Earth Overshoot Day 2017 – #movethedate campaign

The 2nd of August of this year marked the Earth overshoot Day. Yearly calculated by the Global Footprint Network (GFN), an international non-profit organisation engaged in the promotion of a more sustainable future which keeps track of the human ecological footprint, Earth Overshoot Day is the day which humanity’s resource consumption, in a given year, outpace the world biocapacity to regenerate those resources that year.

As of 2017, GFN estimates that humanity has been using natural capital 1.7 times as fast as nature can renew it. As a matter of fact, the rising costs of ecological overspending are becoming more and more evident, as demonstrated by deforestation, fisheries collapse, drought, species loss, soil erosion and the relentless rise of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere. However, a series of solutions targeting four major fields – food, cities, population and energy – have been identified, with the aim to reverse this trend and improve sustainability. To this end, the #movethedate campaign has launched a series of pledges that can help to create a more sustainable future.

You might ask… what can I do?

The most significant factor contributing to the global Ecological Footprint is carbon dioxide emissions from food supply and consumption. Indeed, our food choices do have the potential to increase or decrease our footprint.

It truly is up to us. For instance, changing our consumption pattern in favour of those foods which require a smaller amount of resources as well as minimising food waste – which is also one of the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals – is pivotal for moving the date of Earth Overshoot Day forward.

That means eating less meat, especially beef, pork and lamb and substituting them with veggies. Added bonus, whats good for the planet is also good for you health.

Reduce food waste by buying smartly and also try to buy goods with less packaging to reduce your plastic waste.

You can find more information on Earth Overshoot Day and how to #movethedate on http://www.overshootday.org/.

 

Article by Teresa Frasca, Kopin Intern