Many nations need to tighten their belts if we are to have any hope of a sustainable future, according to a yearly report on resource consumption prepared by the Global Footprint Network. Since 1970, the group has been comparing the resources produced every year by the planet against what humans consume, and the trend has not been promising. In the early 1970s, mankind didn't use up its yearly resource allotment until late December. But "Earth Overshoot Day" has been getting earlier and earlier every year. In 2018, we began to dip into natural resource "savings" on August 2nd. According to the report, many industrial nations have an oversized ecological footprint. For example, if the entire world had as large an ecological footprint as the United States, we would need five planet Earths in order to naturally replenish those resources.
Trying to delay Earth Overshoot Day:
- The calculations are based on factors such as carbon emissions, deforestation, overfishing, waste processing, energy usage, and global population.
- Reducing car journeys, limiting plastic waste, and eating less meat are a few ways to decrease your ecological footprint .
- The good news is that the date of Earth Overshoot Day hasn't changed much since 2011, and it could conceivably be pushed back in future years.