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Footprint: our impact on Earth is getting heavier

Nature volume 420, pages 267–268 (2002)Cite this article

Sir

Bjorn Lomborg's comments as reported in your recent News story (Nature 419, 656; 200210.1038/419656a) betray ignorance of ecological-footprint analysis (EFA). This is a method I proposed (W. E. Rees Popul. Environ. 24, 15–46; 2002) specifically to assess the assertions made by some economists that, because of technological advances, the human economy is “dematerializing” or “decoupling” from the natural world. If true, this implies that modern society is becoming less dependent on nature, and can be used to justify further economic growth. If false, the additional stress likely to be imposed on the natural world will be disastrous.

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  1. School of Community and Regional Planning, University of British Columbia, 6333 Memorial Road, Vancouver, V6T 1Z2, British Columbia, Canada

    William E. Rees

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  1. William E. Rees
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Rees, W. Footprint: our impact on Earth is getting heavier. Nature 420, 267–268 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/420267b

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