Profile

Keynote Address: Degradation
Thursday Nov. 16, 9h00-10h15

William Rees is a human ecologist, ecological economist, Professor and former director of the University of British Columbia's School of Planning. He researches and teaches planning policy related to global environmental trends and the necessary ecological conditions for sustainable development. Professor Rees is the originator and co-developer of the "ecological footprint" concept and method. His book on eco-footprinting, with then Ph.D. student Mathis Wackernagel, has been translated into eight languages including Chinese. He has also authored over a hundred peer reviewed papers and book chapters and numerous popular articles on humanity's (un)sustainability conundrum. The influence of Dr Rees' work is widely recognized and awarded. He has been invited to lecture in 25 countries around the world; the Vancouver Sun named William Rees one of British Columbia's top public intellectuals in 2000; in 2006 he was elected to the Royal Society of Canada and in 2007 he was awarded a Trudeau Foundation Fellowship.