Earth Overshoot Day
We have all been inspired in different ways, driven by varying ‘moments of realization’ to reduce plastic usage, reduce the demand for it and reduce waste.
Here is yet another reason - ‘Earth Overshoot Day’, an initiative of the Global Footprint Network, an international research organization that is changing the way the world measures and manages its natural resources.
Every year, it marks the day humanity has exhausted nature's budget for the year.
I am borrowing a definition from Wikipedia here:
"Earth Overshoot Day (EOD), previously known as Ecological Debt Day, is the calculated illustrative calendar date on which humanity's resource consumption for the year exceeds Earth's capacity to regenerate those resources that year. The term "overshoot" represents the level by which human population overshoots the sustainable amount of resources on Earth.
Earth Overshoot Day = (World Bio-capacity / World Ecological Footprint) x 365 "
In 2019, we busted the Earth's budget on 29th July. The second half of the year, we were borrowing from the future and not giving Earth the time and resources to regenerate.
Interesting data, right? Let's take a look at the past Earth Overshoot days
The date has been creeping up the calendar every year, this can't be good.
There’s another interesting piece of information that the Global Footprint Network tracks – ‘Country Overshoot’ days (the date on which Earth Overshoot Day would fall if all of humanity consumed like the people in this country).
Alarming, isn't it!
Before we wrap up, let's also take a quick test to calculate our personal Earth Overshoot day:
http://www.footprintcalculator.org/
This is more than a wakeup call - how long, how far can we go without changing our mindset and behavior towards a more circular lifestyle and economy?
Can you, one person, make a change? – of course, you can. Every tiny bit counts!
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