We will use up the equivalent of 1.6 Earths by the end of this year (Picture: Getty Images)

Humanity has already used up 100 per cent of the resources produced by the planet this year, which means all further consumption in the coming months places an unsustainable burden on Earth.

Sustainability think tank the Global Footprint Network (GFN) recently introduced Earth Overshoot Day, which is the time each year when we use up nature’s supply of resources and ecological services. Until 1970, humanity lived within its means, but we are now consuming far more than the planet provides.

This is largely a result of carbon emissions. Last year, Earth Overshoot Day fell on 19 August. This year, it fell on 13 August. This means that we are on course to use the resources of 1.6 Earths by the end of the year and by 2030 – assuming the course stays the same – we will use up two Earths each year.



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‘Humanity’s carbon footprint alone more than doubled since the early 1970s, when the world went into ecological overshoot,’ Mathis Wackernagel, president of the GFN, told the Independent.

‘We cannot stress enough the vital importance of reducing the carbon footprint, as nations are slated to commit to in Paris. It is not just good for the world, but increasingly becoming an economic necessity for each nation.’

‘We all know that the climate depends on it, but that is not the full story: Sustainability requires that everyone live well, within the means of one planet. This can only be achieved by keeping our Ecological Footprint within our planet’s resource budget.’

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