York University is leading an international research collaboration to calculate how well countries are managing their natural resources and meeting their United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The University was chosen by California- and Switzerland-based non-profit Global Footprint Network to produce its National Footprint Accounts. These accounts show each country’s ecological footprint or overall demand on nature and the biocapacity of nature to regenerate.
“Whether it is through teaching, research, engagement, or volunteerism, York University is committed to being a leader in sustainability and to addressing the challenges we face locally and globally, including those of ecological integrity,” says York University President & Vice-Chancellor Rhonda Lenton. “This collaboration is a major opportunity for our researchers and their international partners, as well as for our graduate students. It will build on the innovative research and teaching underway in our Faculty of Environmental Studies to inspire positive change and action, shape public policy, support evidence-based decision-making, and foster sustainability as an embedded value.”
The National Footprint Accounts are the foundation of Global Footprint Network’s Ecological Footprint accounting framework and are updated annually with the latest United Nations data sets. This Footprint data has been used by more than a dozen national governments to guide sustainability policy.
