Earth Overshoot Day: #MoveTheDate
Earth Overshoot Day falls on 29 July 2021 and marks the date when humans have used all the biological resources the Earth can regenerate in that year. In short, this means that from the 29th of July onwards, we are using more resources that can be renewed. Put another way, if nature was run like a bank account, we’ve just been told there’s nothing left to take.
Things have got progressively worse over the years. In 1970, the date of Earth Overshoot Day was calculated to be December 29th. So, we had used a year’s worth of the earth’s resources in just under a year – which even then was a little too close for comfort.
My Personal Overshoot Day
Hmmm, not proud to admit this but my Overshoot Day falls on 20 June, which means I am doing worse than the world’s average. But hold on, I am environmentally conscious, have drastically reduced meat consumption (bad with dairy though) and cycle or walk everywhere. It just goes to show that there is always so much more we can do and still so far we must go to reverse this ecological deficit. I’m motivated by the fact that every positive action matters, however small it may seem, the sum is bigger than its parts.
You can calculate your personal Overshoot Day here: https://www.footprintcalculator.org/
How Can Business Make a Difference?
There are solutions to every problem, and the Global Footprint Network (GFN) has published suggestions in several areas, some of which I’ve included below (source: https://www.overshootday.org/solutions/):
Classical conservation ― Efforts to protect and preserve wild spaces, particularly biodiversity hotspots.
Smart City Planning - Between 70% and 80% of all people are expected to live in urban areas by 2050. We need to plan for energy-efficient buildings, compact cities, and effective options for people-powered and public transportation.
Decarbonisation - Carbon Footprint makes up 57% of humanity’s Ecological Footprint. Decarbonising the economy is our best possible chance to address the climate crisis.
Food waste - About one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption — 1.3 billion tonnes every year — gets lost or wasted. If we prevent food loss and food waste, prefer plant-based foods, and choose foods that are grown with agroecological and regenerative practices, we could move Earth Overshoot Day 32 days!
Educating Girls - Worldwide, 130 million girls are out of school. By tackling birth rates through investment in girls’ education, we can achieve the greatest beneficial impact: both improving lives while also making those populations, and the world, more resource secure. World Bank statistics show that the difference in family size for women who have no schooling and those with 12 years of schooling is 4 to 5 children per woman. A quality education, which includes information and guidance around family planning and female reproductive health, can open up more personal choice and greater financial independence for young women.
Which of these resonate with you and align with your business objectives? How can you build your sustainability strategies and brands’ purpose around these big topic areas that will help create a better world?
Happy reading and #MoveTheDate!