The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has recently reported alarming data – as of July 29th, 2021, humanity has consumed all the biological resources that our planet could regenerate within the entire year. Astonishingly, the demands of our species are 74% higher than what earth’s ecosystems can regenerate. This means we’re using the equivalent of 1.7 Earths’ worth of resources. From Earth Overshoot Day onwards, mankind operates in ecological deficit spending mode.
Understanding Earth Overshoot Day
Earth Overshoot Day is a significant date calculated annually to mark when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services exceeds what Earth can regenerate in a year. The idea was initiated by Andrew Simms from the UK think tank New Economics Foundation. In 2006, this organization paired with the Global Footprint Network, an international nonprofit founded in 2003, to initiate the first global Earth Overshoot Day campaign.
Their main strategy is to provide robust Ecological Footprint data – a comprehensive metric comparing human demand on nature against nature’s capacity to regenerate. The Overshoot Day is calculated using this formula: (Earth’s Biocapacity / Humanity’s Ecological Footprint) x 365.
?What’s Causing This?
The primary cause for such intensive resource consumption is a 6.6% increase in the global carbon footprint in 2020. The carbon footprint measures the impact of human activities on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced primarily through fossil fuel combustion. Furthermore, a 0.5% decrease in global forest biocapacity due to deforestation, particularly in Amazon’s rainforests, has been documented. In fact, Brazil alone lost 1.1 million hectares of Amazonian rainforest.
Forecasts For The Future
The situation is predicted to escalate, with a whopping 43% increase in deforestation expected in 2021. While measures due to the pandemic have led to a marginal decrease in carbon emissions from transportation (5% below 2019 for road transport and domestic air travel, and 33% for international aviation), global energy-related CO2 emissions are set to rise by 4.8%. Global coal usage is anticipated to form 40% of the total carbon footprint.
A Call For Change
To push Earth Overshoot Day later into the year, our business-as-usual approach will not suffice. Solutions could include reducing food wastage, improving energy efficiency in buildings and industries, and decreasing reliance on transportation.
Global and Indian Initiatives
The United Nations has been organizing the Conference of the Parties (COPs) for almost three decades, highlighting climate change as a global priority. COP26, the 26th annual summit, will take place in Glasgow, UK.
Also significant is the Paris Agreement — a legally binding international treaty on climate change aimed at limiting global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius.
India, too, has taken several steps towards sustainability, such as the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission norms, UJALA scheme, and the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
