Natural resources available for this year will be over on the 1st of August. It’s the so-called “Earth Overshoot Day”, when humans begin to exploit the Earth more than it could be exploited, with heavy effects on climate change. From this day to the end of the year, humans will use more than nature can regenerate, emitting more carbon dioxide than oceans and woods can absorb. An international research organization, the Global Footprint Network, calculates every year this date: according to scientists, it would need 1,7 earths to feed the mankind.
Humanity has been in debt with the Earth since 70s, in different ways among different people and locations: humans often use others’ resources. For example, if the entire global population lived like the Americans, would be needed 5 earths to satisfy their needs; 4.1 if everyone had the Australian lifestyle, 3.5 of the South Koreans, 3.3 of the Russians, 3 of the Germans and so on.
86% of mankind lives in a country that is in debt with the nature. On the other side, there are countries like India: if everyone consumed like Indians do, natural resources would be more than enough. The effects of this phenomenon are heavy and clear: deforestation, drought, lack of water, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and too much carbon dioxide, that affects climate change. The real problem is that while there is no limits for economy, production and population, on the other hand the Earth is a finite resource and it’s not possible to increase it. So limits must be imposed to bring the Overshoot Day back to 31 of December.
According to Global Footprint Network, there are 4 areas in which we must do something: cities, energies, food and population. For example, if we halved the time spent at the wheel and replaced a third of the trips by car with public transport, we would earn 12 days. Decarbonising the economy by cutting half the emissions of the energy sector would give 93 days, while halving food waste and adopting a more sustainable diet would give another 38 days. Then the control of population growth: we need to slow down the increase in the world population, which has doubled since 1970.
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