Earth Overshoot Day 2020 (50th anniversary)
August 22, 2020
In 2019 Earth Overshoot day fell on 29th July. This year the date has been pushed back by 34 days to 22nd August, in large part owing to a fall in carbon emissions caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Overshoot day is quite a tricky concept, but in the words of www.earthovershootday.org “Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year”.
A number of factors are taken into account when calculating the date of overshoot each year, and a significant contributor is the amount of ‘stuff’ we waste.
Food waste alone accounts for approximately 9% of the global ecological footprint. Taking action to reduce food waste could see overshoot day pushed back by 11 days and is thought to be one of the most effective steps anyone could do to live more sustainably.
It’s not just about food. Everything we produce, consume and waste has an impact, from the clothing we wear to the electricity we use when we access the internet. Reducing, reusing and recycling (the 3 R’s) are key to achieving sustainability.
Hopefully this isn’t news to you as 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Overshoot Day.
To find out more about Earth Overshoot Day and the actions you can take to #Movethedate visit:
