Earth Overshoot Day – August 1. Humanity is devouring our planet’s resources in increasingly destructive volumes, according to a new study that reveals we have consumed a year’s worth of carbon, food, water, fibre, land and timber in a record 212 days. As a result, the Earth Overshoot Day – which marks the point at which consumption exceeds the capacity of nature to regenerate – has moved forward two days to 1 August, the earliest date ever recorded. To maintain our current appetite for resources, we would need the equivalent of 1.7 Earths, according to Global Footprint Network, an international research organisation that makes an annual assessment of how far humankind is falling into ecological debt – read more
This year, we’re on track to burn through a year’s supply of food, timber, cotton, and carbon emissions in just 212 days. This is the fastest humanity has consumed our annual allotment, according to an analysis put out Monday by the Global Footprint Network, an international research organization that keeps track of what they call Earth Overshoot Day. With this new record, August 1 is the day we finish Mother Nature’s annual harvest. At this rate, humans will need nearly two Earths to keep up with our current demand – read
The United States is the third most populous nation on Earth, with about 319 million inhabitants. The average person born in the US creates 13 times as much damage to the environment as someone born in Brazil, uses 35 times the resources of a typical person in India, and consumes about 53 times more products than people who live in China. Also, the lifestyle of Americans is second only to that of Canadians in generating the most greenhouse gases per person – read
What is Earth Overshoot Day and why is it coming earlier each year? As a species, we are currently using up nature’s resources around 1.7 times faster than the planet’s ecosystems can regenerate them, through our consumption rates and a growing population. link