earth overshoot day 2020

For years I've advocated  'one earth' equivalence  and fair share based on our collective carbon footprint being spread evenly around the world.  From 10+earths first world usage to less than 1/4 earths for the poorest.  

We only have one earth and everyone needs to understand this is the only sustainable long-term road.  Stopping short of egalitarianism, more equal distribution is essential. 

After 20 years in that space (carbon footprints) i've moved on.

Earth overshoot day and drawdown are now my go-to sustainable phenoms.  They are both great markers and solutions. 

'Earth overshoot day marks the date when humanity's demand for ecological sources and services exceeds what the earth can regenerate in that year. '  

https://www.overshootday.org

In other words, we're writing checks we can't cash.  Our lifestyles are taking more than the earth can give.   Either the bank goes bankrupt or it has to invest in better customers. 

For 2020 earth overshoot day was August 22nd.  After that day passes, we are taking more from the earth than it can provide.  That's for the entire planet, for the USA overshoot day was March 14th.  When we get to January 1, it's all over.



This chart shows some interesting trends - looks like WE are making some inroads!!  I think next year's date will be even later with the pandemic.

Past Earth Overshoot Days[1]
YearOvershoot DateYearOvershoot Date
1987October 232013August 3
1990October 112014August 5
1995October 52015August 6
2000September 232016August 5
2005August 262017August 3
2010August 82018August 1
2011August 42019July 29
2012August 42020August 22


Earth overshoot day came from Mathis Wackernagel's  Carbon Footprint network -  which is the original root source for carbon footprinting and by far the best source for all things measuring our impact.   Earth overshoot day is calculated this way: 

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While it's important to have some benchmarks and track progress - or lack of progress - it's also important to put this in perspective.  All our models are limited by our knowledge of how the planet works, and that is continually evolving.  It's nice to know that we seem to be turning a corner and that the earth overshoot day appears to be receding (getting better).  The COVID19 pandemic will surely have a substantial impact in reducing our overall carbon footprint - stay tuned. 





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