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September 23, 2008 is Earth Overshoot Day:
The day our demand surpasses nature’s budget
September 23 this year marks an unfortunate milestone: the day humanity will have used all the
resources nature will generate this year, according to data from Global Footprint Network, a
research organization that measures how much nature we have, how much we use and who uses
what. Beyond that day, we move into the ecological equivalent of deficit spending, utilizing
resources at a rate faster than what the planet can regenerate in a calendar year.
What is Overshoot?
Just like any company, nature has a budget – it can only produce so many resources and absorb
so much waste each year. The problem is, our demand for nature’s services is exceeding what it
can provide. Since the 1980s, humanity has been in ecological overshoot, using natural
resources faster than they can be regenerated and putting carbon dioxide into the air faster than
it can be reabsorbed.
Globally, we now demand the biological capacity of 1.4 planets, according to Global Footprint
Network. But of course, we only have one. The result is that our supply of natural resources – like
trees and fish – continues to shrink, while our waste – primarily carbon dioxide – accumulates.
The greatest cause of overshoot is our carbon emissions. Today, humanity is simply emitting
carbon faster than the planet can re-absorb it. Our carbon Footprint has increased more than 700
percent since 1961.
How Earth Overshoot Day is calculated
Each year, Global Footprint Network calculates humanity’s Ecological Footprint (its demand on
cropland, pasture, forests and fisheries), and compares this with global biocapacity, the ability of
these ecosystems to generate resources and absorb waste. Ecological Footprint accounting can
be used to determine the exact date we, as a global community, begin living beyond the means of
what the planet can regenerate in a calendar year.
Humanity first went into overshoot in 1986; before that time the global community consumed
resources and produced carbon dioxide at a rate consistent with what the planet could produce
and reabsorb. By 1996, however, humanity was using 15 percent more resources in a year than
the planet could supply, with Earth Overshoot Day falling in November. This year, more than two
decades since we first went into overshoot, because we are now demanding resources at a rate
of 40 percent more than the planet can produce them, Earth Overshoot Day has moved forward
to September 23.
What Can I do To End Overshoot?
Take our Quiz to determine your Ecological Footprint and learn what you can do to get out of
overshoot in your own life. You can also encourage government and business leaders to build
cities and organizations that help to end overshoot with smart infrastructure planning and bestpractice green technology. With everyone working together, we can make Earth Overshoot Day
history instead of news!
Learn more about Overshoot.
About Global Footprint Network
Global Footprint Network was established in 2003 to help build a sustainable future: where all
people have the opportunity to live satisfying lives within the means of one planet. An essential
step in creating a one-planet future is measuring human impact on the Earth so we can make
more informed choices.
That is why our work aims to accelerate the use of the Ecological Footprint—a resource
accounting tool that measures how much nature we use, how much we have, and who uses
what. The Footprint is a data-driven metric that tells us how close we are to the goal of
sustainable living. Our National Footprint accounts work like bank statements, documenting
whether we are living within our ecological budget or consuming nature’s resources faster than
the planet can renew them.
Together with hundreds of individuals, 200 cities, 23 nations, leading business, scientists, NGOs,
academics, and our 90 plus global Partners, we are advancing the impact of the Footprint in the
world. We are applying it to practical projects, sparking a global dialogue about a one-planet
future, and facilitating positive change.