In Just 7 Months, the World Used an Entire Year ’ s Worth of Planetary Resources

For most people, Aug. 2, 2023 has been a day that’s gone largely unremarked upon. But for the planet as a whole, it was a very big—and very bad—date. Aug. 2 marked this year’s so-called Earth Overshoot Day—the day on which the annual resources humanity extracts from the earth exceeds the planet’s ability to regenerate them in the same year. Haul more fish from the ocean than can breed in their place? That’s an overshoot. Pump more fresh water from a lake or river or aquifer than can be replaced by rain, snow melt, or groundwater? That’s an overshoot. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Exactly when each year’s Earth Overshoot Day occurs is calculated by researchers whom the Earth Overshoot Day organization partners with at the nonprofit Global Footprint Network (GFN). GFN investigators run equations they have dubbed “ecological footprint accounting,” factoring together the planet’s biocapacity (basically everything it has on offer on its shelves) and how quickly humans are likely to clear those shelves based on current and past levels of consumption. “You need to measure what you manage and the ecological footprint accounting methodology allows humanity to do just that,” said GFN CEO Steven Tebbe, when he was named to his post late last year. “This metric is essential to finding the right balance between resource depletion and regeneration.” Humans have not alwa...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized climate change Climate Is Everything healthscienceclimate Source Type: news