Ecological Footprints of Nations Hold Surprises

Among 30 nations assessed by the Hinrich Foundation, which would you think has the biggest ecological footprint? The United States? China? Russia? No, it’s Singapore, and by quite a margin. This results from its “high population density, urbanized economy, and heavy dependence on imports.” This must come as a big surprise to aficionados of a “green-growing” information economy. However, it’s no surprise to ecological economists, given the trophic theory of money. Singapore would have one of the highest trophic scores in the history of nations.