Ever wondered why Earth Overshoot Day comes early each year?
As of August 2, 2017, humans have used up their annual allowance for water, soil, and clean air. So from this day forward, the resources we consume are not sustainable. Every year, the Global Footprint Network makes calculations and announces the day on which humans will overshoot the sustainability mark. Called Earth Overshoot Day, this day is sadly not meant to be a celebratory day.
Andrew Simms of U.K. think tank New Economics Foundation originally came up with the concept of Earth Overshoot Day as a campaign to raise awareness of the limited resources on earth. Global Footprint Network, which is a partner organization of New Economics Foundation, calculates the day by dividing the number of ecological resources produced every year by humanity's ecological footprint and multiplying that by 365. In other words, the human demand and supply of natural resources is quantified and measured, and the maximum date on which humans will overshoot the sustainability mark is announced as the Earth Overshoot Day.
(World Biocapacity/World Ecological Footprint) X 365 = Earth Overshoot Day
The way the date is arrived at is considered rather simplistic and has garnered some criticism through the years. The criticism is primarily directed at insufficient data on water and land mismanagement. Additionally, it does not take into account the regeneration of forests and fisheries.
All criticism put aside, the ecological resources are being depleted quicker than ever before due to overfishing, overharvesting, deforestation, and the emission of CO2, as has been pointed by several studies. In the 1980s, the Earth Overshoot Day fell in November; but by 1993, it fell in October. After the year 2000, the day fell in September, and by 2016 it had reached August. At this rate, we will need about 1.7 earths to produce enough natural resources according to campaigners.
Global Footprint Network recommended eating less meat, consuming more fruit and vegetables, and reducing food wastage overall. “Our planet is finite, but human possibilities are not. Living within the means of one planet is technologically possible, financially beneficial, and our only chance for a prosperous future,” said the organization’s CEO and sustainability advocate Mathis Wackernagel.
Published on: Aug 03, 2017
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