This year's Earth Overshoot Day fell on *insert date*. In line with trends over the past 20 years, humanity has reached Earth Overshoot Day earlier than ever before.

What is Earth Overshoot Day?

Earth Overshoot Day, previously known as Ecological Debt Day, is the day when we (all of humanity) have exhausted nature's budget for the year. The date is determined each year by Global Footprint Network, an independent think tank that was originally based in the United States, Belgium, and Switzerland. The calculation of 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), and multiplying by 365, the number of days in a year. For the rest of the year, we are in debt with our planet. 

The burden of this debt has gotten heavier in the past 50 years. Below is a list of a couple of Earth Overshoot Days from previous years.

1970: December 29th

1985: November 4th

2000: September 23rd

2015: August 6th

2018: August 1st

2019: July 29th

Global Footprint Network calculates both a global Earth Overshoot Day and dates based on specific countries. The picture below clearly illustrates the different outcomes if all of humanity consumed like the population in a specific country.

If you would like to determine your ecological footprint and personal Earth Overshoot Day, visit the following website to use Global Footprint Networks user-friendly calculator: http://www.footprintcalculator.org/

Small actions can make a big difference and there are effective solutions to #MoveThe Date (https://www.overshootday.org/portfolio/i-join-the-solutions-to-movethedate-movement/) of Overshoot. All of us play an important role in creating a world where we all live within our limits. 

Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash