On this Wednesday, people have used up the ecological resources that are actually available on earth for the entire year. According to the calculations of the American environmental organization Global Footprint Network, August 2nd is Earth Overshoot Day this year. If everyone lived as lavishly as people in Germany, the day would have been May 4th.
At first glance, it looks like progress because last year’s Earth Overshoot Day was July 28th. It looks like people will have used fewer resources in 2023 than they did in 2022. However, according to Amanda Diep, spokeswoman for the Global Footprint Network, appearances can be deceiving. Rather, all data would be updated every year with the latest data collections and methods in order to be able to draw comparisons. According to this, the Earth Overshoot Day in 2022 was not July 28th, but rather August 1st.
Only won one day
“The trend is flat,” said Diep, and has been for around ten years. In 2023 only one day was won. “How much of this is due to a drop in economic activity (because of Corona) or to decarbonization efforts is difficult to say.” Decarbonization means switching from fossil fuels to carbon-free and renewable energy sources.
On the one hand, the organization calculates what nature can produce and absorb without losses in a year. This includes raw materials, drinking water and food, man-made waste and CO2 emissions. She compares this to what people consume with their way of life and economic activity. It sets the day when all of the year’s resources are used up. Much of this is due to greenhouse gas emissions.
In order to live in balance with nature and reduce greenhouse gases as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Earth Overshoot Day would have to be pushed back by 19 days every year for the next seven years, Diep said. According to Diep, if it were possible to halve food waste worldwide, 13 days would be gained.
Plea for traveling by train
“For more than 50 years, the earth’s natural resources have been overexploited every year,” said Christoph Bals, political director of the environmental and development organization Germanwatch. Depending on the route, traveling by train can be up to 28 times more climate-friendly than flying, said Jacob Rohm, the officer for climate-friendly mobility at Germanwatch. “Abolishing the unfair tax exemptions for air traffic would already flush four billion euros a year into the federal budget. This could massively expand the rail network and offers in Europe.”
A study by Ohio State University shows that only 6 percent of 178 countries are environmentally sustainable by providing their citizens with adequate food, energy and water without exceeding natural capacities. The researchers looked at water consumption and CO2 absorption, for example in forests. The study found that many countries emit far more carbon than their ecosystems can handle. Nevertheless, the researchers see potential for combating environmental risks through renewable energies, plant-based nutrition and a sustainable circular economy.
