Economics. As part Global Footprint Network, he received the International Prize Calouste Gulbenkian
Calouste Gulbenkian
Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian was an Armenian businessman and philanthropist. He played a major role in making the petroleum reserves of the Middle East available to Western development...
2008 (Lisbon, Portugal) “dedicated to the respect for biodiversity and defense of the environment in man’s relationship with nature.” Wackernagel also received the 2011 Zayed International Prize for Environment in the category "action leading to positive change in society." The Zayed prize recognized Wackernagel’s contribution to “translate[ing] the complexity of humanity's impact on the environment and natural resources into a more understandable and actionable form. The concept of ‘ecological limits' and relating the demands of human beings to the planet's available ecological resources, has attracted and is catalyzing action among governments, business and civil society."
Published works
- Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth (with Williams E. Rees, and Phil Testemale, 1995) ISBN 086571312X
- Sharing Nature's Interest (with Nicky Chambers and Craig Simmons, 2001) ISBN 1853837385
- The Winners and Losers in Global Competition: Why Eco-Efficiency Reinforces Competitiveness: A Study of 44 Nations (with Andreas Sturm, 2003) ISBN 1557533571
- Der Ecological Footprint. Die Welt neu vermessen. (with Bert Beyers) ISBN-10: 3931705323