Disturbing news, according to the NGO Global Footprint Network, the "Overshoot Day", that is to say the date when humanity will have consumed more natural resources, arrives each year earlier and earlier.
Who has become over the centuries the number 1 enemy of humanity? WE. The "Overshoot Day " will take place this Saturday, August 22. This rather barbaric English name, calculated since 2003 by the American NGO Global Footprint Network, aims to illustrate the ever faster consumption of an expanding human population on a limited planet. In 2020, it would take 1.6 Earths to meet the needs of the world's population in a sustainable way.
"To bridge this 'gap' and determine the day of the Earth's overshoot for the current year, the Global Footprint Network establishes trend lines from the data from the National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts and extends these lines from trend in the current year As far as possible, more recent data from reputable sources (Global Carbon Project, etc.) are included to strengthen the assessment of "slack" years, we read on the site of the body.
There is therefore a cross between the ecological footprint of human activities (land and sea surfaces necessary to produce the resources consumed and to absorb the waste of the population) and the "biocapacity " Earth (capacity of ecosystems to regenerate and absorb waste produced by humans, in particular CO2 sequestration).
This "overtaking " occurs when human pressure exceeds the regenerative capacities of natural ecosystems. And for 50 years, according to the NGO, it has continued to grow: December 29 in 1970, November 4 in 1980, October 11 in 1990, September 23 in 2000, August 7 in 2010
In 2019, it fell on July 29. 2020. Good news therefore, the "overrun" would waste time, following the consequences of the global pandemic which has paralyzed entire areas of human activity, pushing back the date by three weeks, and not to a systemic change. But for the experts, we should not rejoice quickly.
"There is nothing to celebrate because it comes with suffering, it is not done on purpose, but by a catastrophe. It's like money: you can spend more than what you earn, but not forever ", explained Mathis Wackernagel, president of Global Footprint Network at an online event.
Towards a reduction of our waste …
A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change shows that the unprecedented drop in greenhouse gas emissions during lockdowns due to Covid (which could reach 8% according to this study, more than 10% according to Global Footprint) will not be used to "nothing" to slow global warming, in the absence of systemic change in energy and food.
Because according to UN experts, to slow down our self-destruction, we would have to: reduce greenhouse gas emissions, get out of fossil fuels and drastically change the model of agro-food production.
In their #movethedate campaign, Global Footprint Network insists that reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion by 50% would push the overshoot by more than 90 days, or divide by two 15-day animal protein consumption.