top of page
landscape 87 Mathis Wackernagel_edited.j

Welcome! 

Climate change and resource decline are escalating.

Mathis Wackernagel relaxing on a sunny day

What motivates each one of us to engage with the big challenges of our times? How can we meaningfully participate? What is in it for you? 

 

There are plenty of powerful possibilities. Even as we live in a challenging context. This context is  shaped by economies that are fueled by an ecological pyramid scheme: They are taking from the future to pay for the present.

 

Given this context,  I want to find ways that make engaging with this challenge magnetic and motivating. Because now, most consider the topic to be an unpleasant burden. What are the opportunities? Where's the good news? What makes you smile?

I am here to help you navigate this, whether you lead a company, a city, or a country.

Mathis Wackernagel Overshoot StrategistMetrics Enthusiast

Receiving the 2024 Nobel Sustainability Award
for Leadership in Implementation

mathisHero.jpg

DESIRE, AGENCY, AND CURIOSITY

The Predictable Future Gives You Options

The future is ever more predictable: it’s one of climate change and resource constraints. Not preparing yourself while waiting for others serves you least. Therefore, I am eager to explore with you ways to generate motivation among individuals, companies, cities, and countries to respond to the predictable future of climate change and resource constraints.

Wait for Global Consensus at Your Own Peril

Many believe that we cannot succeed against climate change and ecological destruction without a global consensus. In my view, the real dynamic is the exact opposite: The less others prepare themselves for the predictable future, the more exposed I am to the risks this future inevitably brings. In other words, the need to proactively prepare myself for this future becomes even more essential for my own benefit, whether I am a household, a company, a city, or an entire country.  Yet...

If indeed overshoot is such a hefty risk,
what does it take to meaningfully respond?

Since my teenage years, I have been obsessed with overshoot. Yet, judging the media, my concern is not shared by many. What parts am I missing? What keeps me motivated and fascinated? Where do you and I come in on this? What can we do together?

logo for Mathis Wackernagel showing the M as a mountain and the W as its shadow in a blue circle representing planet Earth
Rustic Beach Path

What intrigues me

Humanity operates in ecological overshoot, as economies take more from nature than nature can regenerate. This results in biodiversity loss, increased greenhouse gases, and fierce competition for food and energy. This persistent threat prompts vital questions about measurement, limiting factors, implications, as well as people’s reluctance to react. Economically, overshoot leads to inflation and value decay, also known as 'stagflation.' Inaction is the least helpful response, since meaningful preparation is crucial for one’s own protection. Yet many hesitate to engage, to their own disadvantage. This, and much more, captivates my curiosity.

bottom of page