Today is Earth Overshoot Day and the date is unique every year. This is because this day marks the point where we, as a species, consume more than nature can renew for that year. Suffice to say that sounds rather ominous given that we’re only at the end of July.
To garner awareness and drive the point home, Global Footprint Network has partnered with Schneider Electric to create a footprint calculator , which gives us an idea of our ecological footprints based on consumption habits.
An Ecological Footprint is a measure of an individual or a population’s consumption of resources, which covers 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.
The launch of the footprint calculator is an exercise that runs in conjunction with 100 Days of Possibility , an initiative that highlights actionable ways for each country, city, or business to ready themselves for the consequences of overshoot.
Having tried out the calculator, it’s mind-boggling that just our diet alone can have such an impact, and this is considering that I barely travel nor consume a lot of other products – I’m not sure how I’d have to live to be sustainable. All the same, it’s a good way to kickstart a habit of asking the right questions.
