According to the Global Footprint Network, August 19th is Earth Overshoot Day 2014, the approximate date humanity’s annual demand on nature exceeds what the Earth can renew this year. In less than 8 months, we have demanded an amount of ecological resources and services equivalent to what Earth can regenerate for all of 2014. According to Global Footprint Network’s calculations, it would take more than 1.5 Earths to provide the biocapacity needed to support humanity’s current Ecological Footprint. Moderate population, energy and food projections suggest that humanity would require the biocapacity of three planets well before mid-century. This may be physically unfeasible. Today, 86 percent of the world population lives in countries that demand more from nature than their own ecosystems can renew. These “ecological debtor” countries either deplete their own ecological resources or get them from elsewhere. Were Japan’s residents to consume ecological resources and services solely from within their country’s borders, they would demand 7 Japans. In other words, Japan’s Footprint is 7 times larger than its biocapacity. Similarly, it would take 4.3 Switzerlands to support Switzerland and 2.7 Egypts to support Egypt. Learn more here: footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/earth_overshoot_day/
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 08:30:01 +0000
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