Earth Overshoot Day, the day on which humanity has used up nature’s ‘resource budget’ for the year, takes place on 1 August this year, according to the Global Footprint Network.
The falling of Earth Overshoot Day at the start of August indicates that the human race is currently using natural resources at a rate 1.7 times faster than our planet’s ecosystems can regenerate.
‘Although Earth Overshoot Day has held steady for a decade, it remains early in the year, occurring just after 7 months of the year have passed,’ the Global Footprint Network said in a statement. ‘The remainder of the year humanity lives from overuse, further depleting the biosphere. Even as the date holds steady, the pressure on the planet keeps increasing, since damage from overshoot accumulates over time.’
Ecological overspending
This level of ‘ecological overspending’ has impacts in terms of deforestation, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, leading in turn to more frequent extreme weather events and reduced food production.
“Overshoot will end. The question is how: by design or by disaster,” commented Lewis Akenji, Global Footprint Network board member. “A planned transition gives us better security than ceding to the whims of a planet thrown off balance by overshoot.”
#MoveTheDate
The Global Footprint Network has outlined five focus areas that could potentially ‘move the date’ of Earth Overshoot Day further towards the end of the year –Cities, Energy, Food, Population, and Planet.
For example, cutting CO2 emissions from fossil fuels by 50% would move the date by three months.
“Ending overshoot is essential. It is also possible, given human potential,” added Debora Barioni of Global Footprint Network. Read more here.
We're officially in debt with🌍! #EarthOvershootDay marks when we use more #resources than #Earth can regenerate in a year. This date arrives earlier annually, highlighting our growing #ecologicaldeficit.
— Green Campus Ireland (@GreenCampusIE) August 1, 2024
It's calculated by comparing Earth's biocapacity to our resource demand. pic.twitter.com/kIv2SZZei9
