Earth hit ‘Overshoot Day’ milestone on July 28th this year, as it continues to fall earlier every year

Humankind marked a grim milestone last month as we reached ‘Overshoot Day’ for planet earth. 

Earth Overshoot Day is the day by which humanity has consumed all Earth can sustainably produce for the year. It marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.

This year Earth Overshoot Day landed on July 28th. This means it would take approximately 1.75 Earths to provide for the world's population in a sustainable way.

Mathis Wackernagel, president of the Global Footprint Network, commented on the day that:

From January 1 to July 28, humanity has used as much from nature as the planet can renew in the entire year. That's why July 28 is Earth Overshoot Day…The Earth has a lot of stock, so we can deplete Earth for some time but we cannot overuse it forever. It's like with money; we can spend more than we earn for some time until we're broke.

The fact that we have used all of earth's resources for the year in less than 8 months just shows how far we have to go as a planet. But, where did this overshoot day come from? How is it calculated? And what can we do to move it back? Find the answers to all these questions below.

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Where Did It Originate From?

The concept of Earth Overshoot Day was first conceived by Andrew Simms of the UK think tank New Economics Foundation, which partnered with Global Footprint Network in 2006 to launch the first global Earth Overshoot Day campaign.

How Is It Calculated?

Earth Overshoot Day is computed by dividing the planet’s biocapacity, by humanity’s Ecological Footprint, and multiplying by 365, the number of days in a year.

(Earth’s Biocapacity / Humanity’s Ecological Footprint) x 365 = Earth Overshoot Day

Biocapacity: The amount of ecological resources Earth is able to generate in a year, such as forests, agricultural land, fishing grounds

Ecological Footprint: This is humanity’s demand for resources in a year such as demand for food, timber and other forest products, urban space.

When Was Ireland’s Earth Overshoot Day?

Ireland’s Earth Overshoot Day fell on April 21st this year. This means, If everyone in the world lived like Irish people, that would be the day the Earth would run out of its ecological resources for the year.

Ireland is typically ahead of the global overshoot date, indicating that Irish people consume more and live less sustainably per capita than the world average.

What Can Be Done To Move the Date Back?

It can often be overwhelming to be faced with such huge issues as how our planet's resources are being consumed at an unsustainable level. As with many topics within the Climate Action sphere, it’s important to remember that we can do small things to reduce the impact of our footprint on the planet.

To learn more about some things which can be done to reduce your footprint & with our One Little Thing Series: