Every year, international think tank Global Footprint Network predicts "Earth Overshoot Day".

This is the date when humanity's consumption of resources for the year has surpassed the planet's capacity to replenish those resources that year.

This year's Earth Overshoot Day was been pushed forward to August 1, one day earlier than last year.

If we don't start reassessing our habits now, the world's ever-growing population may run out of resources before 2050.



Every year, international think tank Global Footprint Network predicts when "Earth Overshoot Day" will fall. In essence, this is the date on which humanity's consumption of resources for the year has exceeded the planet's capacity to replenish those resources that year.

The figure is calculated by dividing the amount of natural resources generated by Earth in a given year by our global consumption of those natural resources for that year, then multiplying by 365.

This year, Earth Overshoot Day was pushed forward to August 1, one day earlier than last year, indicating that Earth's overpopulation problem isn't getting any better.

Developed countries are responsible for the majority of CO2 emissions

Even if it were possible to push back Earth's Overshoot Day by a mere 4.5 days, the world's population would be living within the Earth's means by 2050. This, however, requires a great deal of initiative on the part of industrialised countries — which are, according to the Global Footprint Network, responsible for 60% of all CO2 emissions.

The first step we can take to turn this problem around is to establish our own ecological footprint.

On Global Footprint Network's website, you can actually answer questions about nutrition, living conditions, and mobility to ascertain your own personal Earth overshoot day and "the number of Earths" that would be needed if the entire world population were to consume the same resources you do.

On footprintcalculator.org the personal earth overload day can be calculated. Global Footprint Network / footprintcalculator.org

It's not all doom and gloom

Your own ecological footprint can also be broken down by category. The calculator also provides concrete approaches to long term solutions, and offers suggestions for improvement in nutrition or mobility behaviour, with the aim of postponing your own "Earth Overshoot Day".

For example, commuting more frequently by bike or having more meals that don't contain meat can massively reduce your ecological footprint.

In fact, according to the Global Footprint Network, Earth Overshoot Day could be postponed by five days if global meat consumption were reduced by half and much of our calorie consumption were substituted with vegetarian food.