2015 has been a very important year for humanity and the health of our planet. With your generous support, we made substantial strides advancing global sustainability in 2015. Click on the slideshow below for highlights from the year.

1. Global Footprint Network
2015 Highlights in Photos

2. JANUARY
Global Footprint Network
President Mathis Wackernagel
learned firsthand about the
tremendous development
pressures faced by the six
countries that comprise the
Greater Mekong Region
(Cambodia, China, Laos,
Myanmar, Thailand and
Vietnam) at a forum organized
by the Asian Development Bank
in Nay Pyi Taw, the new capital
city of Myanmar. Wackernagel
was invited to present on the
Ecological Footprint as a tool for
managing biodiversity
landscapes amid growing
ecological constraints. More
Pressures in Asia

3. FEBRUARY
Former Maryland Governor
and presidential contender
Martin O'Malley endorsed
Global Footprint Network’s
NPV+ framework, a tool that
helps governments and public
agencies more accurately
measure the long-term value
of their investments in
infrastructure and natural
capital. More
Valuable U.S. Supporter

4. MARCH
Global Footprint Network
launched its latest edition of
the National Footprint
Accounts for more than 180
countries and for the first time
opened up the accounts in a
free, downloadable Public
Data Package, resulting in
more than 2,800 downloads
from around the world in
2015. More
Thousands Download
National Data

5. APRIL
An analysis by Global
Footprint Network researchers
Alessandro Galli and Nicole
Grunewald exposed some
striking differences in the food
consumption and hence
resource demand among 15
Mediterranean countries.
Their study was published in
the International Centre for
Advanced Mediterranean
Agronomic Studies’ quarterly
Watch Letter. More
How Fit is Your Diet?

6. MAY
Global Footprint Network Co-
founder Susan Burns led a
workshop at the Ceres
Conference in San Francisco
that raised awareness among
investors of the effect of
environmental risks on a
nation’s economy and hence
its sovereign bonds. Her talk
highlighted findings from our
first phase of research with
the UN Environment
Programme Finance Initiative
and gave a preview of phase II
findings, to be released in
2016. More
Business Not As Usual

7. JUNE
BBC magazine and radio took
a deep dive into Ecological
Footprint accounting to
explain the origins of the
phrase, “If everyone on the
planet consumed as much as
the average U.S. citizen, four
Earths would be needed to
sustain them.” More
How Many Earths?

8. JULY
Global Footprint Network
published its first-ever analysis
on the Ecological Footprint of
the 50 United States, sparking
more sub-national and city
interest in using the Ecological
Footprint as a sustainability
metric and drawing media
attention across the country.
More on State of States.
More on Footprint for Local
Governments.
State of States

9. AUGUST
Our largest Earth Overshoot
Day campaign yet included
nearly 40 partner
organizations, an online art
exhibit and a new website
(www.overshootday.org),
ultimately attracting media
attention in 46 countries on
more than 600 webpages.
More
Happy Earth Overshoot
Day?

10. SEPTEMBER
Global Footprint Network
deepened its collaboration with
government officials in
Montenegro in September with
a technical training that paved
the way for the Ecological
Footprint to be chosen as a
macro-level indicator to monitor
Montenegro’s National
Sustainable Development
Strategy. Final approval of the
strategy, expected in March,
would make Montenegro the
14th nation to adopt the
Ecological Footprint. More
A More Sustainable
Montenegro

11. OCTOBER
Global Footprint Network Board
Member Razan Khalifa Al
Mubarak, Secretary General,
Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi,
hosted the Eye on Earth Summit,
a gathering of 1,000 scientists
focused on advancing big data for
sustainability. Global Footprint
Network’s data is getting bigger,
too, with National Footprint
Account calculations now
incorporating more than 200,000
data points per country per year,
up from 6,000 in previous years.
The increase comes primarily
from tracking bilateral trade.
More
Big Data for Sustainability

12. NOVEMBER
Global Footprint Network
launched a new website,
www.zujiwangluo.org or
www.chinafootprint.org, to
support the growing interest
in the Ecological Footprint in
the world’s most populous
nation. Global Footprint
Network is working with
leaders in Guizhou Province
to spearhead the
implementation of Chinese
President Xi Jinping and the
Party’s vision of an “ecological
civilization.” More
Supporting China’s
“Eco-civilization”

13. DECEMBER
The U.N. Climate Conference in
December resulted in a
commitment by 195 countries to
cut carbon emissions to achieve the
goal of limiting global warming to
1.5 and a maximum 2 degrees.
Sebastian Winkler, VP of Outreach
and Programmes, and Mark Harvey,
Senior Associate, Cities, were there,
offering the Ecological Footprint as
an integrated carbon metric for
nations, cities and individuals.
Achieving the two-degree limit will
require not only a transition to
clean energy but a comprehensive
look at how we manage the
competing demands on our planet,
which the Ecological Footprint can
help provide. More
Paris Climate Agreement

14. Join us in helping all of humanity thrive
within the means of our fabulous planet.
• CALCULATE: Measure your own Ecological Footprint
with our online calculator, which we plan to update
with a mobile version in 2016.
• GET SOCIAL: Get news, photos and videos from
Global Footprint Network’s Facebook, Twitter and
LinkedIn communities. Invite your friends and family
members to learn more about natural resource
constraints, one of the most urgent issues of our
time.
• MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Our interns, staff and board
members are making a difference in such diverse
areas as the Arctic, Iran, Switzerland and China. You
can amplify our impact by donating to Global
Footprint Network.
Thank you again for everything you do
to preserve the only planet we have!