We do not need a pandemic to #MoveTheDate!

On 28 July, Planet Earth sent us a notice of arrears: this year’s use of the Earth's natural resources has been exceeded the amount it can regenerate, and for the remaining days in 2022, we will be borrowing resources from the future generations

Earth Overshoot Day marks the point in the calendar year when humanity's exploitation of biological resources exceeds the planet's ability to regenerate those resources. That means that the rest of the year, all resources consumed will be unsustainable.

Earth Overshoot Day this year lands on July 28. This also means that, in less than eight months, humanity has exhausted Earth's budget for the year.

#What is Earth Overshoot Day？

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.

Photo Credit: Wolf Silveri, We're In This Together

Andrew Simms originally conceived the concept of Earth Overshoot Day while working at the UK think tank New Economics Foundation. Earth Overshoot Day is computed by dividing the planet's biocapacity (the amount of ecological resources Earth is able to generate that year) by humanity's Ecological Footprint (humanity's demand for that year).

Image Credit: National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts 2021 Edition

The Global Footprint Network calculates the number of days that the Earth's biocapacity can support the human ecological footprint each year (as shown in green in the above image), and the remaining days are the "global overshoot days" (as shown in red in the above image).

#Overshoot Trends

In 1961

Humanity was using two thirds of the Earth’s available natural resources and most countries had ecological reserves.

In 1970

Our planet went into global overshoot in the early 1970s. The first Earth Overshoot Days falls on Dec. 29, 1970.

1990-2010

Earth Overshoot Day was pushed forward to early October in 1990, and to early August in 2010.

2012-2017

We need 1.5 Earths to meet our consumption demands in 2012, and 1.7 Earths in 2017.

In 2050

It is estimated that we need at least 2 Earths' resources to meet your demands in 2050.

#Shifting Forward

Earth Overshoot Day 2022 happened on July 28, almost a month earlier than 2020. According to the calculations by the Global Footprint Network, compared with the year of 2020, we've already seen a 6.6% increase in our global carbon footprint, while our global forest biocapacity decreased by 0.5% due to widespread deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. For instance, in Brazil alone, 1.1 million hectares of forest were disappearing in 2020, and it is estimated that deforestation in 2021 will increase by as much as 43% year-on-year.

#What are the impacts of ecological overspending

WWF's findings show the cost of servicing this natural resource debt is climate change and widespread wildlife loss. This also puts us further and further into debt while threatening our future

According to the Global Footprint Network, the costs of ecological "overspending" include deforestation, collapsing fisheries, water scarcity, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and carbon dioxide (CO2) buildup in the atmosphere, which leads to climate change, famine, and more severe droughts, wildfires and hurricanes, and forces many people to migrate.

#Calculate Your Personal Overshoot Day

If everyone lived in your lifestyle, when would "Earth Overshoot Day" be? How many Earths do we need to satisfy this lifestyle?

Footprint Calculator released a new mobile-friendly calculator which is now available in eight languages. You can scan the QR code below to measure your Ecological Footprint and find out your personal Earth Overshoot Day. The tool will also help you to learn more about solutions so we can all tread more lightly on the Earth.