Here we go again, like every year we arrive at the fateful Earth Overshoot Day and it comes earlier and earlier.
Have you ever heard of the Earth Overshoot Day? Well it's time to know it!!
According to the International Research Organization Global Footprint Network, on August 1, 2018 humanity will have completely exhausted the resources available for the entire year.
The annual demand of resources by human beings, it overcomes what terrestrial ecosystems are able to renew in a year. In short, we consumed in just 212 days all the amount of food, water, fiber, soil, timber that we should use in a whole year.
For the level of consumption achieved by humanity, it needs 20 billion hectares of fertile land, but there is a problem: our Planet doesn't go beyond 12 billion hectares.
And this year, 2018, The Earth Overshoot Day is the earliest date ever recorded since the 70s.
Images by Google
Despite the commitment made in Paris in 2015 to improve our impact on the planet, ie reduce carbon dioxide emissions, decrease the consumption of fossil fuels such as oil, coal, gas; the International Energy Agency has certified that in 2017 emissions increased by 1.4%.
But what are the consequences of this unstoppable ecological looting of our Planet, the only one?
Here are the main consequences in random order of importance:
deforestation, collapse of fishing, scarcity of drinking water, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, leading to climate change, severe drought, forest fires and hurricanes.
Still doubts about the negative effects of climate change? Do you need some practical examples?
Let's see a little .. The devastating fires that hit in recent years in the western United States. The worsening of the hurricane season and its destructive effects, to remember the Island of Dominica, St. Croix and Puerto Rico. The floods and storms that affected most of Europe in recent years.
It's true, today doesn't seem different from yesterday, in the pantry there is still food or the usual products of daily use, you don't seem to live on a Planet that has finished its resources, looking around it's all as always.
Yet for the next 152 days we will have to use the resources planned for 2019 and if we don't take action for a sustainable use of all our Planet resources, next summer we will meet again at the same point of today, always if we don't anticipate the next Earth Overshoot date.
We have to do something soon!!
Stop consuming the resources 1.7 times faster than our Planet's ecosystems can regenerate.
Looking at the data made available by the Global Footprint Network, the USA, the Australia and the South Korea consume more than other countries.
I'm very sorry to know that my country is among the worst on the list. Italy has used 4.6 times the resources of our country.
We must commit ourselves to reducing our impact on the Planet.
All countries must adopt policies as soon as possible to stop the senseless exploitation of resources, to move forward the NON-RETURN DATE.
This is the goal of #MovetheDate : raising awareness of global public opinion on this subject, because there is no more time available.
Images by Google
Global Footprint Network will organize events and interviews from all over the world through Facebook and Youtube on July 31st and August 1st. Read more HERE
Together with Schneider Electric they will host a webinar entitled: "Living on a Finished Planet: Strategies for the Sustainable Use of Resources".
It's time NOW to find strategies for a sustainable resource utilization.
Thanks for reading my post.
References
*https://www.overshootday.org/
*https://www.sciencealert.com/we-just-used-up-all-of-earth-s-resources-for-the-year
*https://ec.europa.eu/clima/index_en
*https://www.footprintnetwork.org/