Mathis Wackernagel

Co-creator of the Ecological Footprint and President of Global Footprint Network, he completed a Ph.D. in community and regional planning at the University of British Columbia and earned a mechanical engineering degree from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

Mathis has worked on sustainability with governments, corporations and international NGOs on six continents and has lectured at more than a hundred universities. He previously served as director of the Sustainability Program at Redefining Progress in Oakland, California, and ran the Centro de Estudios para la Sustentabilidad at Anáhuac University in Xalapa, Mexico. Mathis has authored and contributed to more than 50 peer-reviewed papers, numerous articles, reports and various books on sustainability.

Mathis’ awards include the 2018 World Sustainability Award, the 2015 IAIA Global Environment Award, 2006 WWF Award for Conservation Merit and 2005 Herman Daly Award of the U.S. Society for Ecological Economics. He was also selected as number 19 on the (En)Rich list identifying the 100 top inspirational individuals whose contributions enrich paths to sustainable futures (www.enrichlist.org).