Today is Earth Overshoot Day 2020. Which means collectively, we – humanity – has already consumed the planet’s entire resource budget for 2020. The calculation made by the Global Footprint Network shows we are consuming at a rate that needs 1.6 Earths. This is simply unsustainable.
Last year Earth Overshoot Day was 29 July. So there has been a welcome contraction, due largely to COVID–19 lockdowns worldwide.
“Sustainability requires both ecological balance and people’s well-being ensured over the long-term, therefore this year’s sudden Ecological Footprint contraction cannot be mistaken for progress,” said Global Footprint Network CEO Laurel Hanscom. “This year more than ever, Earth Overshoot Day highlights the need for strategies that increase resilience for all.”
To help save the people and planet, a myriad of impactful and complementary collective actions are needed. Innovators, citizens, policy makers, academics and corporations must come together and use the UN Global Goals as the blueprint to achieve sustainable and desirable futures.
Read about the steps you can take to #MoveTheDate. And help inspire others by creating and sharing a a video, or photo, including #MoveTheDate, on social media.
Susan is the co-founder of Innovators Magazine and a consultant for OnePoint5Media. Susan is also a member of the UNFCCC-led Resilience Frontiers Nexus group and the Chair of the APOPO Foundation UK board.
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