In the next few weeks, the major European countries will reach their calculated “Overshoot Days“ – that point in time when the ecological footprint is greater than the biocapacity per person (1.63 global hectares). The overshoot day is calculated by the Global Footprint Network based on data from the UN, among others.
Export giant Germany already has its Overshoot Day 2021 on May 5, followed by France. Next in line are Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, the U.K., Greece and Spain. The latter will have exhausted its resources on May 25, making it the last of the major European countries to do so. After this date, all resources consumed will be at the expense of future generations.
The (retrospective) global number of days that the Earth’s biocapacity has been sufficient to supply humanity’s ecological footprint – Earth Overshoot Day 2021 – will be announced on June 5, the World Environment Day. The global economic downturn in economies worldwide as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic is expected to have some impact.
Earth Overshoot Day is calculated by dividing the planet’s biocapacity (the amount of ecological resources Earth can produce that year) by humanity’s ecological footprint (humanity’s demand that year) and multiplying the number of days in a year.
The Global Footprint Network and other NGOs promote awareness of the day with the hashtag #movethedate.
Photo: © NASA on Unsplash
