Urban ecological footprints: Why cities cannot be sustainable - And why they are a key to sustainability

Ecological footprint analysis shows that cities can sweep out output of whole regions of the ecosphere vastly larger than themselves. Given the causal linkage between global ecological change and concentrated local consumption, national and provincial/state governments should assess what powers might be developed to, or shared with, the municipal level to enable cities to cope with the inherently urban dimensions of sustainability. At the same time, international agencies and national powers must recognize that policies for local, provincial, or national sustainability have little meaning without firm international commitment to the protection and enhancement of remaining common-pool natural capital and global life support services.