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Writer's pictureNezrin Abbasova
Aug 215 min read

The Earth Overshoot or Ecological Debt Day

In fact, the more resources the population of a certain country consumes, the faster it uses its annual supply of natural resources


Pic.1. Depleting resources.

Earth Overshoot Day is the day when humanity reaches the limit of all the natural resources that the Earth can replenish in a year. The day symbolizes the moment when resource consumption exceeds their regeneration, leading to environmental problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion.

For most of human history, humanity used natural resources — to build cities and roads, to provide food and create products, and to absorb the CO2 emitted by human activity — at a rate that was well within the Earth’s budget. But sometime in the 1970s, we crossed a critical threshold.


Earth Overshoot Day was first calculated in 1970

"From soaring fossil fuel prices to crippling national debts partly due to rising natural resource prices, our economies are now confronting the reality of years of spending beyond our means"

Dr. Wackernagel said


This year, Earth Overshoot Day fell on August 1-st

This year, the focus was on the need for change in five key areas:

1.     Cities – how we design and manage cities.

2.     Energy – how we get and use energy.

3.     Food – how we produce and consume food.

4.     Population – how population size affects resources.

5.     Planet – how we help nature regenerate (Illinois Sustainable Technology Center) (Club of Rome).


One of the key messages this year is that changes are possible that could move the Earth Overshoot Day date forward. For example, reducing CO₂ emissions by 50% could move the date forward by three months (Earth Overshoot Day) (Club of Rome). Organizations like the Global Footprint Network emphasize the importance of taking action to address our ecological debt, calling for collaborative efforts to achieve sustainability and change our habits (Illinois Sustainable Technology Center).

Bu ilin əsas mesajlarından biri ekoloji borc tarixini irəli apara biləcək dəyişikliklərin ola biləcəyidir. Məsələn, CO₂ emissiyalarının 50% azaldılması tarixi üç ay irəli çəkə bilər. Qlobal Footprint Network kimi təşkilatlar ekoloji borcun öhdəsindən gəlmək üçün fəal addımlar atmağın vacibliyini vurğulayır, davamlılıq və vərdişlərimizi dəyişdirmək üçün əməkdaşlığa çağırır.


How is World Overshoot Day calculated?
Pic.1. World Overshoot Day calculator.

The Global Footprint Network is an organization that calculates the date of World Overshoot Day each year. It’s calculated by dividing the planet’s biocapacity (the amount of ecological resources Earth is able to generate that year, or more specifically, all the biologically productive spaces needed to regenerate the world demand) by humanity’s Ecological Footprint (humanity’s demand in that year) and multiplying it by 365 days:

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

What can be done about it?

The most important thing is to be as careful as possible with the available resources. However, humanity is still very far from this. For example, every year in the world, for various reasons, 30% of all produced products are thrown away, and a significant part of this is what people buy for future use, but then throw away. That is, the planet's resources are actually wasted, although forests often have to be cut down for agricultural land, further reducing the planet's biocapacity.

There is an international movement #MoveTheDate, calling on states, companies and individuals to take actions that will push back the date of the ecological debt.


Among the recommendations, the following can be highlighted:

  • Reasonably organize the urban environment: build energy-efficient buildings, develop public transport, etc.

  • Restore nature - first of all, plant new forests.

  • Switch to green energy, using the energy of water, sun, wind, tides and geysers, and electric cars.

  • Reduce waste, sort and recycle it.

  • Buy only what you really need.


Is it possible to move Earth Overshoot Day?

Yes, although this requires colossal efforts from many people, large companies and countries. For example, the date can be moved by 8 days if 350 million hectares of forest are planted, and by 13 days if car emissions are halved worldwide and public transport is used more often. The date will move by the same number of days if food waste is halved worldwide. The date can be moved by 17 days if the world consumes 50% less meat and by 93 days if humanity reduces its carbon footprint by 50%.


How to contribute?

Everyone can help pay off the planet's ecological debt - to do this, you need to reduce your impact on the environment whenever possible.


For example, adhere to the zero waste concept (literally “zero waste”), which is based on the 5R principle:

  1. Refuse. Don’t buy unnecessary things;

  2. Reduce. Some things can’t be given up, but you can reduce their quantity: for example, get by with two pairs of shoes instead of five;

  3. Reuse. Many things that some people no longer need can be of use to others. Give away, sell, and exchange unnecessary things;

  4. Recycle. Recycling is not an ideal way to reduce your ecological footprint, but it helps reduce the amount of garbage on the planet. Recycle plastic, glass, metal, and paper so that new raw materials are not used to produce them;

  5. Rot. Turn organic waste into compost, a valuable fertilizer. This can be done even in a city apartment.

 


The Earth is a planet of unique beauty! It is constantly being transformed without human intervention: powerful volcanic eruptions contribute to the formation of new islands, new species of flora and fauna appear. Traces of past civilizations have been preserved on the planet, ancient structures erected by man are surrounded by lifeless deserts. All this makes modern man think about preserving the world around him.

This day reminds us all that for normal existence it is necessary to keep the air, water and land clean. The planet turned out to be much more vulnerable than people thought. The threat to its existence is not only large-scale pollution, but also the total devastation of natural resources under the influence of anthropogenic factors.

Let's be responsible for the world around us and preserve life on the planet!!!

Deputy Head of Department S.A. Shlyk




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