Post Archive
Overshoot as Market Failure
If there are too few bakers, bread becomes expensive. As a result, more people open bakeries, and bread prices drop again. Adam Smith called this the “invisible hand” of markets. But when it comes to the biosphere, this invisible hand... Read More
The U.S. Can’t Afford to Silence Its Environmental Watchdogs
By Sandrine Dixson-Declève and Mathis Wackernagel Rumors swirl that the U.S. administration plans to symbolically undermine environmental NGOs and philanthropic organizations, mirroring its recent heavy-handed threats against Colombia and Harvard University and continuing its onslaught on environmental stewardship and defiance... Read More
Honorary Degree from Siena University for Mathis Wackernagel
On March 21, a ceremony was held at the University of Siena’s Rectorate building to confer an honorary degree in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Sustainability upon scientist Mathis Wackernagel, the Siena academics called “one of the most influential international figures in sustainability”. The University... Read More
March 13th: A Big Day for the U.S.
At least it’s not Friday the 13th—but on March 13, the U.S. will reach its Overshoot Day for the year 2025. What is this Overshoot Day? If everyone in the world lived like U.S. residents, humanity would have exhausted its... Read More
The Global Footprint Network approach
Humanity’s escalating ecological overshoot, demanding over 75% more from nature than ecosystems can regenerate, has triggered climate disruption, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion, undermining global stability. While climate change understandably dominates environmental discourse, it is often framed as a “free-rider... Read More
Ecological Footprint: Managing Our Biocapacity Budget
In this book, Mathis Wackernagel and Bert Beyers introduce the basic concepts, from Footprint to biocapacity and overshoot. They explain applications of this accounting tool as well as the implications of overshoot. This book is an ideal introduction to the... Read More
🎵 I love Paris… 🎵
This romantic song Cole Porter wrote in 1953 stands in sharp contrast to the current U.S. administration’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. This decision reflects the administration’s view that the potential “disease” of climate change is less... Read More