William E. Rees

Article summary

William E. (Bill) Rees, PhD, FRSC, is a Canadian [[Human ecology|human ecologist, [1] ecological economist[[Human ecology| [2] and Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, where he taught and conducted interdisciplinary research for more than four decades. He is perhaps best known for co-developing the ecological footprint concept and method of analysis with his graduate students. This quantitative tool estimates humanity's demand on nature, through measurable flows of energy and materials to and from ecosystems; it thus reinforces associated concepts such as ecological limits and biocapacity, and shows clearly that the human enterprise is in a state of advanced ecological overshoot. Rees' work has long focused on the relationship between the human enterprise and the ecosphere, sustainability, human carrying capacity, over-exploitation, ecological overshoot, and urban systems and on cognitive barriers to understanding the depth of our eco-predicament. He has authored or co-authored hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and popular articles on these issues. His work is taken up by governments, nongovernmental organizations, educators, and scholars internationally.…

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1943-12-18 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of formation: 1998 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1943-12-18". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of formation is "1998". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1377218755