Planet’s annual budget of resources used up in just 7 months
On 1 August 2024, we reach a critical milestone – Earth Overshoot Day. We interviewed two of the people responsible for calculating the date to find out more. Watch the video here!
Earth Overshoot Day is the day when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that same year. In simpler terms, we’ve used up our planet’s annual budget of resources in just 7 months.
To learn more, we spoke with Dr Mathis Wackernagel, co-founder, and Joost Brinkman, campaigner at Global Footprint Network, the international sustainability organisation responsible for calculating Earth Overshoot Day.
Global Footprint Network
“Earth Overshoot Day falling on August 1st signifies that humanity is currently using nature 1.7 times faster than our planet’s ecosystems can regenerate.
This overshoot is possible because people can harvest more than is being renewed, thereby depleting natural capital. Such overuse compromises resource security.
The consequences of ecological overspending are evident in deforestation, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which leads to more frequent extreme weather events and reduced food production.”
