HOW WE CAN BEND THE CURVE
G L O B A L F O O T P R I N T N E T W O R K A N N U A L R E P O R T
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01 L E T T E R F R O M T H E F O U N D E R S
02 H O W W E C A N B E N D T H E C U R V E
04 N A T 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 A T O R
B I O C A P A C I T Y A N D T H E W E A L T H O F N A T I O N S
08 C I T I E S A T T H E F O R E F R O N T O F C H A N G E
10 H U M A N D E V E L O P M E N T
I N V E S T I N G I N L A S T I N G H U M A N P R O G R E S S
12 S C I E N C E
S T R E N G T H E N I N G T H E T O O L
14 C O M M U N I C A T I O N S
R A I S I N G U N D E R S T A N D I N G O F R E S O U R C E L I M I T S
I N F L U E N C I N G W O R L D V I E W
16 P A R T N E R S H I P
E X P A N D I N G O U R R E A C H
18 O U R S U P P O R T E R S
20 W H O W E A R E
24 F I N A N C I A L S
25 L O O K I N G A H E A D
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 signifi cant 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 fi nancial 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 fi t
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 specifi c Footprint reduction targets, put major investments
into renewable energy and make signifi cant 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
signifi cantly less resource-dependent so that they can thrive, rather than fail, in an eco-
logically 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 ever-
escalating ecological demand and toward a sustainable human future.
Mathis Wackernagel Susan BurnsPresident C.E.O.
LETTER FROM THE FOUNDERS
For the past fi ve 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.
HOW WE CAN BEND THE CURVET R E N D I N G T O WA R D A S U S T A I N A B L E F U T U R E
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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 fi sheries.
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 refl ect greater interest in preserving and managing natural capital.
• • • • • • • • • • 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
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B I O C A PA C I T Y
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80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions
Slower population growth
20% reduction in consumption
Doubling of crop yields
Ecological debt
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Figure depicts one of many possible scenarios for how humanity can get out of overshoot.
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.
he [fi nancial] 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
“T
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. BrownAuthor Plan B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization
Global Footprint Network Advisory Council Member
“S
P H A S E IRELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND SUB-NATIONAL ACTIVITY
P H A S E I IRESEARCH COLLABORATION OR REVIEW
P H A S E I I INATIONAL ADOPTION
NATIONST H E F O O T P R I N T A S A K E Y I N D I C A T 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 offi cially 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 fi ve-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.
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10 Nations
1 Nation1 Nation4 Nations
2 Nations7 Nations
FinlandWalesSwitzerlandEuropean Commission FranceGermanyIrelandSpainLuxembourgBelgiumUAEJapanHong KongIndonesiaNew ZealandCanadaEcuador
FinlandWalesSwitzerlandScotland
UAEJapan
Ecuador
EUROPE
AFRICAMIDDLE EASTASIA PACIFIC
NORTH AMERICASOUTH AMERICA
*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.
P H A S E I VSETTING A GOAL AND WEIGHING OPTIONS
P H A S E VPOLICY AND INVESTMENT SHIFTS
C A S E S T O R Y : U N I T E D A R A B E M I R A T 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.
T E N - I N - T E N P R O G R E S S T O D A T 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.
In 2009, fi ve 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.
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 fi gures and
analysis – and solutions – tailor-made for policy-makers.”
– Tony LongDirector, WWF European Policy Offi ce
“T
United Kingdom*Wales
UAE
Ecuador
United Kingdom*Wales
UAE
A generation ago, the world still had signifi cant 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.
NATIONSB I O C A P A C I T Y A N D T H E W E A L T H O F N A T I O N S
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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 risk profi le. 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?
E C O L O G I C A L D E B T O R S Footprint greater than Biocapacity
150% larger 100-150% larger 50-100% larger 0-50% larger
E C O L O G I C A L C R E D I T O R SBiocapacity greater than Footprint
0-50% larger 50-100% larger 100-150% larger 150% larger
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 defi cit 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 inter-national 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.
C A S E S T O R Y : E C U A D O R
In the past fi ve 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.
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.
The country also adopted a Presidential mandate todevelop physical indicators that can better track environ-mental performance and support decision making.
Offi cials 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.
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E C O L O G I C A L F O O T P R I N T
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 fi rst 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.
CITIESA T T H E F O R E F R O N T O F C H A N G E
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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 signifi cant 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, effi cient 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, car-free zones, and other features that dramatically cut residents’ pressure on resources.
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 offi cials 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 fi rst city to set a specifi c 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 traffi c 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.
H E R E A R E H I G H L I G H T S F R O M O U R W O R K W I T H C I T I E S T H I S Y E A R :
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 effi ciency 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 infl uence 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 fi nal report fi ndings, to be published in late 2010, will help offi cials identify the resource demand and carbon dioxide emissions of city residents.
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 SchwarzeneggerCalifornia Governor
speaking to the delegation at Copenhagen
“I
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.
HUMAN DEVELOPMENTI N V E S T I N G I N L A S T I N G H U M A N P R O G R E S S
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T H E E C O L O G I C A L F O O T P R I N T A N D H U M A N D E V E L O P M E N T
African countries
Asian countries
European countries
Latin American and Caribbean countries
North American countries
Oceanic countries
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
World average biocapacity per person in 2006
World average biocapacity per person in 1961
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High human development within the Earth’s limits
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 confl ict and political instability.
* 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.
United Nations Human Development Index*
Through our Human Development Initiative, Global Footprint Network is working to infl uence 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).
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 fi ve years.
Though this is refl ective of a global trend, it is particularly alarming for Africa, a region where ecological defi cits can translate most directly into resource confl icts and shortages of food, fuel and other basic necessities for survival. Such were among the fi ndings 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, founda-tions and development agencies pur-sue development efforts that alleviate, or at least do not aggravate, Africa’s resource pressures – otherwise, such ef-forts risk undermining the well-being of the very populations they hope to serve.
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-moonU.N. Secretary General
“I
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.
SCIENCE12
T O O L S F O R D E C I S I O N - M A K I N G
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 resource-related outcomes of policies given various local and global situations. The fi rst 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.
M E T H O D O L O G Y
Both the scientifi c 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.
T R A N S PA R E N C Y
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.
S TA N D A R D S
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.
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 trade-fl ow analysis that provides the means to compare products and sectors. Such analysis can help governments direct investment toward more resource-effi cient goods and services and promote greener ways of meeting market demand.
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 RandersProfessor of Climate Strategy
Norwegian School of Management
“G
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.
COMMUNICATIONSR 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
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E A R T H O V E R S H O O T D AY 2 0 0 9
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 Network-sponsored campaign was observed around the world with an Overshoot Day conference in Brussels, events at Climate Week NYC, and grassroots campaigns by numerous partners.
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 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.
N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C
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.
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.
E N D O V E R S H O O T
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.
W E B
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.
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 confl ict 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.
I N F L U E N C I N G W O R L D V I E W
Partnering with large, infl uential 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 infl uential companies, launched its Vision 2050 Project to fi nd 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 identifi ed several “must-haves” for making a sustainable society possible, including:
A system of market pricing that refl ects 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-effi cient goods and services.
Providing universal access to low-carbon transportation
A report presenting the fi nal conclusions of Vision 2050 was released
in February 2010.
Achieving the large-scale change we need to reverse current ecological trends will require
infl uence from all levels of society – from citizen pressure and personal behavior change
to technological innovation and business-sector infl uence, to policy, trade and international
agreements. Our more than 90 partners in 19 countries are critical to this effort.
PARTNERSHIPSE X PA N D I N G O U R R E A C H
16
BANK SARAS IN & CO. , LTD .
S W I T Z E R L A N D
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 effi ciency
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 F O R G L O B A L S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y ( F F G S )
S W I T Z E R L A N D
FFGS, a Swiss sustainability think-
tank, 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 defi nition
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.
N E W E C O N O M I C S F O U N D AT I O N ( N E F )
U N I T E D K I N G D O M
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.
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 :
C E S T R A S | P O R T U G A L
CESTRAS, a non-profi t 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.
EPA V ICTOR IA | A U S T R A L I A
The Environmental Protection Authority of
Victoria collaborated with the Australian
energy company Origin to update its
Carbon Footprint Calculator specifi cally
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.
R E C Y C L A | C H I L E
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.
G O V E R N M E N TAGEDI – 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 SAlberfi eld 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 I N S T I T U T I O N SAgrocampus 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 Pontifi cal Catholic University of Peru - PUCP
Universidad de Colima
University of Siena – Ecodynamics Group
C O R P O R AT I O N SBank Sarasin & Co. Ltd.
Info Grafi k
Novatlantis
Pictet Asset Management SA
Portfolio 21 Investments, Inc.
The GPT Group
NGOsAASHE – Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
Acuerdo Ecuador
Agenda21 Action Council for Gyeonggi-do
AGIR 21
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
Emirates Environmental Group
Emirates Wildlife Society-WWF
FFGS – Foundation for Global Sustainability
FAN – Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza
Global Green USA
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
O U R P A R T N E R S
”We give to Global Footprint Network because the organization has the ability to infl uence problems at a core level: nations adapting laws for greater sustainability. We give with the hope that the ideas of Global Footprint Network will infl uence, and be accepted by, more and more countries.
We fi rst 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 walletcards [tabulation of countries’ Ecological Footprint] with us to help explain our
global situation.”
OUR SUPPORTERSD O N O R P R O F I L E S
18
R O L A N D M AT T E R
“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”), fi nally 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 fi nancial 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.”
F R A N K A N D
M A R G R I T
B A L M E R -
L E U P O L D
P E T E R S E I D E L
“When I learned about Global Footprint Network’s work, it fell right in line with the way I had been thinking about our fi nite resource base and growing consumption patterns, worsened by population growth.
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 fi nite world.”
F O U N D AT I O N S U P P O R T
Ray C. Anderson Foundation
Mental Insight Foundation
Rudolf Steiner Foundation
Skoll Foundation
TAUPO Fund
Winslow Foundation
Flora Family Foundation
Foundation for Global Community
MAVA - Fondation pour la Protection de la Nature
Fondation Hoffmann
D O N O R S
Anonymous
Annelies Atchley
Frank and Margrit Balmer-Leupold
Bharat Barki
Katja Bider
Nathan Bixby
Peter Bosshard
Carlos Eduardo Lessa Brandão
Dieter and Christine Burckhardt
Christoph and Annemarie Burckhardt-Hosig
Lilian and Michael Burkhard
Rosemarie and Max Burkhard-Schindler
Peggy and Norm Burns
Susan Burns and Mathis Wackernagel
Jeremy Butler
Malcolm Potts and Martha Campbell
Fritjof Capra
Stanley R Carpenter
Jean Chamberlain
Dora Christ-Viret
John Cobb
Kristin Cobble
Michael Cohen
Michaela Collins and Kevin Collins
Aline Colomb
Michael Common
Sue Cooke
David Cross
Johanna Cummings
Mik Dale
Charlie Davis
Nona B. Dennis
Michael and Irene Deutmeyer
Mark and Sally Dimaggio
Bob Dimiceli and Andrea Pook
Sharon Ede
Paul and Anne Ehrlich
Mohamed and Patricia El-Ashry
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
Jeanette Fitzsimons
Helen Fox
Henry M. Frechette Jr.
Verena and Rene L. Frey
Jossi Fritz-Mauer
Andrew Frothingham and Lynn Decker
Michael Frothingham
Victoria Frothingham
David Gee
Thomas and Moni Gelzer
Christiane Gelzer-Sarasin
Ursula Gelzer-Vischer
Clara Gerhardt
Paolo Giaretta
Robert and Lianna Gilman
Louis Ginsberg
Ursula Gloor-Roessiger
Rob Gray
Green Leap
Richard and Gail Grossman
Yvonne and Christian Haener-Zuber
Elizabeth Hardy
Lamont and Marilyn Hempel
Robert A. Herendeen, Ph.D.
Martin Hiller
Donald Hodge
André and Rosalie Hoffmann
Dr. Jan Hoffmann
Luc Hoffmann
Leo Jansen
Miki Kashtan
Ivo-Heinz Knöpfel
Hollister Knowlton
Eva Konigsberg
David and Frances Korten
Irmelin Kradolfer
Joseph and Barbara Kresse
Sarosh Kumana
Mark Lancaster
Terilynn Langsev
Louisa W. Leavitt
Cynthia and Benjamin Leslie-Bole
Edmund Levering
William Lidicker
Dr. Jay A. Luger
Tamas Makray
Karen Masters
Roland Matter
Don McCallum
Carl McDaniel
Carol and Charles McGlashan
Charles McNeill
Lorran Meares
Ron Meissen
Bartholomew Merrick
Aimee Merrill and Daniel Cardozo
Robbert Misdorp
Hans-Edi and Ruth Moppert-Vischer
Peter Müller
Gilles and Monique Nicollier-Serment
David Osman
Catherine and Bill Parrish
Lutz Peters
Steven Price
Roger Pritchard
Stefanie Pruegel
Patricia and Peter Raven
William and Ellen Reed
David Richards
Haydee Rodriguez-Pastor
Jean Rogers
Eugene Rosa
David Rosen
Jeanne and Richard Roy
Michael Saalfeld
Amy S. Schauwecker
Dr. Peter Schiess
Daniela Schlettwein-Gsell
Susan Scott
Peggy Sebera
F. Peter Seidel
Beat Senn
Hans-Peter and Carol Sigg
Donald Sirkin
Scott Soder
Heinz Sommer
Soroptimist International Club Engiadina
Dr. Elisabeth Staehelin
Matthew and Josie Stein
Dieter Steiner-Hamel
James C. Stewart
Randall Stratton
Irene Sury
John and Linda Sweeney
Karl-Martin and Monika Tanner-Hosch
Steven Temple
Don Thompson
Henning Thomsen
Ulrich and Theodora Buck-Tomasevic
Michael Treglazoff
Bill and Lynne Twist
John Vann
Philippe Vessereau
Terry and Mary Vogt
Peter Vonder Mühll
Bea and Oliver Wackernagel
Tobias Wackernagel
Marie-Christine Wackernagel
Yoshihiko Wada
Tom Wangler
Steven Webb
Ralph D. Wehrle
Tom Welte
Carole Wilmoth
Jerelyn and Alexander Wilson
Gary Wolff and Ruth Hartman
Jay and Jennifer Wood
Jack Woodward
J. David Yount, Ph.D.
Thomas M. and Ann Yuill
G L O B A L F O O T P R I N T N E T W O R K W O U L D L I K E T O T H A N K 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 SR E C E I V E D J A N U A R Y 1 , 2 0 0 9 – D E C E M B E R 3 1 , 2 0 0 9
BOARD OF DIRECTORSSusan BurnsChief Executive Offi cer of Global Footprint Network, Oakland, CA, USA
Kristin CobbleLeadership and organizational development practitioner, San Francisco, CA
Eric Frothingham Corporate attorney, business executive and part owner of Progressive Investment Management,Oakland, CA, USA
André HoffmannSwiss entrepreneur and investor
Michael SaalfeldEnergy entrepreneur, Hamburg, Germany and Hawaii, USA.
Mathis WackernagelCo-creator of the Ecological Footprint and President of Global Footprint Network, Oakland, CA, USA
Haroldo Mattos deLemos,President of the Brazilian Committee for the United Nations Environment Programme and Professor of Environmental Engineering at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
SCIENCE AND POLICY ADVISORY COUNCIL
Oscar AriasPresident of Costa Rica
Mick BourkeChairman, EPA Victoria (Australia)
Lester BrownFounder, Worldwatch Institute, Founder, Earth Policy Institute
Herman E. DalyIntellectual Father of Ecological Economics
Fabio FeldmannFormer Sao Paulo Minister of Environment
Eric GarcettiCouncil 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 MorganFirst Minister of Wales
Norman MyersLeading environmental scientist
Daniel PaulyLeading marine ecologist
Jorgen RandersFormer President, Norwegian School of Management
Peter H. RavenFormer President, AAAS
William ReesCo-creator of the Ecological Footprint
Karl-Henrik Robèrt Founder, The Natural Step
Emil SalimFormer Indonesian Minister of State
James Gustave Speth Dean Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Will Steffen Chief Scientist of IGBT
David T. SuzukiAward winning scientist and broadcaster
M. S. Swaminathan India’s leading scientist on sustainable food security
Ernst Ulrich von WeizsäckerFounder, Wuppertal Institute, Dean, Bren School at UCSB
Dominique VoynetFormer Environment Minister of France
E.O. Wilson Distinguished biologist, Harvard University
WHO WE ARE20
S TA F FBree BarbeauNina BrooksSusan BurnsWilliam ColemanEmily DanielTracy DotenBrad EwingMelissa FondakowskiNicole FreelingAlessandro GalliSteve Goldfi ngerRachel HodaraMelanie HoganKatsunori IhaKristin KaneMark LancasterMartin KärcherMaxine McMinnJennifer MitchellDavid MooreShiva NiaziAnna OurslerPati PobleteAnders ReedSarah RizkMeredith StechbartMathis WackernagelJoy WhalenWilly DeBacker
I N T E R N SJean-Yves CourtonneGemma CranstonMorgan DumitruMaurice EvansSamantha JohnstonKelly LamKyle LemleMarc LipoffZilose LyonsSandy McCoySarah MurrellLeneve OngNicoletta PatriziTatjana PuschkarskyJanae RushingThea Sutton
R E S E A R C H A F F I L I AT E SOlaf ErberJustin KitzesBonnie McBain (née Lauck)Chad MonfredaDan MoranMichael E. MurrayJuan Alfonso PeñaFrancesca SilvestriYoshihiko WadaAaron WelchPaul Wermer
A D V I C E A N D S E R V I C E SA Caspian Production, Inc.Aili PyhalaCelery Design CollaborativeCFO SavvyCompass Professional DevelopmentConsider It Done!CosmettoFabienne KollerFrank MinaFree Range GraphicsGirls Inc. of Alameda CountyGraphics ResourceISPOT InteractiveJosue RamosJustin KitzesLapis Group Inc.Lending Spirit, Inc.LRE CateringMaddox DesignMariana OlceseOne L ProductionsPatricia A. Wintroath, CPAPaul Wermer Sustainability Consulting
Robert A. Herendeen
S P E C I A L T H A N K S
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 Tawfi c Ahmed
Philippe Louis Bitjoka
Regina N. Kamau
Shigeraw Abate Gizaw
Torjia Shar Karimu
G O V E R N M E N T A G E N C I E S
City of Calgary, Canada
CORPAIRE - Municiapl Para El Mejoramiento Del Aire de Quito, Ecuador
Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation
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
E D U C AT I O N A L I N S T I T U T I O N S
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
C O N S U LTA N C I E S
Deloitte
Five Winds International, United States
Inexsos, Spain
C O R P O R AT I O N S
Bullfrog Films, United States
Discovery Communications, United States
EBL, Switzerland
EcoPetrol, Colombia
Effi zienz-Agentur NRW, Germany
Lion TV, United States
Origin Energy, Australia
Sustainable Biodiesel,
United States
WHO WE AREC L I E N T S A N D C O N T R I B U T O R S
22
hat do we mean when we talk about
sustainability? There are many ways to
defi ne it, but they all refl ect a simple truth. We’re
a species of unlimited appetites living on a planet
with limited resources.”
– National GeographicState of the Earth 2010
“W
N G O S
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
D O N AT E D G O O D S A N D S E R V I C E S
Comunidad Andina
Cooley Godward Kronish, LLP
Ecossistemas
European Environment Agency
Tracy Doten
Cynthia Elliot
Juan Alfonso Peña
Bill & Lynne Twist
P H O T O C R E D I T S
Steven Goldfi nger
Andrea Pook
Susan Burns
Michelle Magdalena Maddox
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 HawkenAuthor and Environmentalist
“If
INCOME & EXPENSE BY PROGRAM I N C O M E E X P E N S E S
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
Outreach & Partnership 288,307 638,894 National Accounts, Research & Standards 224,276 366,458 International Offi ces 81,424 42,770 Strategic Projects 1,191,954 836,060ADMINISTRATION & PLANNING 27,247 279,899FUNDRAISING 619,242 238,952ALLOCATIONS FOR FUTURE INITIATIVES & OPERATIONS 29,417
T O TA L 2,432,449 2,432,449
FINANCIALS24
INCOME
Foundations 1,042,240
Client-Funded Projects 638,225 Contributed Services & Materials 260,066
Donations 173,284
Partnerships 142,806
Reimbursements From Other GFN Offi ces 78,953
Speaking Honoraria 49,984
License Fees 25,366
Reimbursements for Project Expenses 19,593
Royalties, Educational Materials & Misc 1,932
Total Income 2,432,449
EXPENSES
Payroll 1,163,200
Work through In-Kind Support 260,066
Cost of Client-Funded Projects 218,150
Operating Expenses 192,024
Occupancy 159,913
Computers, Phones, IT 97,008
Other Direct Program Costs 95,136
Travel & Local Transportation 60,010 Printing & Postage 44,384
Accounting & Legal 44,091
Other Professional Fees 35,766
Newsletter, Web, & Communications 33,285
Allocations for Future Expenses 29,417
Total Expense 2,432,449
I N C O M E & E X P E N S E B Y C AT E G O RY
LOOKING AHEAD
E U R O P E | Global Footprint Network has made a major commitment to develop its European offi ce, in order to leverage the swell of interest among European nations, as well as to work more closely with the European Commission.
L AT 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 confi rmed, and Global Footprint Network is helping these nations secure suffi cient 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 affi liates 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.
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 infl uential 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.
F O O T P R I N T F U T U R E S
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.
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:”
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