Todday, August 1, is Earth Overshoot Day, the moment in the year where humanity uses up more of the Earth’s resources than the Earth produces in that year. Starting tomorrow, any resources we use, from food to water to timber, will not be replenished by the end of the year.
The idea for Earth Overshoot Day originated in 1987 with the Global Footprint Network, which is a think tank centered around sustainable practices. The first Earth Overshoot Day was December 19, 1987, and nearly every year since then Earth Overshoot Day has come earlier and earlier. Last year it was August 2.
The day is calculated by comparing the number of resources produced by every country on Earth and dividing them by the number of resources consumed. The think tank calculates how many resources a country produces by looking at areas like farmland, grassland, forests, oceans, and cities. Historically, Earth Overshoot Day moves further from December 31 every year, which means every year we get closer to the point where we face a real crisis.
Some places are already feeling the strain. Cape Town in South Africa is only a year away from running out of water, and many cities in India have already reached that state. Food shortages are common across many parts of the world. As we continue to increase our resource disparity, an increasing number of regions and countries will start to run out of the things they need. We need to get working on solutions yesterday.