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HOW WE CAN BEND THE CURVE
GLOBAL FOOTPRINT NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT
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LETTER FROM THE FOUNDERS HOW WE CAN BEND THE CURVE
N AT I O N S T H E F O O T P R I N T A S A K E Y I N D I C AT O R B I O C A PA C I T Y A N D T H E W E A LT H O F N AT I O N S
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CITIES AT T H E F O R E F R O N T O F C H A N G E
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HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INVESTING IN LASTING HUMAN PROGRESS
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SCIENCE STRENGTHENING THE TOOL
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C O M M U N I C AT I O N S R A I S I N G U N D E R S TA N D I N G O F R E S O U R C E L I M I T S INFLUENCING WORLD VIEW
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PA R T N E R S H I P E X PA N D I N G O U R R E A C H
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OUR SUPPORTERS
WHO WE ARE FINANCIALS LOOKING AHEAD
LETTER FROM THE FOUNDERS The past year drew to a close with a highly anticipated event: the meeting of the world’s governments in Copenhagen to address the crisis of climate change. It ended with what were, for many of us, disappointed hopes for significant multi-lateral commitments around carbon reduction. But at Global Footprint Network, we are enabling meaningful action despite the lack of binding international agreements. Our work with countries, cities and the corporate sector begins with a simple message: it is in your best interest to act boldly and quickly to make your economies less resource dependent, no matter what the result of international accords. Just as 2008 and 2009 saw the crumbling of our unsustainable financial systems, the writing is on the wall for our resource-intensive economies. The fact is, without a strong climate agreement, the pressure on ecological services will intensify more rapidly, and access to those services will become increasingly unpredictable. Those governments that can retool their economies to be healthy and robust while staying within ecological limits will be best positioned to meet the future. Ultimately, it will be this alignment of economic self-interest and international agreements that will allow us to “bend the curve” – returning our economies to a size and scale that fit within the capacity of the planet. This approach, informed by Ecological Footprint accounting and scenario tools, is changing the way leaders think about resource constraints and the future. This year we made strides in improving the utility of Ecological Footprint data for weighing policy options. We saw governments commit to specific Footprint reduction targets, put major investments into renewable energy and make significant policy shifts. With the help of our partners and donors, we are driving a systemic shift: one that will enable leaders to direct investments and shape policies that will make them less vulnerable to ecological constraints. Our approach invites cities, countries and enterprises to become significantly less resource-dependent so that they can thrive, rather than fail, in an ecologically constrained future. And, in preparing for their own future, they will take actions that will help secure a sustainable world for everyone. Together, we can affect the shift necessary to change our trajectory, away from everescalating ecological demand and toward a sustainable human future.
Mathis Wackernagel President
Susan Burns C.E.O.
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HOW WE CAN BEND THE CURVE T R E N D I N G T O WA R D A S U S TA I N A B L E F U T U R E
For the past five decades the trend of human demand on nature has gone in one direction: upward. Our increasing population, growing per capita consumption and resource-intensive models of growth have demanded ever more capacity from nature – for food, raw materials, and absorbing rising levels of carbon dioxide.
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Figure depicts one of many possible scenarios for how humanity can get out of overshoot.
As the world is beginning to understand, the crisis of our changing climate is not a crisis in isolation. Rather, it is one (albeit alarming) symptom of a larger trend: Humanity is simply demanding more from nature than it can provide. The effects of this imbalance are reaching every corner of our natural world, from species extinctions and water and food shortages, to disappearing forests and depleted fisheries. It is a problem that, we believe, can begin to be addressed through robust and relevant resource accounting tools such as the Ecological Footprint. Our experience has shown that as nations pay attention to their ecological balance sheets, their priorities shift to reflect greater interest in preserving and managing natural capital.
“T
he [financial] crisis doesn’t only make us free to imagine other models, another future, another world. It obliges us to do so.” – Nicolas Sarkozy, French President
The Footprint provides us with a measure that accounts for carbon emissions, but also captures other elements of human demand, such as our pressure on food sources, the quantity of living resources required to make the goods we consume, and the amount of land we take out of production when we pave it over to build cities and roads. But the Footprint also operates at a deeper level, providing a context for the questions that need to be asked in order to reshape our economic system: Are our innovations being implemented at the speed and scale necessary to reverse current trends? If not, what else is needed? The Footprint provides a clear, measurable goal, and an accounting system with which to assess humanity’s progress toward that goal. And, in the process, the Footprint challenges long-held beliefs about our focus on economic growth. On a practical level, we are providing the tools that enable decision-makers at all levels to weigh policy choices and investment options. On a strategic level, we are working to help leaders recognize the importance of maintaining biocapacity for the well-being of their own countries and societies, as well as the world as a whole. Understanding and accounting for ecological limits will enable us to identify new models of progress – away from those that have driven the arc of human need ever upward and toward those that enable us to live within our means.
“S
aving civilization is not a spectator sport. Each of us must push for rapid change. And we must be
armed with a plan outlining the changes needed.” – Lester R. Brown Author Plan B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization Global Footprint Network Advisory Council Member
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NATIONS T H E F O O T P R I N T A S A K E Y I N D I C AT O R
In the last 50 years, nations have embraced Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the key measure of success, and the value placed upon it has literally transformed the world. But now, in the realm of economics, a major shift is underway. The idea of GDP as the central indicator for the health of our societies has been officially knocked from its pedestal. French President Nicolas Sarkozy convened the Stiglitz Commission, which included Nobel prize-winning economists, to propose new national indicators of progress. The report, which included 12 pages on the Ecological Footprint, touched off a widely-publicized dialogue about moving beyond GDP, and its consideration of the Footprint created an opening for Global Footprint Network to help shape the emerging consensus. The report is just one example of progress this year toward our Ten-in-Ten initiative. Launched in 2005, Ten-in-Ten aims to have 10 nations adopt the Footprint as an indicator on par with GDP within 10 years (by 2015). Global Footprint Network has developed a five-phase program aimed at helping nations weigh their options and “bend the curve” – that is, shift ecological trends in the direction of sustainability – by making major changes in policy and investment.
PHASE I
PHASE II
PHASE III
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND SUB-NATIONAL ACTIVITY
RESEARCH COLLABORATION OR REVIEW
NATIONAL ADOPTION
EUROPE
10 Nations
Finland Wales Switzerland Scotland
AFRICA
1 Nation 1 Nation 4 Nations
Finland Wales Switzerland European Commission France Germany Ireland Spain Luxembourg Belgium UAE Japan Hong Kong Indonesia New Zealand Canada Ecuador
MIDDLE EAST ASIA PACIFIC
NOR TH AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA
2 Nations 7 Nations
UAE Japan
Ecuador
*The U.K. has not formally adopted the Footprint; however, work by our partners in advancing the Footprint at the city level has led to national policy shifts.
“T
he ‘Beyond GDP’ debate gathering pace in Europe is opening up exciting new possibilities for Global Footprint Network to step
up to the plate with natural resource consumption figures and analysis – and solutions – tailor-made for policy-makers.” – Tony Long Director, WWF European Policy Office
C A S E S T O R Y: U N I T E D A R A B E M I R AT E S In 2007, the United Arab Emirates, concerned with the fact that it led the world in per capita Ecological Footprint, launched an ambitious initiative. Al Basama Al Beeiya (the Ecological Footprint Initiative) is a national effort aimed at “ensuring a sustainable future by measuring and understanding the impact of our ways of living on planet Earth”. The Footprint initiative facilitates sustainable planning through a robust and science-based decision making process. The Emirates has now earmarked $15 billion dollars of investment into alternative energy (more than the U.S.), as well as dedicated $22 billion to create Masdar (a zero-waste, zero-carbon eco-city to serve as a model for sustainable development). It has also created the innovative Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), a research institute dedicated to developing cutting-edge renewable energy solutions. Global Footprint Network researchers are now working with UAE scientists on a scenario tool to transform its electricity sector, one of the largest portions of its Ecological Footprint. With the project, researchers are testing various energy policies to compare their potential for reducing Footprint. Al Basama Al Beeiya has also generated widespread public understanding of the Ecological Footprint. Recently, the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency launched an initiative that makes the Ecological Footprint part of the core curriculum at many schools. Global Footprint Network is working with core partners within the UAE, including Emirates Environmental Associates, Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI), and Emirates Wildlife Society (WWF), to advance on-the-ground projects to reduce the Footprint.
PHASE IV
PHASE V
SETTING A GOAL AND WEIGHING OPTIONS
POLICY AND INVESTMENT SHIFTS
United Kingdom* Wales
United Kingdom* Wales
T E N - I N - T E N P R O G R E S S T O D AT E Since Ten-in-Ten’s launch, Japan, Switzerland, UAE, Ecuador, Finland, Scotland and Wales have adopted the Ecological Footprint as a sustainability indicator and/or included it in national planning documents. In 2009 alone, Global Footprint Network engaged in discussion with representatives of countries including Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ghana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, UK and the USA.
UAE
Ecuador
UAE
In 2009, five countries undertook reviews of the Footprint to validate the data and/or method for possible adoption: France, Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg and Indonesia. Global Footprint Network is working to ensure that the Ecological Footprint is aligned with the framework of GDP, facilitating its use as a complementary indicator. Global Footprint Network has been researching the potential alignment of the National Footprint Accounts with SEEA, an environmental satellite account to the System of National Accounts (SNA) that comprises GDP.
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NATIONS B I O C A PA C I T Y A N D T H E W E A LT H O F N AT I O N S
A generation ago, the world still had significant ecological reserves. In 1961, three-quarters of the world’s countries, (representing more than 80 percent of its population), demanded resources and emitted carbon dioxide at a rate the ecosystems within their borders could keep up with.
Today, less than 20 percent of the world’s people live in countries where this is still the case. In 2008, Global Footprint Network launched the Ecological Creditor and Debtor Initiative aimed at reversing this trend by helping countries understand and value biocapacity as a source of ongoing wealth. Through this initiative, we work with countries to help them understand their
ECOLOGICAL DEBTORS
Footprint greater than Biocapacity 150% larger 100-150% larger 50-100% larger 0-50% larger ECOLOGICAL CREDITORS
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ecological risk profile. The intiative helps governments understand: What ecological reserves does the country have? How can those reserves be maintained? If the country, on a net basis, uses more ecological resources than it has within its borders, how can it manage the risks of increased prices or shrinking ecological stocks?
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The country also adopted a Presidential mandate to develop physical indicators that can better track environmental performance and support decision making.
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To reverse this trend, Ecuador has committed in its National Plan that by 2013, the country’s Footprint will be lower than its biocapacity and that it will remain so going forward.
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In the past five decades, Ecuador has seen a vast ecological surplus evaporate. In 1961, the country had biocapacity more than four times greater than its Ecological Footprint; today, however, its Ecological Footprint almost equals its biocapacity and will quickly exceed it if current trends continue.
Global Hectares per Person
C A S E S T O R Y: E C U A D O R
Officials have said they hope the country’s leadership in using the Ecological Footprint as a resource accounting tool will inspire policy-makers elsewhere to follow suit.
Ecological Creditor and Debtor Initiative (ECDI) Progress this Year: Ecuador has made a public commitment to reversing its ecological imbalance (see case story). Ecological Creditors and Debtors was the subject of a side-event Global Footprint Network and key partners sponsored at the global climate talks in Copenhagen. Global Footprint Network also presented workshops in Peru, Colombia and Mexico to look at the increasingly important role of biocapacity in maintaining healthy economies and offering a decent quality of life. The Community of Andean Nations (CAN), a joint body of Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru, is working with Global Footprint Network to explore the relevance of the Ecological Footprint for the region. As part of a major public education campaign, the CAN released a Web and TV spot comparing Ecological Footprint accounting to the family budget, and the risk of ecological deficit to a household spending more than it earns. Global Footprint Network partner Acuerdo Ecuador, with support from the CAN, European Commission and Foro Ciudades Para La Vida, published The Ecological Power of Nations: The Earth’s biocapacity as a new framework for international cooperation. With compelling images, graphs, and quotes, the report presents evidence of the emerging importance of biocapacity to both national competiveness and continued well-being.
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CITIES AT T H E F O R E F R O N T O F C H A N G E
As we consider how to retool our societies to be competitive in a resource-constrained world, cities are in a special position to help shape our future. In 2008, the world’s urban population outstripped its rural population for the first time. By 2040, almost two-thirds of the world’s people are projected to live in urban centers, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
C A S E S T O R Y: C A L G A R Y The fastest-growing city in Canada, Calgary also has one of the highest per capita Ecological Footprints. As the city prepares to meet the infrastructure needs of a rapidly growing populace, city officials want to ensure the city develops in a way that will enable it to continue to be a great place to live. Recognizing that living beyond its ecological means would affect the quality of life for Calgarians, the City Council initiated an Ecological Footprint project in 2008 to understand and reduce its resource consumption. In 2009, Calgary became the first city to set a specific Footprint reduction target, with an ambitious goal that calls for a 30 percent reduction in per capita Footprint to reach the Canadian national average of 7.25 global hectares per capita by 2036. With targets set, Calgary has begun a number of initiatives aimed at attaining the goals set by the Ecological Footprint project, ranging from small projects such as installing LED traffic lights to larger, systemic changes such as encouraging high-density community development. Calgary has taken steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with green energy projects such as the ENMAX energy agreement, which provides 75 percent of corporate electricity from green sources (to be increase to 90 percent by 2012); and Ride the Wind, a wind-powered light rail transit system. With the combined effort of businesses, government and individuals, the city plans to reach its lower Footprint goal.
As cities become larger and more concentrated, they will face heightened ecological pressures. But cities also have unique opportunities for developing cutting-edge solutions and achieving significant resource savings, while also improving quality of life. It is often city governments that make the infrastructure decisions that shape a society’s way of life for years to come. Poor choices can lock a city into wasteful energy patterns for decades, while investments toward compact urban development, efficient mobility and alternative energy systems can set the standard for providing a high quality of life on a low Ecological Footprint.
Communities such as Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, and BedZed in the U.K., (projects developed with support from Global Footprint Network partner BioRegional), are prime examples. Engineered to enable residents to have a high quality of life while staying as close as possible to a one-planet Footprint, the communities feature solutions such as solar-powered utilities, extensive waste and water recycling, pedestrian and bike-oriented development, carfree zones, and other features that dramatically cut residents’ pressure on resources.
HERE ARE HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR WORK WITH CITIES THIS YEAR:
The eco-city of Curitiba, Brazil, renowned for its progressive environmental policies, has initiated a Footprint study. The study will help city leaders understand the degree to which various green development policies have resulted in ecological efficiency and where they have fallen short. The study aims to serve as a guidepost for sustainable urban development around the globe.
Global Footprint Network began a study of the Ecological Footprint of Quito, Ecuador. The study is being conducted in partnership with CORPAIRE, a local agency specializing in air quality that is looking to influence city policy to address air pollution and other environmental challenges.
The Portuguese city of Cascais conducted a study of its Ecological Footprint to better understand its major areas of ecological pressure.
Global Footprint Network joined forces with San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) to calculate the Ecological Footprint of San Francisco residents and the city as a whole. The final report findings, to be published in late 2010, will help officials identify the resource demand and carbon dioxide emissions of city residents.
“I
believe in the power of the cities and the states and the provinces to be laboratories for new
ideas, which the national governments then can go and study and adopt.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger California Governor speaking to the delegation at Copenhagen
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HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INVESTING IN LASTING HUMAN PROGRESS
How can our aspirations for human society be achieved within the limits of what the planet can provide? That is one of humanity’s key challenges for the 21st century.
African countries Asian countries European countries Latin American and Caribbean countries North American countries Oceanic countries
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UNDP threshold for high human development
THE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
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United Nations Human Development Index* * The U.N. Human Development Index is a measure of human well-being, while the Ecological Footprint measures ecological demand. Countries nearest to the blue box are closest to achieving a high quality of life within a small Ecological Footprint.
Ultimately, we cannot achieve the shared humanitarian goals of eliminating poverty, hunger and disease, if at the same time we are undermining the natural assets that are essential to human well-being. Advances in human development that do not take ecological limits into account will be precarious at best, vulnerable to quick reversal by environmental degradation, resource shortages, regional conflict and political instability.
Through our Human Development Initiative, Global Footprint Network is working to influence development agencies and governments in industrializing nations to chart a course for progress that can persist in the face of growing resource constraints. Our work has been featured by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD-DAC).
“I
n [a] sense, climate change is as much an opportunity as it is a threat. It is our chance to usher in a new age of green economics and truly
sustainable development.” – Ban Ki-moon U.N. Secretary General
C A S E S T O R Y: A F R I C A If current consumption and population trends continue, within the next 20 years Africa will have an Ecological Footprint that exceeds what the ecosystems within its borders produce. Countries including Senegal, Kenya and Tanzania are set to reach that threshold in less than five years. Though this is reflective of a global trend, it is particularly alarming for Africa, a region where ecological deficits can translate most directly into resource conflicts and shortages of food, fuel and other basic necessities for survival. Such were among the findings presented in the Africa Ecological Footprint Factbook 2009. The book reported on indicators of human development and ecological performance for 24 countries and the region as a whole. The Ecological Footprint of the average person in Africa is extremely low, in many cases too small to meet basic needs for food, shelter and sanitation, the Factbook states. If large segments of the population are to move out of poverty, they will require greater access to resources to provide for their basic well-being. Yet Africa’s natural resource stock, which contains 12 percent of the world’s biocapacity, is under increasing pressure both from within the region, by expanding population and the impacts of climate change, and from abroad, as other nations deplete their own resources. The Factbook represents the culmination of two years of research by Global Footprint Network, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and local experts, and was published in partnership with UNESCO, the Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). The report aims to help nations, foundations and development agencies pursue development efforts that alleviate, or at least do not aggravate, Africa’s resource pressures – otherwise, such efforts risk undermining the well-being of the very populations they hope to serve.
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SCIENCE
Our work at Global Footprint Network is grounded in the use of a concrete empirical tool. The Ecological Footprint is a resource-accounting framework – backed up by an internationally accepted methodology. The Footprint is based upon a data set for nearly 200 nations, with about 6,000 data points per country, per year. The past year has been an especially exciting one for advancing the integrity and utility of this framework.
S TA N D A R D S
METHODOLOGY
T R A N S PA R E N C Y
Global Footprint Network released the second edition of its Ecological Footprint Standards, including expanded standards for Footprint studies of products and organizations. The standards establish a set of internationally accepted best practices and guidelines to ensure widespread use of the Footprint that is credible and consistent.
Both the scientific method and the supporting tools are continually being improved with the help of our National Accounts Committee, comprised of global representatives from our Partner Network. This past year, we made updates that help us better match the categories from our source data and account for regional variations in the productivity of various land types.
In conjunction with the release of the National Footprint Accounts, we provided updates to three detailed supporting resources: the Guidebook to the National Footprint Accounts, the Method Paper, and the Ecological Footprint Atlas, which displays and explains our country-level results.
TOOLS FOR DECISION-MAKING
In 2009, the organization completed an update to the template used to calculate the National Footprint Accounts, rendering it more streamlined and user-friendly. We also strengthened the tools that support decision-making. The Consumption Land-Use Matrix (CLUM) breaks down the overall demand of a nation by activity categories (consumption types). Based on OECD economic data, we have developed CLUMs for 42 nations and are licensing them to partners. The Global Navigator is a sophisticated scenario tool which allows users to test the resourcerelated outcomes of policies given various local and global situations. The first edition was developed in collaboration with World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) members Weyerhaeuser, Boeing, and Syngenta. We are currently securing additional funding for the next edition.
“G
lobal Footprint Network has done a great service to humanity by moving the concept of Ecological Footprint into the public
domain. Largely due to this effort, the Footprint concept is presently known to and used by numerous political leaders across the world, facilitating rational discussion of growth policy.” – Jorgen Randers Professor of Climate Strategy Norwegian School of Management
C A S E S T O R Y: O P E N E U Now representing the world’s largest economy, the European Union has undertaken a two-year, 1.5 million Euro program called One Planet Economy Network (OPEN) EU, aimed at building an economy that works within nature’s means. The core of the project is the creation of a Footprint tool that enables European decision-makers to explore future scenarios and create evidence-based policy that respects ecological limits. The tool, called EUREAPA, is being created through a collaborative effort by Global Footprint Network, Stockholm Environmental Institute(SEI), WWF-UK, Twente University, SERI and Ecologic. EUREAPA will provide data for a “footprint family of indicators,” including carbon Footprint, water footprint and Ecological Footprint in a way that allows them to be integrated and compared. The tool will enable policy makers to forecast and back-cast, assess policy options and produce scenarios for any EU country or the EU as a whole. In addition to its applications through OPEN EU, participating in the project will allow Global Footprint Network to lay the foundation to implement our Science and Technology Roadmap. For example, it will enable us to provide a more powerful multi-lateral tradeflow analysis that provides the means to compare products and sectors. Such analysis can help governments direct investment toward more resource-efficient goods and services and promote greener ways of meeting market demand.
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COMMUNICATIONS R A I S I N G U N D E R S TA N D I N G O F R E S O U R C E L I M I T S
As Global Footprint Network’s reach and impact grew around the world, so, too, did the public conversation surrounding overshoot and the Ecological Footprint. The New York Times, Financial Times, Washington Post, BBC, Agence France Presse, Le Monde, and Corriere della Sera were among the many leading publications worldwide that cited our work.
N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C
E C O L O G I C A L F O O T P R I N T C A L C U L AT O R
In December, National Geographic published EarthPulse: State of the Earth 2010, which opened with a full page of Global Footprint Network data and delivered a clear message: Sustainability means learning to live within the means of one planet.
In June, GFN launched the latest additions of the popular Ecological Footprint Calculator with data for users in Switzerland and the city of Calgary, Canada. On April 22, 2009, CNN’s Josh Levs took the quiz on national television. “This is one of the best features that we discovered this week on Earth Day,” he said. Calculators for Australia and the United States are currently on Global Footprint Network’s Web site, and calculators for 10 new countries in 9 languages will be added in early 2010.
WA $ T E D
In its second season, WA$TED! on Discovery Channel’s Planet Green continues to entertain and educate viewers. With the help of a Global Footprint Network calculator, the shows crew tallies households’ Footprint and guides participants in ways to “green up” their act. Now viewers can calculate their own household’s Footprint on the Planet Green home page.
END OVERSHOOT
E A R T H O V E R S H O O T D AY 2 0 0 9
Global Footprint Network launched a Twitter campaign called EndOvershoot. The campaign is designed to reach out to the under-35 demographic – the heirs to our mounting ecological debt. By the end of the year, EndOvershoot had 1,761 followers – and the numbers continue to grow.
Earth Overshoot Day 2009, which fell on September 25, was covered in nearly 90 media outlets worldwide. Marking the day when humanity has used up nature’s budget for the year, the Global Footprint Networksponsored campaign was observed around the world with an Overshoot Day conference in Brussels, events at Climate Week NYC, and grassroots campaigns by numerous partners.
WEB
On the heels of a Web site redesign and the launch of a German version of the site, Global Footprint Network added additional versions in French, Italian and Spanish.
INFLUENCING WORLD VIEW
Partnering with large, influential institutions is key to engaging governments and getting the world to act on ecological overshoot. Here is a sampling of the organizations that are leveraging their resources to address overshoot:
C A S E S T O R Y: W B C S D What will it take to reach a one-planet economy in the next four decades? The World Business Council for Sustainable Development, an institution representing leaders of many of the world’s most influential companies, launched its Vision 2050 Project to find out. Drawing upon the expertise of top executives from companies such as Boeing, Syngenta, Weyerhauser, Procter & Gamble, Alcoa, Duke Energy, Toyota and Volkswagen, and using a Global Footprint Network calculator, the project tested a number of scenarios to determine means by which 9 billion people would be able live well within the means of one planet. The project’s goal was to identify pathways to achieving a sustainable world economy by 2050. The group concluded that the world had enough resources to sustainably meet the needs of 9 billion people, but achieving this goal would require radical transformations to world markets, governance and notions of growth and progress.
The project identified several “must-haves” for making a sustainable society possible, including: A system of market pricing that reflects ecological costs, starting with carbon, water and ecosystem services Doubling agricultural output without increasing the amount of land or water used Halting deforestation and increasing yields from planted forests Halving carbon emissions worldwide by 2050 through a shift to low-carbon energy systems and more energy-efficient goods and services. Providing universal access to low-carbon transportation A report presenting the final conclusions of Vision 2050 was released in February 2010.
WWF is mobilizing its 6 million members around a second new “meta-goal” (after conservation): By 2050, humanity’s Ecological Footprint will remain within the Earth’s capacity. WWF is re-orienting conservation and advocacy efforts through its global network of 49 national organizations to achieve this ambitious goal.
The US Army Environmental Policy Institute is evaluating the applicability of Ecological Footprint and biocapacity data for use in helping to identify emerging conflict hotspots. GERMAN AGENCY FOR TECHNICAL COORPORATION (GTZ), a German government-owned
development organization, published A Big Foot on a Small Planet? Accounting with the Ecological Footprint. The book and DVD, in English and German, provides a curriculum for students, using the Footprint as a lens for viewing issues of poverty, human development, and access to ecological resources.
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PARTNERSHIPS E X PA N D I N G O U R R E A C H
Achieving the large-scale change we need to reverse current ecological trends will require influence from all levels of society – from citizen pressure and personal behavior change to technological innovation and business-sector influence, to policy, trade and international agreements. Our more than 90 partners in 19 countries are critical to this effort.
H E R E A R E J U S T A F E W E X A M P L E S O F O U R PA R T N E R S ’ W O R K :
NEW ECONOMICS F O U N D AT I O N ( N E F )
UNITED KINGDOM Nef, an independent “think-and-do tank” covering economic, environmental, and social issues, has used the Ecological Footprint concept for bold advocacy campaigns. Nef launched the “Nature Doesn’t Do Bailouts” campaign, targeting the UK’s Prime Minister with a full-page ad in the Times of London to notify Downing Street that the UK was “overdrawn” on its Earth account. Nef also developed the Happy Planet Index, a metric that combines quality of life measures and Ecological Footprint data. Its 2009 Happy Planet Index results, in which Costa Rica topped the list, were reported in the major news media all over the world. Most recently, nef launched a viral video to illustrate the limits of the growth economy using the analogy of a hamster that reaches 9 billion tons and just keeps growing.
B A N K S A R A S I N & C O . , LT D .
SWITZERLAND One of Switzerland’s leading private banking institutions, Bank Sarasin has developed a unique way of evaluating sovereign bonds using ecological performance as a key factor. Sarasin has developed a “Sustainability Matrix for Countries,” which, in addition to traditional means of evaluating bonds, rates countries in two additional areas: resource efficiency and resource availability. Those countries that meet a certain sustainability threshold – including many Northern European and Latin American countries – can be considered for inclusion in the bank’s investment portfolios, while those that do not, including countries like the U.S. and many oil-rich Gulf states, are excluded. As ecological pressures intensify, the bank says, resource-scarcity will emerge as a growing risk factor for government stability and bond performance. The sustainability ratings will seek to improve bond funds performance or, at a minimum, minimize resource-related risk.
F O U N D AT I O N FOR GLOBAL S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y ( F F G S )
SWITZERLAND FFGS, a Swiss sustainability thinktank, collaborated with GFN on a project for leading Swiss electricity company EBL. Using the Ecological Footprint as an indicator, the company is now able to communicate to its customers the change of their individual Footprint when replacing their current heating system with a more eco-friendly thermal system. FFGS has also promoted a new definition of “Clean Tech”, using the Ecological Footprint as a key measuring device for environmental impact. Last July, FFGS launched the CleanTech Business Association, which supports Clean Tech businesses, and includes 86 companies across all industries.
RECYCLA | CHILE
CESTRAS | PORTUGAL
E PA V I C T O R I A | A U S T R A L I A
Recycla is an e-waste recycling company that joined Global Footprint Network as a partner in September 2009. After mastering the Ecological Footprint concept through trainings, Recycla is actively working to advance use of Footprint among businesses and municipalities in Chile. A winner of prestigious international awards for environmental business, Recycla is known for its establishment of a model program for e-waste recycling.
CESTRAS, a non-profit dedicated to assisting public entities, companies, and citizens in sustainable development strategies, has become a principal partner leading a Footprint study for the city of Cascais, Portugal. The study garnered attention in several national newspapers. CESTRAS also collaborated with Global Footprint Network and WWF on the Portuguese version of the 2008 Living Planet Report.
The Environmental Protection Authority of Victoria collaborated with the Australian energy company Origin to update its Carbon Footprint Calculator specifically for events. Origin’s Sustainable Event calculator went online in June 2009 and is accessible on EPA Victoria’s Web site. Users can estimate the carbon Footprint of their event, from travel to catering, and have the option of purchasing carbon offsets after calculating their event’s Footprint.
O U R PA R T N E R S GOVERNMENT AGEDI – Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative Conseil régional Nord Pas de Calais EPA Queensland EPA Victoria Zero Waste SA Finnish Ministry of the Environment Hawai’i County Resource Center The City of Calgary Welsh Assembly Government
C O N S U LTA N C I E S Alberfield Pty Ltd Ambiente Italia Best Foot Forward Carbon Decisions CESTRAS DANDELION Environmental Consulting and Service Ltd. EcoMark EcoRes Ecossistemas Design Ecológico EcoSTEPS Empreinte Ecologique SARL Libélula
Natural Logic, Inc. Paul Wermer Sustainability Consulting RECYCLA Chile Skipso
E D U C AT I O N A L INSTITUTIONS Agrocampus Ouest BRASS Centre at Cardiff University British Columbia Institute of Technology CERAG Charles University Environment Centre Corvinus University of Budapest Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Ecole Nationale Supérieur des Mines de Saint-Étienne GIDR – Gujarat Institute for Development Research Institute of Social Ecology New Zealand Center for Ecological Economics NHTV Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Transport North West University Center for Environmental Management
RMIT University Center for Design St. Petersburg State University Sustainable Europe Research Institute Tartu University The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education The Pontifical Catholic University of Peru - PUCP Universidad de Colima University of Siena – Ecodynamics Group
BioRegional Development Group CASSE – Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy CELF – Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation CII – Confederation of Indian Industry De Kleine Aarde Earth Day Network Ecolife Ecological Footprint Japan Eco-Norfolk Foundation
C O R P O R AT I O N S Bank Sarasin & Co. Ltd. Info Grafik Novatlantis Pictet Asset Management SA Portfolio 21 Investments, Inc. The GPT Group
Emirates Environmental Group Emirates Wildlife SocietyWWF FFGS – Foundation for Global Sustainability FAN – Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza Global Green USA
NGOs AASHE – Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Acuerdo Ecuador Agenda21 Action Council for Gyeonggi-do AGIR 21
ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability Instituto de Ecología Política IRES Piemonte Research Institute KÖVET Association for Sustainable Economies LEAD International Nature Humaine
nef – new economics foundation nrg4SD – Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development OeKU One Earth Initiative Optimum Population Trust Planet2025 Network Plattform Footprint PROECOENO Rete Lilliput Sustainable Earth Initiative The Natural Step International The Sustainable Scale Project The Web of Hope Together Campaign Utah Population and Environment Coalition Water Footprint Network WWF WWF - Japan ZeroFootprint
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OUR SUPPORTERS DONOR PROFILES
”We give to Global Footprint Network because the organization has the ability to influence problems at a core level: nations adapting laws for greater sustainability. We give with the hope that the ideas of Global Footprint Network will influence, and be accepted by, more and more countries.
FRANK AND MARGRIT BALMERLEUPOLD
We first heard about the Ecological Footprint in 2002 when we attended a presentation by Mathis Wackernagel in Basel, Switzerland. Since then we have been annual donors to the organization. Global Footprint Network’s work has prompted us to be more conscious about our own personal choices when it comes to sustainability, and we share our perspective with others regularly. We carry Global Footprint Network’s wallet cards [tabulation of countries’ Ecological Footprint] with us to help explain our global situation.”
PETER SEIDEL
R O L A N D M AT T E R
“When I learned about Global Footprint Network’s work, it fell right in line with the way I had been thinking about our finite resource base and growing consumption patterns, worsened by population growth.
“I was introduced to Global Footprint Network in 2005 by Peter Schiess, a colleague with whom I served in the Parliament of Basel. During my tenure as a Parliament member, I fought for sustainable practices and the consideration of our environmental resources. I was invited to a speech given by Mathis Wackernagel, and was immediately enthusiastic about the work. Instead of all the innumerable, partial ecological ideas and actions (too often only “ecological cosmetics”), finally here was a superior tool that included all the details to serve as a compass for sustainability! Since that speech I give annually to the organization – both in time and in financial contributions. Professor Peter Schiess and I decided to advance this ingenious idea in Switzerland and to help Global Footprint Network to introduce the methodology as an ecological bookkeeping tool on par with Gross Domestic Product in the nation. It is with great pleasure that I support Global Footprint Network in advancing their work. I see myself as an ambassador on behalf of the mission of the organization.”
To focus solely on alternative energy through advances in technology can only go so far. Population and consumption are direct multipliers of the problem. In order to solve the problem, we must deal with these factors as well. Knowledge is essential. We must learn how our planet works and what we are doing to it. We must also understand how societies — and the human brain that invents them – work, otherwise we will just continue to blunder along in this unsustainable pattern. The terms Global Footprint, Ecological Footprint, and carbon Footprint are appearing in many places. “Footprint” as a term is one that gets people to think in a more holistic way, and by using a number with it, it is easy to grasp the seriousness of the impact we are having on our planet. I’m proud to be part of this movement and the potential it has for changing the way governments and essentially our species view progress in a finite world.”
GLOBAL FOOTPRINT NETWORK WOULD LIKE TO THANK T H E F O L L O W I N G F O R T H E I R G E N E R O U S D O N AT I O N S RECEIVED JANUARY 1, 2009 – DECEMBER 31, 2009
F O U N D AT I O N SUPPORT
Jean Chamberlain
Louis Ginsberg
Charles McNeill
Dieter Steiner-Hamel
Dora Christ-Viret
Ursula Gloor-Roessiger
Lorran Meares
James C. Stewart
Ray C. Anderson Foundation
John Cobb
Rob Gray
Ron Meissen
Randall Stratton
Kristin Cobble
Green Leap
Bartholomew Merrick
Irene Sury
Mental Insight Foundation
Michael Cohen
Richard and Gail Grossman
Aimee Merrill and Daniel Cardozo
John and Linda Sweeney
Robbert Misdorp
Rudolf Steiner Foundation Skoll Foundation
Michaela Collins and Kevin Collins
TAUPO Fund
Aline Colomb
Yvonne and Christian Haener-Zuber
Winslow Foundation
Michael Common
Elizabeth Hardy
Flora Family Foundation
Sue Cooke
Lamont and Marilyn Hempel
Karl-Martin and Monika Tanner-Hosch
Hans-Edi and Ruth Moppert-Vischer
Steven Temple
Peter Müller
Henning Thomsen
Robert A. Herendeen, Ph.D.
Gilles and Monique Nicollier-Serment
Ulrich and Theodora Buck-Tomasevic
Martin Hiller
David Osman
Michael Treglazoff
Donald Hodge
Catherine and Bill Parrish Lutz Peters
Bill and Lynne Twist
André and Rosalie Hoffmann Dr. Jan Hoffmann
Roger Pritchard
Luc Hoffmann
Stefanie Pruegel
Bob Dimiceli and Andrea Pook
Leo Jansen
Patricia and Peter Raven
Miki Kashtan
William and Ellen Reed
Bea and Oliver Wackernagel
Sharon Ede
Ivo-Heinz Knöpfel
David Richards
Tobias Wackernagel
Paul and Anne Ehrlich
Hollister Knowlton
Haydee Rodriguez-Pastor
Mohamed and Patricia El-Ashry
Eva Konigsberg
Jean Rogers
Marie-Christine Wackernagel
David and Frances Korten
Eugene Rosa
Yoshihiko Wada
Irmelin Kradolfer
David Rosen
Tom Wangler
Joseph and Barbara Kresse
Jeanne and Richard Roy
Steven Webb
Jeanette Fitzsimons
Dieter and Christine Burckhardt
Sarosh Kumana
Michael Saalfeld
Ralph D. Wehrle
Helen Fox
Mark Lancaster
Amy S. Schauwecker
Tom Welte
Christoph and Annemarie Burckhardt-Hosig
Henry M. Frechette Jr.
Terilynn Langsev
Dr. Peter Schiess
Carole Wilmoth
Verena and Rene L. Frey
Louisa W. Leavitt
Daniela Schlettwein-Gsell
Jossi Fritz-Mauer
Cynthia and Benjamin Leslie-Bole
Susan Scott
Jerelyn and Alexander Wilson
Edmund Levering
F. Peter Seidel
Gary Wolff and Ruth Hartman
Michael Frothingham
William Lidicker
Beat Senn
Jay and Jennifer Wood
Victoria Frothingham
Dr. Jay A. Luger
Hans-Peter and Carol Sigg
Jack Woodward
David Gee
Tamas Makray
Donald Sirkin
J. David Yount, Ph.D.
Thomas and Moni Gelzer
Karen Masters
Scott Soder
Thomas M. and Ann Yuill
Jeremy Butler
Christiane Gelzer-Sarasin
Roland Matter
Heinz Sommer
Malcolm Potts and Martha Campbell
Ursula Gelzer-Vischer
Don McCallum
Clara Gerhardt
Carl McDaniel
Soroptimist International Club Engiadina
Fritjof Capra
Paolo Giaretta
Stanley R Carpenter
Robert and Lianna Gilman
Carol and Charles McGlashan
Foundation for Global Community
David Cross
MAVA - Fondation pour la Protection de la Nature
Mik Dale
Fondation Hoffmann DONORS Anonymous Annelies Atchley Frank and Margrit Balmer-Leupold Bharat Barki Katja Bider Nathan Bixby Peter Bosshard Carlos Eduardo Lessa Brandão
Lilian and Michael Burkhard Rosemarie and Max Burkhard-Schindler Peggy and Norm Burns Susan Burns and Mathis Wackernagel
Johanna Cummings Charlie Davis Nona B. Dennis Michael and Irene Deutmeyer Mark and Sally Dimaggio
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Andrew Frothingham and Lynn Decker
Steven Price
Peggy Sebera
Dr. Elisabeth Staehelin Matthew and Josie Stein
Don Thompson
John Vann Philippe Vessereau Terry and Mary Vogt Peter Vonder Mühll
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WHO WE ARE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Susan Burns
Chief Executive Officer of Global Footprint Network, Oakland, CA, USA Kristin Cobble
Leadership and organizational development practitioner, San Francisco, CA Eric Frothingham
Corporate attorney, business executive and part owner of Progressive Investment Management, Oakland, CA, USA André Hoffmann
Swiss entrepreneur and investor Michael Saalfeld
Energy entrepreneur, Hamburg, Germany and Hawaii, USA. Mathis Wackernagel
Co-creator of the Ecological Footprint and President of Global Footprint Network, Oakland, CA, USA Haroldo Mattos de Lemos,
President of the Brazilian Committee for the United Nations Environment Programme and Professor of Environmental Engineering at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
S C IENC E A N D POLICY A DVI S O RY C OU N C I L
Oscar Arias
President of Costa Rica Mick Bourke
Chairman, EPA Victoria (Australia) Lester Brown
Founder, Worldwatch Institute, Founder, Earth Policy Institute Herman E. Daly
Intellectual Father of Ecological Economics Fabio Feldmann
Former Sao Paulo Minister of Environment Eric Garcetti
Council President, Los Angeles Wangari Maathai
Winner, Nobel Peace Prize, Founder, the Green Belt Movement Julia Marton-Lefèvre
Director General of IUCN Manfred Max-Neef
Economist recipient Right Livelihood Award Michael Meacher
Former UK Minister of Environment Rhodri Morgan
First Minister of Wales Norman Myers
Leading environmental scientist Daniel Pauly
Leading marine ecologist Jorgen Randers
Former President, Norwegian School of Management
Peter H. Raven
Former President, AAAS William Rees
Co-creator of the Ecological Footprint Karl-Henrik Robèrt
Founder, The Natural Step Emil Salim
Former Indonesian Minister of State James Gustave Speth
Dean Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Will Steffen
Chief Scientist of IGBT David T. Suzuki
Award winning scientist and broadcaster M. S. Swaminathan
India’s leading scientist on sustainable food security Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker
Founder, Wuppertal Institute, Dean, Bren School at UCSB Dominique Voynet
Former Environment Minister of France E.O. Wilson
Distinguished biologist, Harvard University
S TA F F
Bree Barbeau Nina Brooks Susan Burns William Coleman Emily Daniel Tracy Doten Brad Ewing Melissa Fondakowski Nicole Freeling Alessandro Galli Steve Goldfinger Rachel Hodara Melanie Hogan Katsunori Iha Kristin Kane Mark Lancaster Martin Kärcher Maxine McMinn Jennifer Mitchell David Moore Shiva Niazi Anna Oursler Pati Poblete Anders Reed Sarah Rizk Meredith Stechbart Mathis Wackernagel Joy Whalen Willy DeBacker
INTERNS
ADVICE AND SERVICES
Jean-Yves Courtonne Gemma Cranston Morgan Dumitru Maurice Evans Samantha Johnston Kelly Lam Kyle Lemle Marc Lipoff Zilose Lyons Sandy McCoy Sarah Murrell Leneve Ong Nicoletta Patrizi Tatjana Puschkarsky Janae Rushing Thea Sutton
A Caspian Production, Inc. Aili Pyhala Celery Design Collaborative CFO Savvy Compass Professional Development Consider It Done! Cosmetto Fabienne Koller Frank Mina Free Range Graphics Girls Inc. of Alameda County Graphics Resource ISPOT Interactive Josue Ramos Justin Kitzes Lapis Group Inc. Lending Spirit, Inc. LRE Catering Maddox Design Mariana Olcese One L Productions Patricia A. Wintroath, CPA Paul Wermer Sustainability Consulting Robert A. Herendeen
R E S E A R C H A F F I L I AT E S
Olaf Erber Justin Kitzes Bonnie McBain (née Lauck) Chad Monfreda Dan Moran Michael E. Murray Juan Alfonso Peña Francesca Silvestri Yoshihiko Wada Aaron Welch Paul Wermer
SPECIAL THANKS A Special Thanks to People Who Contributed to the Africa Factbook Abdi Jama Ghedi Aboua Aboua Gustave Alberto Julio Tsamba Arig Gaffer M.A. Bakhiet Aventino Kasangaki Daniel Jamu Dorothy C Kasanda Ednah Zvinavashe Ewa Berezowska-Azzag Fi Imanga George L.K. Jambiya Harnet Bokrezion Kwami Ekuka Wassinu Leonard Omondi Akwany Lionel Thellier Lvia - Cooperat. Decentralis Mamby Fofana Michel Masozera Michelle Pressend Mohamed Tawfic Ahmed Philippe Louis Bitjoka Regina N. Kamau Shigeraw Abate Gizaw Torjia Shar Karimu
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WHO WE ARE CLIENTS AND CONTRIBUTORS
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
E D U C AT I O N A L INSTITUTIONS
City of Calgary, Canada CORPAIRE - Municiapl Para El Mejoramiento Del Aire de Quito, Ecuador Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation
Carnegie Mellon University, United States Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary Kyoto University, Japan New York University, United States Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, United States University of San Francisco Law School, United States University of Cambridge, United Kingdom Virginia Living Museum, United States
Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates EPA Victoria, Australia European Commission Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Germany Hjorring Kommune, Denmark Indonesia Ministry of Public Works Institut de la Statistique du Quebec, Canada Media Environmental Advisory Council, United States Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Canada Sustainable Construction Commission of Costa Rica Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Town of Woodside, United States
C O N S U LTA N C I E S
Deloitte Five Winds International, United States Inexsos, Spain
NGOS
Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program, United States CAMFED, United States Comunidad Andina, Peru CRP Henri Tudor Luxembourg Ecolife, Belgium Interpret Green, United States IUCN Switzerland International Security Forum, Switzerland LEAD Pakistan People to People International, United States The Population Institute, United States World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), Switzerland WWF Belgium WWF Colombia WWF Switzerland
“W
C O R P O R AT I O N S
Bullfrog Films, United States Discovery Communications, United States EBL, Switzerland EcoPetrol, Colombia Effizienz-Agentur NRW, Germany Lion TV, United States Origin Energy, Australia Sustainable Biodiesel, United States
hat do we mean when we talk about sustainability? There are many ways to
define it, but they all reflect a simple truth. We’re a species of unlimited appetites living on a planet with limited resources.” – National Geographic State of the Earth 2010
D O N AT E D G O O D S A N D SERVICES
Comunidad Andina Cooley Godward Kronish, LLP
PHOTO CREDITS
Steven Goldfinger Andrea Pook Susan Burns Michelle Magdalena Maddox
Ecossistemas European Environment Agency Tracy Doten Cynthia Elliot Juan Alfonso Peña Bill & Lynne Twist
“If
you look at the science about what is happening
on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth ...and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse.” – Paul Hawken Author and Environmentalist
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FINANCIALS
I N C O M E & E X P E N S E B Y C AT E G O RY INCOME
1,042,240 638,225 260,066 173,284 142,806 78,953 49,984 25,366 19,593 1,932
Foundations Client-Funded Projects Contributed Services & Materials Donations Partnerships Reimbursements From Other GFN Offices Speaking Honoraria License Fees Reimbursements for Project Expenses Royalties, Educational Materials & Misc Total Income
2,432,449
EXPENSES
1,163,200 260,066 218,150 192,024 159,913 97,008 95,136 60,010 44,384 44,091 35,766 33,285 29,417
Payroll Work through In-Kind Support Cost of Client-Funded Projects Operating Expenses Occupancy Computers, Phones, IT Other Direct Program Costs Travel & Local Transportation Printing & Postage Accounting & Legal Other Professional Fees Newsletter, Web, & Communications Allocations for Future Expenses Total Expense
INCOME & EXPENSE BY PROGRAM
2,432,449
INCOME
EXPENSES
288,307 224,276 81,424 1,191,954 27,247 619,242
638,894 366,458 42,770 836,060 279,899 238,952 29,417
2,432,449
2,432,449
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
Outreach & Partnership National Accounts, Research & Standards International Offices Strategic Projects ADMINISTRATION & PLANNING FUNDRAISING ALLOCATIONS FOR FUTURE INITIATIVES & OPERATIONS T O TA L
LOOKING AHEAD
Since its creation in 2003, Global Footprint Network has strived to raise public awareness about ecological limits. At the time, our greatest challenge was to introduce the concept of the Ecological Footprint, and to get governments and individuals talking about it. And they did. Now, with the world ready for a fundamental rethink of our economic and development models, the time for action is ripe. At Global Footprint Network, we have laid the groundwork for supporting governments and enterprises in the shift toward a sustainable future. Now we must build on this momentum, scaling up our organization and our efforts to have the degree of impact we need to achieve our mission. By building on our expanding partner network, advancing the science and applicability of the Footprint and building on relationships we have established with governments and influential institutions around the world, we are working to initiate large-scale shifts in thinking and policy. We have a solid start: More than 35 nations have engaged with the organization directly. Seventeen nations have completed reviews of the Footprint and seven nations have formally adopted it. Over the next three years, we envisage being able to expand the number of nations adopting the Footprint to 20; we will be working to help their leaders to evaluate the results in light of their policy implications, and to take decisive action.
The following are just a few examples of how we will continue to work with governments to help them “weigh their options and bend the curve:”
E U R O P E | Global Footprint Network has made a major commitment to develop its European office, in order to leverage the swell of interest among European nations, as well as to work more closely with the European Commission. L A T I N A M E R I C A | Global Footprint Network is working through its
Ecological Creditor and Debtor initiative to shift policy toward biocapacity protection. In 2010, new collaborations with Ecuador and Peru are confirmed, and Global Footprint Network is helping these nations secure sufficient funding from the Inter-American Development Bank and other sources. A S I A | Within three years, the organization foresees solid openings,
including government agencies of China, for whom Global Footprint Network is producing a second Ecological Footprint report in 2010. In addition, a project with Japan has already been secured. U S | Global Footprint Network is expanding its outreach efforts. The
organization has opened a satellite presence in Washington D.C, and will continue to pursue opportunities, including one initiated for 2010 with the City of San Francisco. A F R I C A | Global Footprint Network will work to redirect development investments through strategic relationships with large human development organizations – donor agencies, large international NGOs, development banks, UN agencies and affiliates and national governments. The organization is developing a tool for evaluating the degree to which proposed projects advance human well-being per unit of nature.
FOOTPRINT FUTURES
In 2010 we will launch Footprint Futures: A Global Youth Summit, organized in collaboration with the Hawai’i Preparatory Academy. Footprint Futures is a unique educational program in which students at international high schools collaborate on identifying optimal resource consumption levels for their countries, and for the world. At the core of the program is a youth driven simulation of global negotiations on climate change, using biocapacity and Footprint as a framework. We are excited to be collaborating on this initiative with AVINA, a Latin American organization that contributes to sustainable development.
Global Footprint Network gratefully acknowledges AVINA’s support.
HEADQUARTERS
312 Clay Street, Suite 300 Oakland, CA 94607-3510 USA 1 (510) 839 8879
SATELLITE OFFICES
Washington, D.C. Brussels, Belgium Z端rich, Switzerland info@footprintnetwork.org www.footprintnetwork.org Printed on 100% recycled paper.