If you have heard of “footprint”, as in carbon or ecological footprint, you already met Mathis Wackernagel. He created this metric with his PhD advisor 30 years ago. Then he co-founded Global Footprint Network, a sustainability think-tank, known for its annual calculations comparing each country’s footprint to its biocapacity, showing that humanity is now using 1.7 Earths.
Mathis and his organization engage with national governments, companies, and cities to address the implications of ecological overshoot for their ability to operate successfully in a future of climate change and resource constraints. Their best known campaign is the annual Earth Overshoot Day.
His awards include the 2024 Sustainability Award of the Nobel family, the 2024 Orden de la Democracia Simón Bolivar from the Colombian parliament, the 2018 World Sustainability Award, the 2015 IAIA Global Environment Award, and the 2012 Blue Planet Prize and several honorary doctorates.
