Dr. William Ernest Rees
Fellow
Current Employer
The University of British Columbia
Election Year
2006
Academy
Academy of Science
Discipline
Animal Biology
Department
School of Community and Regional Planning
Keywords
Human ecology, ecological economics, ecological footprint analysis, ecological planning/policy, urban vulnerability, population overshoot, sustainability science, renewable energy
Long Citation
William Rees is a bio-ecologist and internationally acclaimed pioneer in the study of the root causes of human (un)sustainability. His most influential contribution is his invention of Ecological Footprint Analysis (EFA), a method that measures the human load on the earth. In recognition of its global impact, Rees’ co-authored book Our Ecological Footprint is available in nine languages, including Chinese. Today, EFA is applied around the world by governments, NGOs, and many researchers for whom it is a fundamental tool of analysis. Rees’ innovation and continuing expansion of the concept has helped to reopen the debate on human carrying capacity and alternatives to material growth as the path to sustainability.
Short Citation
William Rees is a bio-ecologist and internationally acclaimed pioneer in the study of the root causes of human (un)sustainability. His most influential contribution is his invention of Ecological Footprint Analysis (EFA), a method that measures the human load on the earth. In recognition of its global impact, Rees’ co-authored book Our Ecological Footprint is available in nine languages, including Chinese.
William Rees is a bio-ecologist and internationally acclaimed pioneer in the study of the root causes of human (un)sustainability. His most influential contribution is his invention of Ecological Footprint Analysis (EFA), a method that measures the human load on the earth. In recognition of its global impact, Rees’ co-authored book Our Ecological Footprint is available in nine languages, including Chinese. Today, EFA is applied around the world by governments, NGOs, and many researchers for whom it is a fundamental tool of analysis. Rees’ innovation and continuing expansion of the concept has helped to reopen the debate on human carrying capacity and alternatives to material growth as the path to sustainability.
Short Citation
William Rees is a bio-ecologist and internationally acclaimed pioneer in the study of the root causes of human (un)sustainability. His most influential contribution is his invention of Ecological Footprint Analysis (EFA), a method that measures the human load on the earth. In recognition of its global impact, Rees’ co-authored book Our Ecological Footprint is available in nine languages, including Chinese.