If every country lived like we do in Australia, the world would have exceeded the demand for ecological resources and services that Earth can regenerate this year by 5 April !
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A country’s overshoot day is the date on which Earth Overshoot Day would fall if all of humanity consumed like the people in that country. Overshoot Day for the whole planet last year was 2 August. What can you do? Individual actions count but government actions are way more powerful. Tell your MP Australia needs to be more sustainable, and we need legislation to make this happen. You could start by demanding the government speed up the revised EPBC Act (called the Nature Positive Act). For tips on how to engage with your MP and more info on the proposed new legislation see the briefing on our webpage. Or call the office of Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to demand urgent reform of our nature laws. Tips here |
(If you want calculate you individual ecological footprint you can do it here.)
Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. We maintain this deficit by liquidating stocks of ecological resources and accumulating waste, primarily carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The date of Earth Overshoot Day is announced each year on June 5. The event is hosted and calculated by Global Footprint Network, an international research organization that provides decision-makers with a menu of tools to help the human economy operate within Earth’s ecological limits. The calculation builds on the National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts, which are governed by FoDaFo and maintained by York University. To estimate the year’s Earth Overshoot Day, latest data points are used to make the date reflect as accurately as possible the reality of the actual year. Every year, Global Footprint Network announces the date for Earth Overshoot Day of the running year on June 5, which is also World Environment Day.
To determine the date of Earth Overshoot Day for each year, Global Footprint Network calculates the number of days of that year that Earth’s biocapacity suffices to provide for humanity’s Ecological Footprint. The remainder of the year corresponds to global overshoot. Earth Overshoot Day is computed by dividing the planet’s biocapacity (the amount of ecological resources Earth is able to generate that year), by humanity’s Ecological Footprint (humanity’s demand for that year), and multiplying by 365, the number of days in a year:
(Earth’s Biocapacity / Humanity’s Ecological Footprint) x 365 = Earth Overshoot Day
Earth Overshoot Day 2023 fell on August 2. Learn more about how the 2023 date was calculated. Or download the more detailed report here.
Explore and download the data for the world and every country at data.footprintnetwork.org.
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