WWF Says to Consume More Wisely on Earth Overshoot Day
- 10 years ago
Today – Earth Overshoot Day – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and its partner Global Footprint Network want to remind us to waste less and consume more wisely, or we run the risk of leaving our children an Earth that can no longer support their needs.
Earth Overshoot highlights the day when humanity’s demand on nature exceeds what the Earth can renew in that year. This demand – or ecological footprint – includes food, fibers, energy, and ecosystem capacity to absorb carbon waste from fossil fuel burning. Because of our high fossil fuel use in the US, the carbon footprint is a substantial portion of our overall ecological footprint.
Earth can produce a limited amount of resources and ecological services in a given 12-month period, and we’ve already blown through them. For the rest of the year, humanity will be drawing on Earth’s reserves, something that’s only possible for a limited time before our environment begins to degrade and eventually collapse.
However, it’s not too late to steer the planet back on course.
WWF recommends several simple changes that we all can implement to significantly reduce our ecological footprint. “We now find ourselves in a world where human demand for resources is far overshooting Earth’s supply,” said Keya Chatterjee, director of renewable energy and footprint outreach at WWF. “It’s a bad situation, but it isn’t a hopeless one. Every day is a new opportunity to get back on track, but we all have to chip in.”
Earth Overshoot highlights the day when humanity’s demand on nature exceeds what the Earth can renew in that year. This demand – or ecological footprint – includes food, fibers, energy, and ecosystem capacity to absorb carbon waste from fossil fuel burning. Because of our high fossil fuel use in the US, the carbon footprint is a substantial portion of our overall ecological footprint.
Earth can produce a limited amount of resources and ecological services in a given 12-month period, and we’ve already blown through them. For the rest of the year, humanity will be drawing on Earth’s reserves, something that’s only possible for a limited time before our environment begins to degrade and eventually collapse.
However, it’s not too late to steer the planet back on course.
WWF recommends several simple changes that we all can implement to significantly reduce our ecological footprint. “We now find ourselves in a world where human demand for resources is far overshooting Earth’s supply,” said Keya Chatterjee, director of renewable energy and footprint outreach at WWF. “It’s a bad situation, but it isn’t a hopeless one. Every day is a new opportunity to get back on track, but we all have to chip in.”