William Rees

William Rees is a Professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute. Much of his work is in the realm of ecological economics and human ecology. He is best known in this field for his invention of 'ecological footprint analysis', a quantitative tool that estimates humanity's ecological impact on the ecosphere in terms of appropriated ecosystem (land and water) area. In 2012, Rees won the Blue Planet Prize - the coveted award given to global leaders who make a difference in safeguarding biodiversity.