Global Earth Overshoot Day describes how, from the beginning of the year until 1 August, humanity consumes as many natural resources as the Earth's various ecosystems can restore in the entire year. From this date onwards, we use more resources (arable and pasture land, forests, fishing grounds) than would theoretically be available. In addition, we emit more CO2 than nature can absorb through oceans and forests. This day makes it clear that the world's population currently needs 1.7 Earths to sustainably cover the average global demand for natural resources.
The data is provided by the Global Footprint Network, which has been calculating the Global Earth Overshoot Day for many years. Approximately 15,000 data sets per country and year are used in the calculation of the Global Earth Overshoot Day and are provided by the United Nations.
The required arable land, forest areas, pasture land, fishing grounds, built-up areas and CO2 emissions are included. In each case, the biological material consumed in tonnes is compared with the yield of the area in tonnes per hectare. The ecological footprint of a country is the total area it needs to sustainably consume resources and absorb emissions and waste.
The so-called "global hectare" is the unit of measurement for the ecological footprint and quantifies the average productivity of an area of land worldwide in one year. This unit of measurement is necessary to compare areas with different yields in different regions of the world.
For more information on the data basis, see here.
Only renewable natural resources are included in the calculation of the ecological footprint, which means no mineral resources such as oil, natural gas or minerals, metals and ores. Likewise, pure freshwater consumption is not included in the calculation, but instead the water areas needed to regenerate natural resources (such as fish).
An ecological deficit occurs when the Ecological Footprint of a population exceeds the biocapacity of the area available to that population. A national ecological deficit means that the country is net-importing biocapacity through trade, liquidating national ecological assets or emitting more carbon dioxide waste into the atmosphere than its own ecosystems absorb. In contrast, an ecological reserve exists when the biocapacity of a region exceeds its population’s Ecological Footprint.
The Ecological Footprint measures how much demand human consumption places on the biosphere. It is measured in standard units called global hectares.
The Ecological Footprint per person is a nation’s total Ecological Footprint divided by the total population of the nation. To live within the means of our planet’s resources, the world’s Ecological Footprint would have to equal the available biocapacity per person on our planet, which is currently 1.6 global hectares. So if a nation’s Ecological Footprint per person is 6.4 global hectares, its residents are demanding four times the resources and wastes that our planet can regenerate and absorb in the atmosphere.
Biocapacity is the area of biologically productive land and ocean area to provide food, fiber, and timber, accommodate urban infrastructure, and absorb excess CO2. Biocapacity reflects current management practices and is measured in standard units called global hectares.
Biocapacity per person equals total biocapacity of a region divided by the region’s population. The average biocapacity per person for the entire world is 1.6 global hectares. Countries with an average biocapacity of 3.2 global hectares per person have twice as many resources as the world average.
Detailed information and individual data on each country can be found on the interactive map of the Global Footprint Network.
We could postpone Earth Overshoot Day by 26 days if at least 75 per cent of electricity were generated by renewable energy sources. Currently, the global figure is only 39 per cent. Coal and gas in particular need to be replaced by alternatives such as solar and wind energy.
Based on scenarios calculated by the non-profit organisation Project Drawdown, restoring and protecting tropical rainforests can postpone Earth Overshoot Day by seven days by 2050. When restoring forests, native species in particular should be planted and invasive species removed.
According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations), 1.3 billion tonnes of edible food is currently thrown away unnecessarily. If we halved food waste worldwide, we could postpone Earth Overshoot Day by 13 days.
If we replaced 50 per cent of the world’s meat consumption with plant-based substitutes, we would postpone Earth Overshoot Day by seven days, simply through reduced CO2 emissions and land use. If we include the resulting reduced methane emissions, the impact is even greater.
If we were to reduce car journeys worldwide by 50 per cent and, for example, replace one third with public transport and the rest with cycling or walking, Earth Overshoot Day could be moved back by 13 days. The city of Wuppertal shows how this can be done: thanks to the expansion of the Nordbahntrasse, the share of commuters who use bicycles has risen from two percent to eight percent in recent years.
If we double the lifespan of our clothes, we can halve the resources needed to produce them. Cotton, for example, is a very water-intensive crop. Other garments are made from petroleum-based fibres. By buying used clothes, repairing or upcycling, we could postpone Earth Overshoot Day by five days.
