Hello our lovely readers, currently we are up with peculiar topic i.e. Earth Overshoot Day.
Do you guys know when Earth Overshoot Day is? Who developed the concept of Earth Overshoot Day?
Let’s proceed and explore this interesting topic.
About Earth Overshoot Day:
Earth Overshoot Day (EOD) is defined as the calculated illustrative calendar date on which humanity’s resource consumption for the year exceeds Earth’s capacity to regenerate those resources that year. The term ‘overshoot’ in Earth Overshoot Day represents the level by which human population’s demand exceeds the sustainable amount of biological resources regenerated on Earth.
History:
Andrew Simms originally developed the concept of Earth Overshoot Day. Andrew Simms of the UK think tank New Economics Foundation partnered with Global Footprint Network in 2006 and launched the first global Earth Overshoot Day campaign. Earth Overshoot Day is calculated by Global Footprint Network which is an international research organization that provides decision makers with a menu of tools to help the human economy operate within Earth’s ecological limits.
How EOD is calculated:
For determination of the date of Earth Overshoot Day for each year, Global Footprint Network calculates the number of days of that year that is Earth’s biocapacity adequate to provide for humanity’s Ecological Footprint. The remainder of the year signifies global overshoot. Earth Overshoot Day is computed by dividing the planet’s biocapacity by humanity’s Ecological Footprint and multiplying by 365, the number of days in a year.
Earth Overshoot Day = (Earth’s Biocapacity / Humanity’s Ecological Footprint) x 365
Where,
Biocapacity is the amount of ecological resources Earth is able to generate that year.
Humanity’s Ecological Footprint is humanity’s demand for that year.
365= Number of days in a year. In leap years, we compare the date against 366 days of the year, rather than the usual 365.
Global Footprint Network measures a population’s demand for and ecosystem’s supply of resources and services. These calculations then serve as the foundation for determining Earth Overshoot Day.
On the supply side, a nation’s biocapacity represents its biologically productive land and sea area that includes forest lands, grazing lands, cropland, fishing grounds, and built-up land.
On the demand side, Ecological Footprint represents population’s demand for plant based food and fibre products, livestock and fish products, timber and other forest products, space for urban infrastructure, and forest to absorb its carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels.
Both measures are expressed in global hectares with world average productivity. A hectare is equivalent to 10,000 sq. meters or 2.47 acres.
Not all countries will have an overshoot day. A country will only have an overshoot day if their Ecological Footprint per person is greater than global biocapacity per person. Countries whose Ecological Footprint per person are less than global biocapacity per person and don’t have an overshoot day. Such countries are therefore not included in the list.
According to the calculations, Earth Overshoot Day of this year lands on 29 July, 2021.
On the positive side, the rare Earth Overshoot Day has moved up on the calendar and has slowed to less than one day a year on average in the past five years compared to an average of three days a year since overshoot began in the early 1970s.
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Thank you
