The Concept of Ecological debt: its Meaning and Applicability in International Policy

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The concept of ecological debt was coined by Southern NGO's at the beginning of the nineties. It usually refers to the ecological damage caused by industrialised countries in Southern countries and/or to the use of ecosystems and ecosystem services at the expense of Southern countries. Currently, several NGO networks from North and South are campaigning for the recognition of ecological debt. On Belgian level, the concept made its way into the first Federal plan for Sustainable Development 2001-2004. In its paragraph 582 - part of the chapter on international cooperation - the Plan states, in one sentence, that "Belgium will study the concept of ecological debt and its practical applicability in policy." Between July 2003 and June 2004, several departments of Ghent University (the Centre for Sustainable Development/CDO, the Department of International Public Law, the Department of Plant Production) in collaboration with the NGO Flemish Platform for Sustainable Development (VODO), are carrying out a research project on ecological debt. The project aims at clarifying the concept of ecological debt (definition, methodology, frame of reference) and studying its relevance and applicability in Belgian and international policy. For these last subjects the research focuses on the fields of energy and climate change, agriculture and food supply, and integration in multilateral environmental agreements.