Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. We maintain this deficit by liquidating stocks of ecological resources and accumulating waste, primarily carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Earth Overshoot Day is hosted and calculated by Global Footprint Network, an international research organization that provides decision-makers with a menu of tools to help the human economy operate within Earth’s ecological limits.
In the 1970s we were able to make it all the way to December before we started sucking up resources from future generations. Now we can’t even make it to August and we would need the equivalent of 1.75 planets to produce enough to meet humanity’s needs at current consumption rates.
Action is needed now more than ever.
If you want to find out when your own overshoot day is, Calculate your Ecological Footprint and personal Overshoot Day. Mine is pretty terrible.