how we can bend the curve - Global Footprint Network

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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.
2.5
80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions
Slower population growth
20% reduction in consumption
2.0
Ecological debt
1.5
B I O C A PA C I T Y
1.0
0.5
•
Number of Planet Earths
Doubling of crop yields
•
1960
•
1970
•
1980
•
1990
•
2000
•
2010
•
2020
•
2030
•
2040
•
2050
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
Biocapacity greater than Footprint
0-50% larger
50-100% larger
100-150% larger
150% larger
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?
•
3
2
1
•
•
•
4
•
5
•
6
ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
0
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005
•
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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B I O C A PA C I T Y
•
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
10
8
6
4
World average biocapacity per person in 1961
2
World average biocapacity per person in 2006
High human
development
within the
Earth’s limits
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
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.
16
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
18
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
20
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
22
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
24
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.
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[email protected]
www.footprintnetwork.org
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