Today - August 22 - is Earth Overshoot Day!

Today, humanity is using the equivalent of just over 1.5 Earth’s worth of ecological resources and services. If current trends continue unchanged, we are on track to require the resources of two planets well before mid-century.

"Our ecological overspending has become a vicious cycle, in which we draw down more and more principal at the same time our level of consumption, or “spending,” grows. The social and economic costs could be staggering",  said Dr. Mathis Wackernagel, President of Global Footprint Network.

“From soaring fossil fuel prices to crippling national debts partly due to rising natural resource prices, our economies are now confronting the reality of years of spending beyond our means,” Dr. Wackernagel said.

For the rest of the year, we will maintain our ecological deficit by depleting resource stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

ICLEI, together with cities and many organizations around the world are observing Earth Overshoot Day with events to raise awareness of
humanity’s Ecological Overshoot. We will also join Global Footprint Network on Twitter (@EndOvershoot) using the hashtag #OvershootDay at 8am, 1pm, and 6pm (PST) on August 22 to discuss Ecological Overshoot and how the Ecological Footprint is calculated.

“If we are to maintain stable societies and productive lives, we can no longer sustain a widening budget gap between what nature is able to provide and how much our infrastructure, economies and lifestyles require,” Dr. Wackernagel said.